SARASOTA, FL (March 1, 2021) — During the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 the commission voted unanimously to support awarding economic development incentives to two manufacturers for the creation of 222 new jobs. The jobs must be filled and verified by the county before incentive funds are provided to the companies.
The first approval went to a manufacturer that is expanding in Sarasota County, and the other to a manufacturer that is opening a Sarasota County location. The two projects represent 222 new jobs in Sarasota County. Both companies are adding quality, family-supporting, and resilient jobs, and will hire local graduates from technical colleges
Tom Teffenhart, Owner, CEO of Commercial Residential Aluminum and Fabricating comments, “Commercial Residential Aluminum and Fabricating (CRA) is a Sarasota business that specializes in manufacturing a wide array of aluminum products. CRA is grateful for the opportunity that Sarasota County in conjunction with the Economic Development Council has provided through the EDIF Grant Program. This program allows companies such as CRA to continue to grow and develop our local workforce while providing economic strength to the people of our communities. We are thankful to be a Sarasota County business and we look forward to providing vocational opportunities to anyone that has the desire to start a new career in residential and commercial aluminum manufacturing and installations. We are honored and privileged to be a part of this program.”
“Rhino Trailers is pleased to announce our expansion into the Great State of Florida. We have established a 34,000 sq ft manufacturing facility located in Sarasota County. We couldn’t be more impressed with the swift and eager action by the County of Sarasota and the EDC. Their assistance and guidance really allowed us to focus on opening our facility and hiring skilled labor needed to produce trailers. Sarasota County is clearly eager and ready to expand manufacturing within the county. As a producer of Utility, landscape, Car Hauler and Dump Trailers, we feel that this partnership is something we can all be proud of. Making Florida goods IN Florida is something we are extremely proud of. We look forward to growing our facility and the need for skilled talent,” said Richard Medford, President of Rhino Trailers.
Rob Harris, Executive Director of Sarasota-Manatee Manufacturers Association (SAMA) comments, “The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the importance of manufacturing within our local economy. Manufacturing was the steady, and even growing, portion of our economy in 2020, as tourism, retail, and food/beverage were ravaged. It is great that Sarasota County is offering incentive grants to entice local and out-of-state manufacturers to expand here. This is not a handout; the manufacturer will be held accountable for meeting their goal requirements. This program should be adopted state-wide!”
“New jobs are critical for economic recovery and stability”, says Dave Bullock, CEO of the EDC. He continued, “Since October 2020, we’ve worked with three projects that represent a capital investment of over $6 million dollars and adding almost 400 new jobs in our community.”
The EDC of Sarasota County is the private, not-for-profit corporation leading the community’s economic development strategy to add high-wage jobs and diversify the local economy. The EDC provides business assistance to companies in Sarasota County and helps forge solutions to community challenges that affect our capacity to build a diversified economy. The EDC works in partnership with chambers of commerce, local governments and other organizations throughout the county and the region. For more information, visit www.edcsarasotacounty.com.
— 30 —