DUFFIELD, VA – FEBRUARY 24, 2026 — An up to $312,500 grant for workforce development and training from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) Coalfield Jobs Investment Project to assist with a VFP, Inc., expansion in Scott County, VA, was closed recently.
The overall expansion project, which is estimated at $35 million, is being primarily funded by the company using conventional financing methods. It was formally announced by the governor’s office last October.
“The CJIP funds will support workforce development and training initiatives to benefit the new employees expected to be hired in the next two years as a result of the expansion,” said VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher. “The 200 jobs anticipated to be added through the expansion make VFP one of the largest employers in the entire region.”
“VFP, INC is certainly one of our key industries and it is fantastic to partner with them on the VCEDA CJIP grant funds that will assist them in their new expansion announced in 2025,” said Scott County Economic Development Authority Executive Director John Kilgore.
VFP manufactures communication equipment shelters made out of concrete and steel. These shelters are used in the telecom, public safety, electrical and data center industries. With the new expansion project, VFP will add two new manufacturing buildings at its current property in the Duffield Regional Industrial Park. Each building will be approximately 100,000 square feet, increasing VFP’s production capacity to meet ongoing customer demand. With the expansion, VFP anticipates hiring an additional 200 employees and purchasing $5 million in production equipment. The two new buildings are estimated to cost $30 million.
VFP currently employs 382 full-time employees at Duffield. The types of jobs to be added through the expansion include electricians, carpenters, welders, design engineers, production supervisors, material handlers and quality control personnel.
Through the years, VCEDA has assisted VFP with several expansions, having previously approved loans to VFP, including a $500,000 loan in 2004; a $600,000 loan in 2005; and a $581,000 loan in 2012. All three of these loans were repaid in full. VCEDA also approved up to a $100,000 workforce development and training grant to the Scott County Economic Development Authority (EDA) in 2021 for VFP.
“VFP is proud to announce this $35 million expansion of our Duffield manufacturing facilities, marking a major milestone in our company’s continued growth and commitment to innovation,” said VFP President/CEO Scott File. “This expansion will significantly increase production capacity, enhance operational efficiency and create new high-quality jobs in our community. We are especially grateful for our continued partnership with the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) in awarding this $312,500 grant which will play a critical role in equipping our new employee-owners with the skills, knowledge and resources they need to succeed.”
About Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority and Southwest Virginia’s e-Region: The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1988 to enhance and diversify the region’s economy and help create jobs, markets Southwest Virginia’s e-Region and its focus on electronic information technology, energy, education, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurship. VCEDA is a unique economic development organization that manages funds for economic development projects from a percentage of the coal and natural gas severance taxes paid by coal and natural gas companies that operate in the region. Located in southwestern Virginia, the region includes Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the City of Norton. www.vceda.us or www.e-Region.org.
(PHOTO CAPTION: A ceremonial check representing a VCEDA $312,500 Coalfield Jobs Investment Project grant to VFP, Inc. was presented at the fall announcement on the VFP expansion project. Pictured, from left, are VFP, Inc. President and CEO Scott File; VFP Inc. Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer Steve Jones; VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher; Scott County EDA Chairman Roger Fraysier; and Scott County EDA Executive Director John Kilgore.)