Movement Mortgage on Thursday officially opened the doors of its new 750-job operations center at Military Circle in Norfolk, Virginia.

Movement Mortgage hosted Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander to celebrate the successful partnership with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Other city officials and staff joined Movement Mortgage employees for the event.

"Movement Mortgage has built a strong track record in the Commonwealth since 2008, so it was a high priority to help the company stay in Virginia and grow its operations. As governor, I have been laser-focused on building a new Virginia economy that works for everyone. Supporting existing businesses like Movement Mortgage is key to our efforts to grow and diversify our 21st century economy," McAuliffe said.

Movement is investing $3.1 million in the new office and leasing the space from the City of Norfolk. The project was possible through a partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia and the City of Norfolk, which assisted in the redevelopment of the site, job training and related investments. The project is responsible for relocating 550 jobs from Movement's former operations center in Virginia Beach and adding 200 more jobs over the next three years for a total of 750 financial services jobs in Norfolk.

"Norfolk is blessed to have Movement Mortgage as a partner and a new addition to our business community. They are building on our economic momentum and we grateful for the hundreds of jobs. The return on our investment in Military Circle has been tremendous, thanks in part to Movement Mortgage," Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander said.  

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Norfolk to secure the project for Virginia with a $600,000 grant from the Commonwealth's Opportunity Fund approved by Governor McAuliffe. The renovations have resulted in a 93,000 square foot state-of-the-art operations center to support Movement's rapid national growth. The new office includes a fitness center, prayer room and cafe for its employees.

Movement was founded in 2008 with an office in Virginia Beach and in Charlotte, North Carolina. Virginia has grown to be one of the company's most important markets, with its largest operations center and a large customer base. Movement originated $12 billion in loans in 2016 and is on its way to becoming one of the 10 largest purchase mortgage lenders in the U.S.

"We are so excited to be expanding in the state where it all began and one that means so much to our company. From this building, we have the privilege of helping more families own homes, the opportunity to see more people reach their full potential in a career and the responsibility to invest in our communities with life, light and hope. We are thankful for this amazing occasion and all the partners and teammates who made it possible, and we want to give all of the glory to God," Movement Mortgage CEO Casey Crawford said.

At this time, 619 Movement Mortgage employees are occupying the new office space and all relocating employees from the Virginia Beach operations center have done so. For details on job openings, visit movement.com/careers.

Ribbon cutting is live

Watch our Facebook Live video of the ribbon cutting ceremony here.