HOLLY HILL – The familiar adage “If you build it, they will come” has proved true for Blackton Inc., one of Central Florida’s largest suppliers of roofing and flooring materials for the homebuilding industry.
Less than two months after the Orlando-based company opened a distribution center at 1550 Pine Ave. in Holly Hill, owners landed a contract to supply flooring materials for Minto Communities’ Latitude Margaritaville project in Daytona Beach, according to CEO Michael “Micky” Blackton.
“We signed a long-term lease, completed paving and painting and have completely remodeled the two-story office here,” he said. The 12,000-square-foot building and paved yard is the company’s third Central Florida location.
The Minto contract will allow Blackton Inc. to provide an estimated $3.5 million worth of flooring for the 55+ development’s 416 cottage-style homes, he said.
Blackton said the 60-year-old company’s growth – a 30 percent increase in business in 2021 – necessitated the expansion to accommodate its busy homebuilding customers from Jacksonville to Tampa. He said the addition of the Holly Hill location will assure prompt service to builders in the Daytona Beach, Palm Coast and Jacksonville areas.
“This will allow us to take on new homebuilders and provide them as well as our current customers with a faster turnaround time,” Blackton said.
The family-operated company opened a 15,000-square-foot location in Leesburg two years ago to serve builders in The Villages and the Gainesville area. Last year’s building boon compelled the company to add an additional 10,000 square feet to that operation, he said.
Blackton currently employs 110 people companywide, including a retail location in South Orlando, and initially will have a staff of 18 at the Holly Hill facility.
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For more information, please contact:
Michael Blackton, CEO /Chairman of Blackton Inc., 407-898-2661 or Micky@Blacktoninc.com
Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-461-3781 or beth@larryvershel.com