CHESAPEAKE, Va. — South Korea based manufacturer LS Cable & System executives provided additional details about their $689 million manufacturing complex planned for the Greenbrier area of Chesapeake. Managing Director Patrick Shim highlighted the facility's critical role in creating a China-free supply chain for national security materials.
The project, described as the largest private capital investment in Hampton Roads history, will focus heavily on producing rare earth magnets essential for advanced military applications, Shim said during a media briefing Wednesday.
"Our magnets will be not only made in the U.S., but our underlying raw materials are coming from Australia," Shim said. "Those magnets are very vitally important for national security because they are used for advanced fighter jets, guided missiles, a lot of weapons systems."
The 86-acre facility planned for 802 Yupo Court will house three distinct operations: copper rod production, magnet wire manufacturing for electric motors, and rare earth magnet production. This diversified approach reflects the company's strategy to build comprehensive domestic supply chains across multiple industries.
Shim emphasized that the location selection was part of a competitive national process.
"As a company that looks at a lot of sites, we kind of know what the market rate is. We not only looked at Chesapeake but we looked at other parts of the country too."
The Greenbrier project will create 430 jobs, bringing LS Cable & System's total regional workforce to nearly 800 employees when combined with their separate LS GreenLink facility under construction near the Jordan Bridge.
Watch previous coverage: Company leaders, elected officials celebrate progress of LS Greenlink facility in Chesapeake
"It's close to 800 jobs, and it's gonna be all types of jobs," Shim said. "Obviously we're still a manufacturing business, a lot of jobs will be manufacturing related, but just like any other business, we'll have everyone from accounting to IT to HR to marketing and all the way down to security."
Chesapeake Economic Development Director Steven Wright emphasized the broader regional benefits.
"Anytime that you're able to attract a company like LS Cable and System, it's a real win for the city. Obviously that investment is going to equate to significant tax revenue for the city, but from a workforce standpoint, that workforce is regional."
Company officials addressed environmental concerns about the former Mitsubishi Chemical site, confirming that environmental assessments have been completed. Shim pledged to minimize the facility's environmental footprint while maintaining community privacy.
"We're gonna keep as much trees as we can, and we'll have the buffer lines all around," he said. "So we're gonna try to maintain what's there as much as we can. It's a big site. We're going to try to touch as little as we can."
Wright noted that the location has manufacturing precedent, having been previously zoned for industrial development and once considered for a Volvo manufacturing facility in the 1980s.
LS Cable & System hopes to close on the property by the end of 2026 and begin construction immediately afterward. The facilities are projected to be fully operational by 2029 or 2030.
The Greenbrier project operates independently from the company's roughly $681 million GreenLink facility, which remains on schedule for completion by late 2027. That facility will produce high-voltage direct current subsea power cables and create 330 additional jobs.
Combined, both projects position LS Cable & System to become one of the largest property tax contributors in the Hampton Roads region, representing nearly $1.4 billion in total private investment across Chesapeake.
The announcement reinforces the region's growing role in national security manufacturing and supply chain diversification, as companies seek alternatives to overseas production for critical defense materials.
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