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Coastal Virginia Developers, a development company headquartered in Portsmouth, is donating a property on Carolina Road in Suffolk to Camp Community College Real Estate Foundation for the college’s Workforce Trades and Innovation Center.

The 13,000-square foot building will provide industry credentials training for in-demand jobs, according to a news release from the college. Programs at the new facility will include maritime trades and other infrastructure and skilled trades related programs.

Principal owners of Coastal Virginia Developers, Bob Arnette and Matt Howard, see this donation as a huge opportunity for the community.

“We are thankful that we can partner with Camp Community College in bringing the trade school to the City of Suffolk. Our main goal was to make sure the college had a location in Suffolk,” they said in the release. “The trade school will enhance the quality of our workforce and be a benefit to the students and businesses in Suffolk and the surrounding region.”

In discussions with Camp Community College leadership, the pair said the donation will include the building, improvements to the infrastructure and maintenance of the entrance way.

Camp Community College President Corey L. McCray, Ph.D, said this donation will provide for the expansion of skilled trades and workforce education in the Western Tidewater area and beyond.

“This donation provides a significant boost to the expansion of skilled trades and workforce education at Camp Community College where students come to grow their future. Bob Arnette, Matt Howard, and Coastal Virginia Developers has come alongside the college as great partners in providing affordable workforce development options for the City of Suffolk and Western Tidewater through their generosity,” McCray said. “It has moved Camp Community College’s efforts to expanding its capacity to deliver more workforce development programs closer to fruition.”

Coastal Virginia Developers was established in 2002 for the purpose of identifying, researching and purchasing land in Southeastern Virginia, and selling parcels to local, regional and national builders.

Arnette and Howard have more than 40 years of experience in the development business and have developed numerous communities throughout Hampton Roads.

“At Coastal Virginia Developers our mission is to create exceptional communities that enrich the lives of individuals and families. Through innovative design, sustainable practices, and a commitment to quality, we strive to create neighborhoods that inspire and endure,” Arnette said. “We are dedicated to fostering lasting relationships with our customers, partners and employees, ensuring transparency, integrity and customer satisfaction in every project we

undertake. By embracing forward thinking solutions and embracing a  people-centric approach, we aim to shape vibrant neighborhoods and redefine the art of modern living.”

Officials from the company and the college will hold a news conference at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2 to provide more details on the new center.

Paul D. Camp Community College has campuses in Franklin and Suffolk, and a center in Smithfield. The two-year public institution opened in 1971.