Project Description

5801 Lake Wright Dr.
Norfolk, Va. 23502

In 2001, Gee’s Group built a 40,000 square foot headquarters building for Zim International Shipping Co. From start to finish the project took only 5 months.

An April, 2001 Virginian-Pilot report referenced the importance of the project to the City of Norfolk. Here is a portion of the full article linked below:

Shipper’s move to Norfolk will create 235 jobs
By CHRISTOPHER DINSMORE
© 2001, The Virginian-Pilot

NORFOLK — Norfolk scored a major economic development victory Monday, taking a corporate headquarters from New York City.

With great glee, Gov. Jim Gilmore confirmed Monday that the North American headquarters of Zim Israel Navigation Co. Ltd., the world’s ninth-largest shipping company, will be moving to Norfolk from New York.

Zim-American Israeli Shipping Co. Inc. will be relocating from the 16th floor of the World Trade Center I in Manhattan to a new $6.2 million building in the Lake Wright Executive Center.

The company expects to open its new building by Sept. 4 and will eventually employ 235 people with an average annual salary of at least $35,000 in Norfolk.

“While many other shipping companies have moved across the river to New Jersey, Zim looked nationally for the location best meeting our long-term business needs,” said Shaul Cohen-Mintz, Zim-American’s president, in a statement. “Norfolk emerged as an extremely attractive location.”

Gilmore and other state officials visited Norfolk on Monday afternoon to make the announcement in the Town Point Club at Norfolk’s World Trade Center. Gilmore delivered a $100,000 check from his opportunity fund to the city to be spent on site preparation for the company’s new building.

The Gee’s Group is building a 30,000- to 40,000-square-foot building at the Lake Wright park for Zim-American.

Full article: Zim International Gee’s Group