By A.J. Kaufman, Managing Editor
Electro-Mechanical/Federal Pacific is investing over $16.5 million in an expansion into Washington County that will result in more than 100 new employees who will work in an existing 200,000-square-foot facility. They are the largest employer in Bristol, Va., with 575 employees and growing.
“This expansion reflects our long-term belief in American manufacturing and in this region’s ability to power it,” Electro-Mechanical President Howard Broadfoot told the Business Journal. “We’re not just bringing a building back online—we’re creating a space designed for today’s products, today’s workforce, and tomorrow’s growth. It’s not about what used to be here. It’s about what we’re building here now and where it’s going.”
Late last year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, alongside state lawmakers and local officials, announced this effort at the Bristol-Washington County Industrial Park off Lee Highway. The convenient location is situated between Abingdon and Bristol.
At one point, Youngkin noted, “The company’s continued growth and investment in the Commonwealth is a testament to our exceptional workforce and strategic location.”
And that strategic location is within the Tri-Cities.
With the massive investment, they expect full production capacity expected to occur in early 2026. Additionally, the project received support through state and local economic development programs, including assistance from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Washington County and their regional partners.
“This facility was the right size, in the right place, and with the right support from state and local partners to hit the ground running,” Electro-Mechanical Chief Operating Officer Mike Stollings told the Business Journal. “We’re bringing high-skill roles back into a building that’s been quiet too long and doing it with purpose.”
Founded nearly 70 years ago and headquartered in Bristol, Electro-Mechanical manufactures products used in the generation, distribution and control of electricity.
The company’s expansion will enhance its capacity to produce switchgear and other electrical apparatus, serving clients worldwide.
Electro-Mechanical/Federal Pacific is investing in the local economy, expanding manufacturing capacity, creating jobs, and reactivating a major facility in an innovative, fast way. The company says it chose this site for speed-to-capacity and proximity to talent, not nostalgia. The building also offered an ideal footprint and timeline to match an already-growing backlog.
Rather than building from the ground up, they say they retrofitted an idle facility to meet high demand, showcasing practical investment and smart deployment of capital.
In Bristol, the company currently has a manufacturing site on Goodson Street, which serves as the corporate headquarters; the Line Power manufacturing facility, just down the street; and over at Exit 7, the company has the Federal Pacific facility, where switchgear and transformers are made. {They also have a facility in Canada and another in Mexico.}
Before the new jobs were added, the company employed about 700 workers, and 520 of them were local. The new state-of-the-art facility is located on the site that once housed Bristol Compressors before its closure in 2018. The site is currently being revitalized through Electro-Mechanical’s significant investment, bringing skilled jobs back to the community and laying the groundwork for future growth. With innovation at its core, the company is shaping a vibrant manufacturing future for the region.
