NS expands Norfolk HQ following Roanoke office closure

Norfolk Southern Corp. plans to spend $8.2 million to expand its headquarters in Norfolk, Va. as part of an overall plan to consolidate its corporate offices, according to a statement from Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.    Norfolk Southern Corp. will expand its headquarters in Norfolk, Va. as part of an overall plan to consolidate its corporate offices, according to a statement from Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. The company plans to spend $8.2 million on the expansion.
   The announcement comes after NS closed its Roanoke, Va. office and relocated functions carried out there to either Norfolk or Atlanta, Ga. About 500 people in marketing, accounting, information technology and other departments at Roanoke were affected by the closure.
   Employees in the railway’s industrial products, coal marketing, sourcing, tax, treasury, and audit and compliance departments have relocated from Roanoke to Norfolk, bringing regional employment to 1,050.
   Roanoke remains the headquarters for NS’s Pocahontas Division, as well as the home of a local switching yard and locomotive and car maintenance facilities. More than 1,350 NS employees are based in the city.
   “We are pleased that Norfolk Southern will invest in its corporate headquarters in the City of Norfolk and maintain its locomotive facilities in Roanoke,” Gov. McAuliffe said. “We are confident that the company, a key customer of the Port of Virginia, benefits from our excellent business environment, and we remain ready to facilitate its continued success here in Virginia any way we can.”                                                                
   “Norfolk Southern has called the City of Norfolk home since 1982 and has been a vibrant partner in economic development and community initiatives,” added Jim Squires, NS chairman, president and CEO. “We are excited about expanding our presence in the City and look forward to many years of continued growth and prosperity as we deliver freight across the state and throughout the country. We thank the Commonwealth and City of Norfolk for their tremendous support with this project.”
   Gov. McAuliffe approved a $1.93 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Norfolk with the project.