Advertisement

Header Utility Menu

  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Events

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

  • Login

Virginia Business

Mobile Menu

  • Issues
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Law
    • Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • COVID-19
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • Women in Leadership
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read The Issue
    • Order a copy
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Suggest execs for 2022

Advertisement

Header Primary Menu

  • Issues
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • Issues Archive
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Law
    • Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • COVID-19
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • Women in Leadership
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read The Issue
    • Order a copy
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Suggest execs for 2022

Home News Regions Southern Virginia Danville company reinventing the wheel

Danville company reinventing the wheel

Published June 28, 2013 by Veronica Garabelli

After researching the market for a couple of years, Mike Farless and Chris Joy are getting the ball rolling on their new business, Macerata Wheels LLC. The company plans to begin manufacturing custom wheels starting this fall in Danville. It will produce wheels for cars, motorcycles and pickup trucks. “Eventually, we want to make wheels for anything that rolls,” says Farless, the company’s president. Macerata Wheels plans to create 101 jobs in Danville over the next three years. 

Farless says the company was drawn to Southern Virginia by Danville Community College’s precision machining program, which is near Macerata Wheel’s 140,000-square-foot site at 1000 Lockett Drive. “We felt students were being taught to use machines we were going to be using,” he says. “We had a realization almost immediately that this would be a perfect marriage for us to work with them and them to work with us.” The company looked at two other sites — in South Carolina and The Bahamas.

Joy says Macerata Wheels’ products will be longer-lasting than other wheels. If customers’ wheels are damaged, they will be able to replace the broken part instead of replacing the entire wheel. If wheels are completely ruined, customers will be able to order replacements because Macerata’s wheels won’t be discontinued.

The company plans to emphasize the fact its products are American-made. “It’s going to create jobs for American people, so that is going to boost our economy and it’s going to allow us to have more control of the industry,” Joy says, noting that most custom wheels are imported.

Farless and Joy also are establishing Teramo Wheels LLC, which will sell more traditional one-piece wheels. The company initially will import those wheels from China until it can begin manufacturing them. “It’s more of an entry level wheel line that will allow people to have an expensive look without the expensive price,” Joy says.

Farless and Joy plan to sell their products to retail stores and distributors on the East Coast. They also are considering the Caribbean as a potential market. “Macerata Wheels will be the wave of future,” Joy says.  “People eventually can save money and look at a new way of buying wheels.”

Related Stories

Virginia Business logo

College is expanding programs to meet demand

Virginia Business logo

Applied Felts plans to expand in Henry County

Virginia Business logo

Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber to move Sept. 1

It will be located at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research

Trending

Caesars ups Danville casino investment to $650M

Axios to be sold to Cox Enterprises for $525M

Newport News apartments sell for $9.75M

SCC approves Dominion’s $9.8B offshore wind farm

Amazon opens new Chesapeake facility

Sponsored Stories

Creating An Urban Destination in Chesapeake

5 surprising facts employers should know about voluntary benefits

What Supply Chain Problems should you be planning for in 2023?

Advertisement

Advertisement

Trending

Caesars ups Danville casino investment to $650M

Axios to be sold to Cox Enterprises for $525M

Newport News apartments sell for $9.75M

SCC approves Dominion’s $9.8B offshore wind farm

Amazon opens new Chesapeake facility

Sponsored Stories

Creating An Urban Destination in Chesapeake

5 surprising facts employers should know about voluntary benefits

What Supply Chain Problems should you be planning for in 2023?

Get Virginia Business directly on your tablet or in your mailbox!

Subscribe to Virginia Business

Advertisement

Advertisement

Footer Primary Menu

  • virginiabusiness.com
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Footer Secondary Menu

  • Industries
  • Regions
  • Reports
  • Company News
  • Events

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Sign Up

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Footer Utility Menu

Copyright © 2022 Virginia Business. All rights reserved.

Site Maintained by TechArk