RVALUG was recently invited to submit works for The LEGO Group to consider for display at their Chesterfield Manufacturing Facility Groundbreaking event.
All RVALUG members were invited to submit images of their works to the AFOL Community Engagement team at the LEGO Ambassador network.
We were notified that 4 models were selected – LEGO-Land Theater by Dennis, a gorgeous Bionicle Peacock by Seth, an RVA Fan District home and graffiti mural by Ben and a Black Falcon Battle Ship by Harold.
Our team of talented builders was invited to attend the groundbreaking with their models, an exciting opportunity for RVALUG, indeed!
The production team that staged the event went all out on hardware. The shovels featured brick built handles, and the hard hats had the LEGO logo front and center!
There were many special guest speakers, as you would expect for such an auspicious event. There are only 4 manufacturing facilities where LEGO produces its plastic parts and pieces currently. Chesterfield Virginia joins only 4 other locations worldwide. They are Billund, Denmark; Nyíregyháza, Hungary; Monterrey, Mexico; and most recently in Jiaxing, China.
Among those invited to speak at the ground breaking were Governor Youngkin of Virginia, LEGO Chief Operating Officer Carsten Rasmussen, and Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa LAGO.
Marisa Lago admitted to being an AFOL, of all things!
Included beside our displays was a thoughtful pop up display about RVA LUG and the LEGO Ambassador Network.
The display reads:
THE LEGO GROUP OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZES SOME OF THE MOST ACTIVE AND INNOVATIVE LEGO BUILDERS IN COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD, WHICH INCLUDES RVA LUG.
THESE RECOGNIZED COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING RVA LUG, COLLABORATE, ENGAGE AND KNOWLEDGE-SHARE WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES AND ALSO WITH THE LEGO GROUP ITSELF.
RVA LUG INSPIRE KIDS AND ADULTS ALIKE THROUGH ORGANIZED EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES, BUILD MEETINGS, AND CHARITY WORK THROUGHOUT THE GREATER RICHMOND AREA.
Inside the welcome center we found a 40,000+ piece scale model of what the manufacturing facility will look like when construction completes in 2025:
The empty areas highlighted in RED LEGO show you where phase 2 will be when they start on the phase of the project.
Although we all secretly wished the helmets and shovels were to be given out as souvenirs, we were happy to have been gifted a commemorative tile and minfig instead:
LEGO Has not manufactured in the USA since closing its Enfield Connecticut Plant in 2006, so this is a major opportunity for the state of Virginia and we are humbled to have been asked to participate in its launch in a small way.
Dennis Captured some footage of the actual ground breaking, and you can find it on our RVALUG Youtube channel: