Walashek Industrial & Marine is planning a $5 million expansion of its Norfolk headquarters that will grow its local workforce by roughly 40 employees over the next three years — an estimated 150% increase — while adding Navy hovercraft maintenance capabilities in the region.
The investment, reported by The Virginian-Pilot, will fund workforce growth, facility expansions and infrastructure improvements at the company's Norfolk operations, according to newsroomamerica.com. Central to the plan is the expansion of Walashek's LCAC support program — the maintenance and modernization of Landing Craft Air Cushion hovercraft — from San Diego into the Norfolk market at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek–Fort Story, the outlet reports.
A Family-Owned Firm With Decades of Navy Ties
Walashek Industrial & Marine was founded in 1986 and remains a family-owned business with facilities in five other states beyond its Norfolk headquarters, per the company's own account on walashek.com. The firm provides military and civilian ship repair, marine engineering, and maintenance and technical services, and its customer base includes the Coast Guard and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, according to the original reporting.
Beyond vessel work, Walashek handles repair, maintenance and installation for stationary and marine boilers, pressure vessels, power plants and distilling plants, the company's services page states. It also serves power generation facilities, chemical plants and commercial steam clients, rounding out a client list that stretches well past the Navy ships docked around Hampton Roads.
State and City Money Behind the Growth
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Norfolk to secure a $102,000 investment for Virginia tied to the project, the newsroomamerica.com report notes. The Virginia Jobs Investment Program will support employee recruitment and training connected to the job creation, providing consultative services and funding to companies adding new positions.
Walashek president and CEO Steve Coughlin said the award will support the company's expansion and the creation of high-quality jobs in Hampton Roads. Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander said the expansion will bring new jobs and strengthen ship repair and maintenance capabilities, adding that Walashek will help strengthen the city's maritime and defense-supporting economy.
Growth Amid a Regional Worker Shortage
The Walashek expansion lands in the middle of a well-documented maritime labor crunch across Hampton Roads. Employers across the region need to fill more than 11,000 jobs in critical trade-skill areas, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, with maritime employers struggling to fill roles such as welders, shipbuilders, pipefitters, machinists, and sheet metal and HVAC technicians.
Part of the problem is generational: workers in their 50s and 60s with deep institutional experience are leaving the industry faster than younger workers can replace them, according to WTKR. A separate $1.2 million state grant initiative is expected to serve 170 workers over two years and could raise participant salaries by an average of about $7,000 annually, the station reports. The Hampton Roads Workforce Council has also received $14 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to bolster maritime workforce programs tied to the Navy's Submarine Industrial Base, according to the council's own announcement.
Part of a Broader Wave of Shipyard Investment
Walashek's announcement follows a string of maritime expansions across the region this year. S23 Holdings plans to invest $180 million to expand its River Port facility in Newport News, adding 414 jobs and building a larger ship repair and maritime manufacturing complex with a new shiplift and about 48,000 square feet of production space, The Virginian-Pilot reported in September. In Chesapeake, Defense Maritime Solutions plans to invest more than $30 million and create 32 jobs, most of them high-skill manufacturing positions, with first engine deliveries anticipated in 2028, according to Virginia Business.
Those projects, combined with Walashek's planned Norfolk growth, point to a maritime sector racing to expand capacity even as it fights to keep its workforce staffed. For Walashek, the next three years will test whether the company can grow its Norfolk headcount by an estimated 150% while adding an entirely new line of work in hovercraft maintenance to its home base.
