NORFOLK, Va. — One day before the first round of minimum wage raises in Virginia, Governor Ralph Northam paid a visit to a Norfolk company to talk about the minimum wage that's needed to make a living.
Instant Systems is a women-owned biotech company. It manufactures specific packaging and storage to store cellular and bio-material at a freezing temperature to keep it preserved.
Governor Northam and President and CEO of Instant Systems Tara Ramsey suited up to tour the business's laboratories where they manufacture the packaging.
“Examples of [what we package] would be many of your cell therapy products as well as whole tissues like heart valves and things like that," explained Ramsey.
Ramsey, says her company pays the employees more than the state’s current minimum wage, which as of May 1, rises to $9.50 an hour.
“We really feel like it's a win-win for both employees and employers, so our retention rates are high. Our training costs are low. People show up wanting to work. They look for innovations, they look for ways to make our products better," Ramsey said. "It's a competitive business, but we are doing well for how it is."
With the latest bill signed into law to raise Virginia’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by the year 2026, Governor Northam recognized Instant Systems for being ahead of the curve.
“We can pay our employees a living wage while also having a successful business."