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Northeast: Opportunity Epicenter
Pro-business attitudes and easy lifestyle prompt decisions to relocate and grow.
PUTNAM COUNTY
Room to grow: Large tracts of available land make Putnam County an attractive option for companies needing space. Prime example: a $40-million Wal-Mart distribution center under construction in Crescent City. Situated on 200 acres of land spanning the border between Putnam and Volusia counties, the 850,000-square-foot center is expected to employ upwards of 600 people.
In addition, Putnam County Business Park, a 175-acre fully landscaped facility, features a 50,200-square-foot building that is ready to be customized and occupied.
 Sister companies 1st Coast Recycling and Active Demolition have found an ideal home in Putnam County where land is plentiful and county officials are “seriously awesome to work with,” says Mike Orand. [Photos: 1st Coast Recycling]  |
Opportunity knocks: For Mike Orand and Jim Bugg, northeast Florida has turned out to be the land of opportunity. The former business competitors who came together five years ago to form 1st Coast Recycling in Palatka opened their second Putnam County-based business — Active Demolition — in 2009.
1st Coast Recycling was launched in 2004 with a $9-million investment in land and equipment. The company serves the recycling needs of everyone from individual consumers discarding empty soda cans to the U.S. government disposing of blown-up tanks, worn out military vehicles, even bombs.
Active Demolition takes recycling to a new level by recovering concrete, steel and other metals from vacant or abandoned work sites, such as old factories, refineries or sawmills. In the case of concrete, for example, the company breaks down the material and recycles it into a powder that can be used as a road base. The resulting product is more cost effective and provides a firmer base than available alternatives.
Orand and Bugg decided to locate both of their companies in Putnam County because, they say, there was plenty of land available and county officials made everything easy. Putnam is “seriously awesome to work with,” says Orand.
Combined, the companies have 30 employees. Some Active Demolition employees are new hires; others had worked at 1st Coast Recycling where they received on-the-job training and gained necessary experience.
