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The Gov. Rick Scott Industrial Park in Coleman, already the home of businesses such as DZ Precast Solutions seen above, has been designated as a Site Ready Sumter location by Sumter County Economic Development.
The Gov. Rick Scott Industrial Park in Coleman, already the home of businesses such as DZ Precast Solutions seen above, has been designated as a Site Ready Sumter location by Sumter County Economic Development.
Sumter County is poised to make a major impact in both the industrial and agribusiness realms in coming years. While industrial and agricultural businesses may seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, there is opportunity for both in Sumter, said Frank Calascione, Sumter County economic development director.
At the first gathering of members of the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 16, Calascione delivered a presentation showing how his department is recruiting industrial and agricultural businesses to relocate to Sumter. His team is stressing the availability of land that fits the needs of these businesses through a new program they call Site Ready Sumter. “The idea is it tells the site selector that this site is fully ready to go. It’s got the requisite utilities — the water, sewer, gas, electric and fiber — and all the entitlements that are so important. We want to make sure everything is locked in to help us stand out in the marketplace.”
Calascione said his team is engaged with five confidential recruitment projects with industrial and manufacturing businesses considering opening locations in Sumter.
Among the Site Ready Sumter locations are the Gov. Rick Scott Industrial Park near Coleman and the Pike 75 Logistics Center and Shamrock Industrial Park in Wildwood. Those properties offer almost 700 acres of available industrial land.
The Gov. Rick Scott Industrial Park has already been a huge success, Calascione noted.
DZ Corporation, including DZ Precast Solutions, DZ Concrete, DZ Block and Five Star Construction has invested heavily in the industrial park.
“We’re very excited to be here,” said Rick Rhodes, CEO of DZ Corporation. “Ultimately, we’ll be providing hundreds of jobs within this industrial park. We’re very proud to be part of this.”
The company has brought nearly 200 jobs to the industrial park this year, Rhodes said, and is still looking to fill more positions.
Other businesses at the Gov. Rick Scott Industrial Park include MiCo Customs, The Villages Commercial Design Division and The Villages Daily Sun printing plant.
C.W. Roberts Contracting is planning to begin work on an asphalt plant this year, Calascione said.
The county is currently working to establish utility capabilities in order to designate the future Rep. Marlene O’Toole Industrial Park as a Site Ready Sumter property, he said.
“We are actively marketing the Rep. O’Toole park now,” Calascione said. “It will have the full utilities and entitlements, so it’s right there on the radar for several of these projects.”
The Rep. O’Toole Industrial Park is planned to have about 7-million square feet of light industrial space to the east of U.S. 301 across from the Gov. Scott Industrial Park.
“This is the right project in the right area at the right time,” said Sumter County Commissioner Doug Gilpin, who represents District 2, which includes Coleman. “If you look at the success the Gov. Rick Scott Industrial Park has seen in such a short time frame, that shows the demand and desire for businesses to develop in Sumter County. Having more industrial space right across the road will allow us to draw a different type of customer, so we’ll have a more diversified approach.”
Planned improvements for County Road 525E will spur even more industrial opportunities in the area, Calascione said. The county is finalizing a $6 million grant from the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity to go toward expanding the road to four lanes.
“That’s really the nexus point for a lot of development,” Calascione said. “The other piece of the puzzle is we have the Monarch Ranch industrial site which is about 2,000 acres of future industrial use. We envision this being an important industrial corridor within the county. So this project is setting the stage for the next 20 years of industrial development.”
Another infrastructure project to widen CR 229 from State Road 44 to CR 462 in the Wildwood area is expected to provide a boon to agribusiness, Calascione said.
“We see that as a potential agricultural corridor,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of interest in traditional agriculture as well as the automated greenhouses.”
Negotiations are underway with two agribusiness companies exploring Sumter and another that is looking at an expansion of its current business, Calascione said.
“We’ve got two active recruitment projects in the site plan phase, which means they are getting pretty close,” he said.
The success of The Villages Grown has raised the profile for agribusiness in the county, Calascione said.
In recent months, The Villages Grown developed numerous partnerships to expand access to the produce grown from its in controlled environment agriculture greenhouses along a 45-acre farm at the southwest corner of State Road 44 and Morse Boulevard, as well as local farm partners within a 100-mile radius of The Villages. “We did a tour not long ago at The Villages Grown and they are basically in constant expansion mode,” he said. “It has been wonderful to see everything they are doing.”
Specialty Editor Keith Pearlman can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5347, or keith.pearlman@thevillagesmedia.com.
Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High 91F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 93F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
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