ALTAVISTA, Va. (WSET) — A new distribution center is set to be built in Altavista, promising economic growth and 30 new jobs.

Becknell Industrial is building a 260,000-square-foot facility, representing a $37 million capital investment, that will be leased to Abbott Laboratories. Abbott is a leading employer and medical manufacturer in town.

Bill Gillespie, chairman of the Altavista Economic Development Authority, said this facility is an exciting addition to the town.

In economic development, nothing happens today, it’s always in the future. The problem is, you’ve got to be able to see it and have enough faith. This community is great, and Abbott will tell you that,” Gillespie said.

Gillespie said the AEDA worked for years to bring the project to fruition.

“We started working with Abbott about two and a half years ago. They really liked the Altavista location for a distribution center. The issue was that we really didn’t have a site that was big enough, because they wanted a site that could house a 400,000-square-foot distribution center; that’s a big building,” Gillespie said.

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The AEDA acquired an 83-acre parcel of land on Dearing Ford Rd. in 2021. They’re conveying that land, assessed at $414,600, to Becknell to build the facility, which will be used by Abbott.

“Abbott is primarily focused on manufacturing, they’re not interested in owning buildings, land or property, they want to focus on manufacturing,” Gillespie said.

Gillespie said he’s optimistic that the facility will continue economic growth in the town.

We’re taking a little bit more of a futuristic look at this and saying that this is just step one of where we could be at,” he said. “Abbott’s been here since the ’70s. They’re not going anywhere if we’ve got anything to do with it. I think all of the EDA could see that. They’ve been a good partner for all of these years, and this is a step in the right direction for us.”

The facility will be located on Dearing Ford Road. Construction is slated to begin as soon as possible, with a goal to have the center operational by June 30, 2026.

Click here to read more about this plan for economic growth.