Apr 3, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Leigh Cockram
Director of Marketing/Recruiting
Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation
276.403.5940
lcockram@yesmartinsville.com
Bobby Hamilton Racing has Established Shop in Martinsville-Henry County
Martinsville, VA (March 27, 2008) – The Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is pleased to announce the relocation of Bobby Hamilton Racing (BHR) to the Patriot Centre Industrial Park.
BHR, formed by the late Bobby Hamilton Sr. (the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion) over 10 years ago, was previously located in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Lori Hamilton, the wife of the late Bobby Hamilton Sr., said discussions regarding moving the team to Virginia began with Hamilton Sr., in 2005. "BHR was extremely successful where it was, in Mt. Juliet and Bobby's vision was that he wanted it to be in his hometown, but behind the scenes we had numerous meetings with Martinsville and Henry County about moving the team," said Hamilton. "NASCAR obviously has a hub and it's convenient to be close to [it].”
In late 2007 BHR merged with a group of five Virginia businessmen and racers - Mac Bailey, Chief Executive Officer of S&M Brands; Mark Melling, owner of Melling Products and former owner of Melling Racing; Stacy Compton, current BHR driver in the No. 4 Dodge Truck; Joey Arrington, founder of Arrington Manufacturing Inc. (AMI) and Clay Campbell, President of Martinsville Speedway. The merger culminated with BHR bringing its operations to the Patriot Centre.
“This is a step in the right direction for BHR and AMI,” Arrington said. “It is our goal to get Dodge Motorsports back on top of its game in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and having BHR beside us is only going to help accomplish this goal.”
Mark Heath, President and CEO of the EDC says, “This is not only a win for the efforts of AMI and BHR, but a significant win for the Martinsville-Henry County community.” BHR is in the process of hiring 30 full-time employees and approximately 2 million of capital investment to the AMI facility. Heath believes this relocation to Martinsville-Henry County “proves that the motorsports initiative started four years ago is working and will continue to grow with the addition of assets such as BHR.” The EDC announced in March the relocation of Darrell Cox Racing to Ridgeway and these two companies along with the Patrick Henry Community College Motorsports program and HT Motorsports position the region well when recruiting motorsports operations.
“Henry County is thrilled to have AMI and BHR become the latest residents of our Patriot Centre,” said Jim Adams, chairman of the Henry County Board of Supervisors. “Martinsville and Henry County have a rich history in motorsports, and this latest venture is a perfect fit for us. We look forward to working with AMI and BHR.”
Mayor Kimble Reynolds says “the City of Martinsville looks forward to seeing the motorsports industry continue to grow and is ready to assist BHR in any way they can.”
BHR fields two NASCAR Craftsman Trucks, the No. 18 Dodge driven by Dennis Setzer which is ranked ninth and the No. 4 Dodge driven by Stacy Compton is ranked 16th in the point standings going into the Martinsville Speedway’s Kroger 250 on Saturday, March 29 at 3:00 p.m.
The mission of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation is to create new job opportunities and expand the tax base for the area. The organization strives to support and develop local industry, as well as market Martinsville-Henry County globally as an exceptional place to live, work and play.
The EDC is a public-private partnership between the City of Martinsville, Henry County, the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber’s Partnership for Economic Growth (C-PEG) and the Harvest Foundation of the Piedmont.
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