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A Norfolk manufacturer of some of the air compressors used by scuba divers and firefighters is expanding once again, adding 47 jobs.
Bauer Compressors plans to spend $7.4 million to expand its production capacity in Norfolk to meet increasing demand for hydrogen and natural gas compressors, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday.
Virginia competed with Ohio and South Carolina for the project, the governor said.
The company, which has been operating in Norfolk since 1976, chose to remain in the city because of its easy access to the Port of Virginia, its favorable business climate and room to grow its location, Bauer President Tony Bayat said in the announcement.
Bauer manufactures breathing air and other products for customers like first responders, divers, the military, oil and gas companies, helium blimp businesses and even paintball gunmakers, according to its website.
The company previously expanded in 2014 in a project it had said would add 150 jobs.
Bauer spokesperson James Womack declined to provide data on an average annual salary for the new positions, but they are in engineering, software, supervising and entry-level manufacturing.
The company currently employs around 250 people, primarily in Norfolk, Womack said in an email.
Youngkin said he approved a $50,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to help Norfolk in securing the project.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com
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