Stone Brewing Company announced Thursday that is has chosen Richmond over Norfolk and Columbus, Ohio as the site of their highly anticipated East Coast facility.
The California-based brewery plans to invest $74 million to construct a production brewery, packaging hall, destination restaurant, retail store and administrative offices in Richmond’s Greater Fulton Community.
“The search for our location east of the Mississippi River was no easy endeavor,” said Stone President and Co-founder Steve Wagner. “We received and reviewed hundreds of proposals, visited more than 40 sites, and received quite a bit of attention from communities and craft beer fans. The three finalist cities each provided diverse offerings, however, we decided to begin next-step negotiations with Richmond because of their ability to meet our extensive site requirements, subject to the city’s approval. We also feel that Richmond’s vibrant energy and impressive craft beer culture, along with the uniqueness of the property, will allow us to create a truly memorable Stone experience for our fans. We are honored by the amount of time and effort all the communities that submitted proposals put forth, and we want to specifically thank Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones for welcoming us.”
The brewery is anticipated to open in late 2015 or early 2016 and will eventually employ more than 288 people.
Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim issued the following statement after the announcement was made:
“Norfolk is glad to have been chosen as a location finalist for Stone’s east coast distribution site. We congratulate Richmond and extend Stone Brewing our best wishes. We also thank Governor McAuliffe for his good work in bringing Stone to Virginia,” said Mayor Paul D. Fraim. “The community spirit and pride that has revealed itself in Norfolk during this effort has been a very healthy and positive development. We will build on this and are now actively searching for the next opportunity.”
