Tampa Bay: Finding a Home

PASCO COUNTY

Ideal location: Situated just north of Tampa Bay, Pasco County is luring new businesses to an area that is readily accessible to both Tampa and St. Petersburg:

• Investment firm T. Rowe Price spent $13.5 million in July 2009 to purchase 75 acres in Pasco County. The financial services company is expected to build a regional campus on the site, a move that could eventually bring as many as 1,500 jobs to the area.
• Stainless Fabricators Inc., a manufacturer of marine and architectural railings, broke ground in June 2009 on a new 30,000-square-foot facility in Odessa. The $2.3-million investment will lead to an additional 10 new jobs.
• In early August 2009, Jantech Services Inc., a power protection equipment company, began work on a new $1.17-million facility in Odessa.
• P & K Engineering Inc. is making plans for a $1-million, 6,000-square-foot facility in Land O’Lakes that will bring 25 new jobs into the county.

HERNANDO COUNTY

Attracting new business: In 2008, Hernando County adopted a set of incentives designed to attract companies to this area, which is situated about an hour north of Tampa International Airport. These incentives include a payment of up to $2,000 to $3,000 per job created at a specified salary.

Companies that have come to Hernando over the past year include:

• Neubert Aero Corporation, which in July 2009 signed a lease for a new 10,000-square-foot facility in Brooksville with plans to open the new building by January 2010. The company specializes in airport safety products and will house both its manufacturing arm and its sales and marketing division at the facility where research and development also will be conducted.
• Intrepid Machine Inc., which moved into a new 15,000-square-foot facility at the Hernando County Airport Corporate Park in November 2008. The company builds precision-machined aerospace components for helicopters and airplanes and has 20 employees.

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