Northwest Fla., Panhandle Business Briefs - Jan. 2009

Bonifay —

» GreenCore Earth Products has started production at its Holmes manufacturing plant, expecting eventually to employ 95 to make housing systems, including energy-efficient modular housing. President Joe Delano Brooks is also CEO and founder of Essex Newbury North Contracting of Newburyport, Mass.

Escambia County —

» Wayne Dalton Corp. will lay off 250 of its 300 local employees by mid-January when it moves its local garage door manufacturing plant to its Ohio headquarters. Employees in regional distribution, Fabric-Shield and research departments aren’t affected. The county commission could repeal a 10-year extension of local tax incentives granted in March, valued at $584,620 in property tax exemptions.

» West Fraser Timber began laying off 75 of the approximately 100 workers at its McDavid Lumbermill in a partial shutdown blamed on high log costs and continuing poor conditions in the housing market. The plant produces Southern Yellow Pine lumber. Canada-based West Fraser reported a $2-million third-quarter loss.

» Solutia has laid off some 650 workers at its nylon plant at Gonzalez; an additional 55 employees were let go permanently. The cutbacks, attributed to a decline in product demand, reduce the workforce by half. Laid-off workers could be recalled when demand picks up. Solutia emerged from bankruptcy in March and announced plans in July to restructure or sell its nylon division.

» Four-laning of a 14-mile stretch of Alabama Highway 113 from Flomaton to Interstate 65 has been completed, providing improved hurricane evacuation for Escambia County, which contributed $4 million of the $28-million cost. The road connects with four-lane U.S. 29 in Escambia County.

Fort Walton Beach —

» The city council has approved plans to build Fort Walton Beach’s first large affordable housing project, a $20-million, 200-unit project. One hundred and sixty units will be reserved for those earning 60% of the area’s median income.

Gadsden County —

» Mushroom producer Quincy Farms, the county’s largest business, will shut down by the end of January, laying off 490.

Milton —

» GEO Group of Boca Raton expects to begin construction by March on a $120-million state prison in East Milton. The facility will house 2,000 medium- and close-custody male inmates. The average salary for the 400 employees will exceed $37,000, 15% above the Santa Rosa County average.

Northwest Florida —

» Gulf Power is offering $1,000 rebates to customers who install solar thermal water-heating systems.

Pensacola —

» Sacred Heart Hospital has begun construction of a $31.5-million cancer center at its medical park on Airport Boulevard, to consolidate and expand its cancer services.

Tallahassee —

» The Environmental Protection Agency gave its first-ever award for excellence in site reuse to the city of Tallahassee for its work in redeveloping Cascades Park as a public park. The park, which dates from the 1800s, was used over time as a gas plant, electric power plant and incinerator. The cleanup involved removing more than 80,000 tons of contaminated soil.

» Senate President Jeff Atwater appointed Sen. Don Gaetz to head up a committee charged with proposing legislation that will create incentives and eliminate impediments to economic recovery and growth.