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Tampa Bay: Finding a Home
New arrivals and business expansions tap into ready talent pool and right sites.
CITRUS COUNTY
More than a pretty face: Located along Florida’s Nature Coast about an hour north of Tampa, Citrus County has long been appreciated by ecotourists for its bountiful lakes, rivers and springs. In addition to preserving the area’s natural beauty, establishing business infrastructure is a top priority.
Business park: County officials have embarked on a plan to expand the Inverness Business Park adjacent to the Inverness Airport from its present 80 acres to as many as 500 acres. In July 2009, the county began construction on a new road to link the business park to U.S. 41, the major four-lane highway bisecting the county from north to south.
 Dismantled and brought from Italy to the Ringling Estate in Sarasota, the restored 18th-century Asolo Theater today functions as a performing arts venue for theater, dance, film and lectures. [Photo: St. Petersburg] |
Fresh produce: Citrus County is looking to assist area farmers with grants that can be used to expand the existing farmers market in Crystal River to sites in Inverness and Homosassa.
MANATEE COUNTY
On the march: Dulond Tool & Engineering, which provides precision machine work and assembly for a variety of industries, moved into a new 13,000-square-foot facility in June 2009. Dulond recently partnered with a distributor to market its LoadMaestro carts, wheeled aluminum carts made specifically for transporting marching band equipment.
Growing exponentially: Kopco Graphics Inc., which specializes in flexographic printing of pressure sensitive labels, in May 2009 tripled the size of its Manatee County facility to 10,000 square feet to accommodate more equipment and expanded services. The company first came to Manatee County in 2003.
Trinity Manufacturing Corporation doubled the size of its Manatee County-based manufacturing operations in March 2009. A contract manufacturer of cable assemblies, wiring harnesses and electrical panel and box assemblies for original equipment manufacturers, Trinity employs 26 people.
Incentives facilitate move: Veethree Electronics and Marine LLC, an Illinois-based supplier of mechanical and electronic instrumentation, moved its global engineering headquarters to Manatee County in April 2009 with the help of economic development organizations in both Manatee and Sarasota counties. Manatee County government helped facilitate Veethree’s move into an existing 35,000-square-foot building with up to $60,000 in tax incentives based on the job growth and wages that will be generated as a result. The facility is expected to employ 50 people.
Sweet deal: Healthy Chocolate Florida opened its new 6,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Bradenton in May 2009. Led by a physicist, Healthy Chocolate uses a patent-pending process to create a high-quality, sugar-free chocolate that helps consumers control blood sugar levels and reduce hunger. The new facility has 12 full-time and two part-time employees.
