Market report · Richmond, VA
The State of Outbound Sales in Richmond, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the Richmond, VA metro right now: who the buyers are, which trades have room, what is being built, what a rep costs to hire here. Then a 4-tool kit to work the market this month.
- 3,301business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #48 of our 100 metros
- 4.1buyer sites per commercial landscaping contractor, #34 of 100 markets: the best rank of any trade here
Sites: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023; rank among the 100 metros on our market pages. Room: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 sites per contractor in U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1, among markets with at least 10 contractors.
Executive summary Read this if nothing else
5 things to know about outbound sales in Richmond
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 941 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in Richmond, ahead of retail stores (775).
Where the metro leans
Senior living and nursing: 1.32x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: auto dealerships (1.31x) and warehousing and distribution (1.22x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Commercial Landscaping: #34 of 100 markets
4.1 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 474 local commercial landscaping contractors. The most crowded is commercial flooring, #64 of 68.
Biggest reason to call
Google Project Peanut Data Center Campus, $137,000,000 electrical permit and $95,780,669 cold shell permit for Building 2
Under construction, Building 2 permits issued September 2026. One of 8 named, sourced projects in this report.
Hiring locally
$124,700 for an in-house SDR's first year (illustrative)
At a $55,000 base salary, once commission, payroll taxes and benefits, tools, recruiting and training, turnover and manager time are added, before ramp time.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1; project sources as of 2026-09; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Full list at the end.
Chapter 01 The market
Who buys in Richmond
3,301 business sites in Richmond have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #48 of the 100 metros we publish. Here is what those buyers are and where they sit.
The largest buyer categories
Sites with 20 or more people are the ones worth an SDR's time: big enough to have a facility lead, a service budget and a contract that comes up for renewal. The "vs. U.S. mix" column compares each category's share of local employment with its national share (1.00x is the U.S. average).
| Category | Sites with 20+ | All sites | vs. U.S. mix | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RestaurantsLargest pool | 941 | 2,606 | 0.98x | +66 |
| Retail stores | 775 | 4,066 | 1.00x | +23 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 414 | 2,625 | 1.15x | +104 |
| Wholesale distributors | 290 | 1,478 | 0.81x | -16 |
| Manufacturing plants | 241 | 881 | 0.81x | -14 |
| Grocery stores | 140 | 661 | 1.03x | +22 |
| Senior living and nursing | 132 | 388 | 1.32x | +16 |
| Trucking companies | 97 | 592 | 0.81x | +5 |
| Hotels | 92 | 257 | 1.18x | +20 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 78 | 976 | 0.86x | 0 |
Richmond leans toward senior living and nursing (1.32x), auto dealerships (1.31x) and warehousing and distribution (1.22x). A trade that already sells to those buyers elsewhere has a deeper pool here than the national numbers suggest, and a case study from one of them travels well on the phone.
Growing fastest over the past year, by establishment count: medical, dental and outpatient offices (+104), restaurants (+66) and retail stores (+23). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
Richmond, VA: 16 counties in this report's counts.
Henrico County, Chesterfield County and Richmond city hold 73% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| Henrico CountyStart here | 998 | 30% |
| Chesterfield County | 815 | 25% |
| Richmond city | 592 | 18% |
| Hanover County | 310 | 9% |
| Colonial Heights city | 84 | 3% |
| Petersburg city | 58 | 2% |
| Prince George County | 44 | 1% |
| Powhatan County | 30 | 1% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in Richmond
Buyer sites per contractor is a rough read on how crowded a trade is: more sites for each local competitor means more doors nobody else is knocking on. Each trade's Richmond figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial LandscapingMost room | #34 of 100 | 4.1 | 474 | -2 |
| Fire Protection | #37 of 96 | 46 | 40 | 0 |
| Managed Service Providers | #54 of 100 | 2.6 | 717 | +4 |
| Commercial Roofing | #54 of 89 | 59 | 29 | +1 |
| Commercial Construction | #69 of 100 | 3.6 | 239 | +11 |
| Paving & Asphalt | #68 of 94 | 35 | 56 | +3 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | #77 of 100 | 8.0 | 135 | +2 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | #85 of 100 | 2.9 | 409 | -5 |
| Commercial Electrical | #87 of 100 | 7.0 | 202 | +1 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #79 of 86 | 42 | 42 | +2 |
| Commercial Flooring | #64 of 68 | 40 | 29 | +1 |
Commercial landscaping (#34), fire protection (#37) and managed service providers (#54) rank best in Richmond. For those trades a program can work longer before it calls the same building twice, and fewer competitors have already pitched each owner.
Commercial flooring is the most crowded trade here, #64 of 68: 40 buyer sites for each of 29 local commercial flooring contractors. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Commercial cleaning & janitorial (-5) and commercial landscaping (-2) lost contractor establishments over the past year, so the same buildings are split among fewer firms than a year ago. Commercial construction (+11) and managed service providers (+4) added them.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover Richmond yet. We take one client per trade per territory, so ask before you plan around it.
Chapter 03 The projects
What is being built, and who owns the buildings
8 named, sourced projects and 6 anchor owners in Richmond. Each one is a reason to call that has nothing to do with your company and everything to do with the buyer's building.
The projects
- 01 · $137,000,000 electrical permit and $95,780,669 cold shell permit for Building 2 Google Project Peanut Data Center Campus Under construction, Building 2 permits issued September 2026 A three-building Google data center campus on a 300-plus acre site on Bermuda Hundred Road in Chester, Chesterfield County, part of Google's $9 billion Virginia investment. September 2026 permits for Building 2 cover permanent power, the cold shell and mechanical work, so electrical, mechanical and fire protection crews have a long runway, with a separate $144.3 million data center permit issued at the same address range. Richmond BizSense, 2026-09-30
- 02 · $1 billion LEGO Manufacturing Virginia Under construction, full completion expected January 2027 LEGO's first U.S. factory, more than 1.7 million sq ft across 13 buildings including molding, packing and a high-bay warehouse, at Meadowville Technology Park in Chesterfield County. Steel topped out in October 2025, so the push to a 2027 finish is interior mechanical, electrical, fire protection and floors, followed by ongoing maintenance, cleaning and grounds work on a large campus. Virginia Business, 2025-10-01
- 03 · $366 million LEGO Warehouse and Distribution Center Under construction, operational expected 2027 A 2 million sq ft warehouse and distribution center for LEGO in Prince George County. A building this size carries a large roof, sprinkler system and lighting package, plus heavy truck courts and parking that need paving now and maintenance later. Virginia Business, 2025-10-01
- 04 · $90 million VCU Health Pauley Heart Center Pavilion Broke ground April 2026, opening April 2028 A two-story, 100,000 sq ft outpatient cardiac center with imaging, exam rooms, research space and cardiac rehab at 1505 Robin Hood Road, next to Richmond's Diamond District. Imaging suites with two MRIs and a CT scanner drive specialized electrical and HVAC work, and the 450-plus space surface lot adds paving and site landscaping before the 2028 opening. Richmond BizSense, 2026-04-30
- 05 · more than $100 million Shamin Hotels Scott's Addition Hotel (Residence Inn and AC Hotels) Broke ground May 2026, two-year construction A 12-story, 253-room dual-brand Marriott hotel with a 10,000 sq ft ballroom, rooftop bar and 253-space parking deck at 921 Myers St. near Scott's Addition in Richmond. Thomas Builders is the general contractor on a two-year build, so subcontract packages for interior finishes, guestroom and ballroom flooring and painting follow the structure, and a 253-room hotel needs housekeeping support and recurring cleaning once open. Richmond BizSense, 2026-05-19
- 06 · $160 million The Mondelle (Hilton) at Springline at District 60 Broke ground December 2025, at least two years to build A 12-story, 270-room Hilton with more than 30,000 sq ft of meeting space, a 12,600 sq ft ballroom, a rooftop restaurant and a rooftop infinity pool at Midlothian Turnpike and Chippenham Parkway in Chesterfield County. Clancy & Theys is building through at least 2027, and a rooftop restaurant and pool deck make the roof assembly a major package; ballroom, meeting room and guestroom interiors bring flooring and painting work late in the job, then ongoing cleaning for a full-service conference hotel. Richmond BizSense, 2025-12-12
- 07 · $196 million West Ridge High School Topped out June 2026, opening August 2027 A two-story, 340,000 sq ft high school for 2,400 students with more than 100 classrooms, two gyms, a 962-seat auditorium and a 3,500-seat stadium at 17500 Duval Road in western Chesterfield County. With the structure topped out and an August 2027 opening, the 330,000 sq ft main building moves into roofing, interior painting and flooring for more than 100 classrooms, gyms and an auditorium, followed by a custodial and floor care contract for a school this size. Richmond BizSense, 2026-07-27
- 08 · $145.7 million construction services agreement; $205.7 million overall anticipated cost VCU West Grace Street Housing Project Construction contract approved September 2026, opening fall 2028 A 325,000 sq ft, roughly 985-bed residence hall with a 13-story tower and eight-story wing, plus dining and retail space, at 700 and 720 W. Grace St. on VCU's Monroe Park campus in Richmond. Kjellstrom & Lee is construction manager with utility and site work underway, so roofing, interior painting and flooring packages for nearly 1,000 beds, a dining venue and retail space come up ahead of the fall 2028 move-in. Richmond BizSense, 2026-09-14
Projects current as of 2026-09; each source is linked on its card. Values are as reported by the source.
The anchor owners
Health systems, campuses, large employers and industrial parks hold the biggest concentrations of commercial buildings in Richmond. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Richmond, Richmond city
VCU Health
The Greater Richmond Partnership's largest-employers list shows VCU Health with 13,500 employees.
VCU Medical Center downtown is the region's only Level I trauma center verified in burn, pediatric and adult trauma care, with hospital and clinic buildings across the downtown medical campus.
Greater Richmond PartnershipCampus · Richmond, Richmond city
Virginia Commonwealth University
VCU reports 29,288 students enrolled.
Monroe Park and MCV campuses downtown with classrooms, labs, residence halls and parking.
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityAirport · Sandston, Henrico County
Richmond International Airport
RIC set an all-time annual record of 4.96 million passengers in fiscal year 2026.
Terminal, parking, airfield and a cargo operation that also set a record of 235.5 million pounds in FY26.
Richmond International AirportPublic owner · Prince George County
Fort Lee
Fort Lee's growth after the 2005 base realignment brought a $1.2 billion base modernization.
The Army Sustainment Center of Excellence, with training facilities, administrative areas, dining facilities and barracks.
U.S. Army Garrison Fort LeeMajor employer · Goochland County
Capital One (West Creek)
The Greater Richmond Partnership's largest-employers list shows Capital One with 14,000 employees, located in Goochland.
Listed for financial services and call center operations, it tops the region's largest-employers list, ahead of VCU Health.
Greater Richmond PartnershipLogistics hub · Chesterfield County
UPS (Chesterfield)
The Greater Richmond Partnership's largest-employers list shows United Parcel Service with 2,805 employees in package distribution in Chesterfield.
Package sorting and distribution buildings with large truck yards and loading docks.
Greater Richmond PartnershipAnchor facts checked 2026-10; each source is linked on its card.
Which trades the work touches
| Trade | Projects and owners |
|---|---|
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 9 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 8 |
| Commercial Electrical | 7 |
| Fire Protection | 6 |
| Commercial Roofing | 6 |
| Commercial Construction | 6 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 6 |
| Commercial Flooring | 6 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 4 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 3 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The Richmond selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the Richmond metro's counties, month by month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail and damaging wind reportstotal, 2015 to 2024 | 16 | 48 | 3 | 118 | 117 | 243 | 160 | 155 | 44 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 1 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 108 | 285 | 426 | 371 | 187 | 30 | 0 | 1 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 828 | 670 | 527 | 222 | 66 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 202 | 476 | 726 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 49 | 52 | 60 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 89 | 87 | 81 | 71 | 61 | 52 |
NOAA logged 139 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 771 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #28 of 100 markets for hail and #18 for wind. June, July and August carried 61% of the reports. Storm calls are a real door-opener here, and the contractor who is already known before the season gets the inspection.
The metro averages 1,427 cooling degree days a year (#36 of 97 markets) and 3,736 heating degree days (#52 of 97). Cooling load peaks in June, July and August; heating in January, February, March, November and December. Peak months are when HVAC calls lead with service and response times; the rest of the year they lead with planned work and budgets.
9 months average a high of 60°F or more (March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November). That is when exterior painting, paving and landscaping crews are busiest, so in-season calls catch owners while they can see the work that needs doing. The contracts themselves are bid on each property's own dates, so the selling runs all year.
Trades with no weather season
Cleaning, construction, electrical, flooring and fire protection sell on contract end dates, budgets and inspection cycles. Learn each account's date on the first call and come back before it.
Roofing demand spikes after hail and wind events, when owners want an inspection and documentation for their insurer, so be the known contractor before the storm, not one of many calling after it. Planned work follows each owner's budget: inspections feed capital requests, and replacements are approved ahead of installation. Outbound runs every month, keyed to each building's roof age and budget date.
Chapter 05 The numbers
What one meeting takes, trade by trade
What booking a meeting has taken on our own calling floor for the trades we run in Richmond, next to the records we can prospect here. The sales center figures are national; it does not break them out by city yet.
| Trade | Dials per appointment | Reached proposal | Proposals won | Dials for 10 meetings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire ProtectionFastest to book | 78 | 21.6% | 13.2% | about 780 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 86 | 32.2% | 7.4% | about 860 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 88 | 18.8% | 12.7% | about 880 |
| Commercial Electrical | 96 | 14.6% | 21.1% | about 960 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 98 | 16.6% | 24.9% | about 980 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 115 | 31.2% | 14.4% | about 1,150 |
| Commercial Flooring | 122 | 30.8% | 9.8% | about 1,220 |
| Commercial Roofing | 140 | 25.9% | 16.1% | about 1,400 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 142 | 23.9% | 21.7% | about 1,420 |
| Managed Service Providers | 162 | 10.0% | 20.5% | about 1,620 |
All of these trades together: 122 dials per appointment
The records behind a Richmond program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the Richmond territory.
- 3,137Commercial Roofing
- 3,137Commercial Construction
- 1,159Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 844Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial
Source: Abstrakt territory record counts, as of October 2026: estimated decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each program in the territory. Shown for the programs the count covers.
Read it this way
Divide the records by the dials one meeting takes and you see how long a list lasts before it repeats. A thin list means a program has to work every record well, not just call more.
Chapter 06 Build or buy
What an in-house SDR costs in Richmond
Before you hire a sales development rep in Richmond, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 5,710 people hold the role in the Richmond, VA metro, and every one of their employers is competing for the same hires.
| Cost | Year one |
|---|---|
| Base salary | $55,000 |
| Commission and bonus | $15,000 |
| Payroll taxes and benefits (25% of pay) | $17,500 |
| Tools and data ($550 a month) | $6,600 |
| Recruiting and training | $7,000 |
| Turnover (35% a year, rehiring) | $2,450 |
| Manager and QA time (5 hours a week) and admin (4 hours a month) | $21,150 |
| Total, before ramp time | $124,700 |
Headcount: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091). The cost lines are the starting values of our SDR cost calculator: $15,000 commission, 25% payroll taxes and benefits, $550 a month in tools, $7,000 recruiting and training, 35% yearly turnover, and manager, QA and admin time. Change any of them there.
$124,700
for one in-house SDR's first year at a $55,000 base salary.
That buys one rep. It does not buy the list, the manager's coaching system or cover when the rep leaves.
Part two Apply this
The Richmond market toolkit
4 working tools built from the chapters above. Tick the boxes as you go (they stay ticked in this browser), copy the scripts into your CRM, or save the whole guide as a PDF and print this part as a worksheet.
Tool 01
Account scorecard
Before an account goes on the call list, check every line that fits. Call the accounts with the most ticks first, and leave the ones with none for later.
Tool 02
Discovery question bank
Ask fewer, better questions. Pick three or four for the call and save the rest for the meeting. Each one comes with the reason it earns its place.
Restaurants: 941 sites here
From our fire protection talk track. Staying open and passing inspection. Multi-unit operators are worth more than single locations.
- When was your hood suppression system last inspected, and when is the next one due?Due dates tell you when to call and what to offer.
- Have you had a failed inspection or a citation recently?Failed inspections threaten the ability to stay open and create urgency.
- How many locations do you operate, and does each one use a different vendor?Multi-unit operators are more valuable and often want one vendor across locations.
Retail stores: 775 sites here
From our landscaping talk track. Store appearance and snow safety. In shopping centers the landlord usually controls the contract, so qualify who buys.
- Is this a freestanding store, or does the shopping center landlord handle the grounds?In centers the landlord usually buys, so this qualifies whether you are talking to the right company.
- Is grounds and snow bought store by store or through a regional or national program?Regional programs need a different conversation and a different contact than a single store.
- How is snow and ice handled before the store opens?Opening-time snow coverage is a safety and liability issue that gets attention fast.
Medical, dental and outpatient offices: 414 sites here
From our landscaping talk track. Patient access and safety. Many practices lease, so the landlord or property manager is often the buyer.
- Do you own the building, or does a landlord or property manager handle the grounds?Many practices lease, so this tells you whether to keep selling here or move to the landlord.
- How are walkways and parking handled when it snows or ices over?Patient access and slip risk are the strongest reasons a practice will act.
- Have patients complained about the entrance, parking or grounds?Complaints give the practice administrator a reason to push for a change.
Any first meeting
Plain practice that works in every market.
- How are you handling this today, and what would you change about it?The gap between today and what they want is the whole reason to meet.
- What happens if nothing changes this year?Tells you whether there is a cost to waiting, or only curiosity.
- Who else would need to agree before anything moves?Names the people who can stall the deal, while you can still invite them.
- When does the current contract or budget come up for review?Gives you the date to plan around, even when the answer today is no.
- What would make a first meeting worth your time?Lets the buyer set the agenda, which is the agenda they will show up for.
Tool 03
Trigger watchlist
Each of these changes gives a buyer a reason to take the call this month instead of next year. Tick the ones you will track, and set a news alert or CRM field for each so you hear about it first.
Tool 04
30-day action plan
4 weeks, 15 steps, nothing you need to buy. Tick each one off as you finish it; your progress stays in this browser.
Week 1Draw the territory
Week 2Check the rules, then write the talk track
Week 3Make the calls
Week 4Measure and decide
Sources and notes
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023: business sites by category, size and county, Richmond, VA.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1: contractor establishments, one-year change and concentration (location quotient).
- Projects: named public sources linked on each card, current as of 2026-09.
- Anchor owners: sources linked on each card, checked 2026-10.
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2015 to 2024: hail and damaging wind reports by month across the metro's counties.
- NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county monthly series, 1991-2020 averages: degree days and average highs by month.
- Abstrakt sales center, Performance Intelligence, national, as of October 2026: dials, appointments, proposals and wins by trade. Method.
- Abstrakt territory record counts, as of October 2026: decision-maker records per program in the Richmond territory.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091).
- The toolkit's discovery questions come from our trade talk tracks; the plan and checklists are sales practice, not data.
