NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The healthcare and technology consulting company founded by Norfolk State University professor Dr. Angela Reddix is moving to Ghent and expanding with a new division specifically focused on health equity for vulnerable populations.

ARDX will invest $2.4 million and the project is expected to create at least 15 new jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office announced Thursday. ARDX has been operating since 2006 and will relocate from Lake Wright Drive.

The new location will be at the 500 W. 21st Street brick office building, across from the Hardee’s at the intersection of W. 21st and Colonial Avenue.

ARDX works with government entities such as the Department of Health and Human Services and Medicare & Medicaid to help not only improve care for economically-disadvantaged people, but also decrease costs.

“As a native of Virginia, I am honored to leverage ARDX’s 16 years of experience to support initiatives that bridge the gap between social determinants of health and race equity,” said Reddix, the founder and CEO of ARDX, in a release. “Through contracts and initiatives such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) Program, ARDX is excited to be a contributor to the public health ecosystem of our nation.”

The company is not only woman-owned, but is classified as a small disadvantaged business, meaning it’s at least 51 percent owned by one or more people considered both socially and economically disadvantaged, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. It must also be small, per the SBA.

“A V3-certified company of the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program, a commitment to accessibility, equity, and social responsibility while putting people first, ARDX is the business expansion we need to see in our district and across the Commonwealth,” said Delegate Jackie Hope Glass (D-Norfolk). “Their growth is evidence that women’s efforts in business not only help the economy, but profoundly impact the communities they serve. We are excited to improve the health and well-being of communities with ARDX at the helm.”

Youngkin’s office says the Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Norfolk and the Hampton Roads Alliance to facilitate the project, and ARDX will be supported by the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, a state-funded program that helps with consulting and reducing costs for new and expanding businesses.

“ARDX is a visionary company that provides critical healthcare consulting services to at-risk populations while creating good job opportunities in the Virginia communities they serve,” Youngkin said. “We are proud that ARDX continues to reinvest in the Commonwealth, and look forward to supporting the company’s growing operation in Norfolk.”

Reddix, the director of NSU’s Hodge Institute for Entrepreneurship, grew up in Norfolk’s Liberty Park neighborhood, and was named one of WAVY’s “Remarkable Women” finalists for 2022. She mentioned ARDX’s future expansion in that interview.

She’s received multiple awards for business and leadership, including in October at the Leading for Impact, Women in Leadership Awards for her work with ARDX.

“I remember starting my career in federal government contracting,” Reddix said. “I would rarely see women in leadership roles on the contractor’s side of the table or the client (government side). I could probably count on one hand the number of women of color in leadership represented.”

Reddix started a grant program early in the pandemic for businesses owned by women of color, which continues today.

She also started the Envision Lead Grow program to inspire middle school girls with entrepreneurship opportunities and help break the cycle of poverty. Reddix said her mother changed a cycle of poverty in her their family and she’s focused on helping others do the same.

“When you look at all of the things that she does, she could hold that money for herself but she chooses not to, and to continuously pour herself into the community,” Laurie Cox Spangle, who nominated Reddix, told WAVY. “Authentic, genuine, she does it from the bottom of her heart and doesn’t bat an eye, and is happy to do it.”