MILTON — Due to growth and needed room for expansion, a local boat manufacturer needed to weigh its options.
“We have built two buildings on the property and we just needed more room,” said Scott Davis, CFO of Fabbro Marine/Cape Horn Boats.
However, the company decided to stay in the Santa Rosa Industrial Park due to incentives it received from the county and Gulf Power Company.
Next week, Fabbro Marine will break ground at Industrial Park, located in East Milton. The company, renowned for manufacturing Cape Horn offshore boats, will also be the first to build on one of Gulf Power’s Florida First Sites.
The first regional site certification program in the state aims to develop project-ready industrial sites and attract industries to Northwest Florida.
According to the Floridafirstsites.com, each location undergoes a rigorous screening process developed by McCallum Sweeney Consulting, offering third-party analysis to ensure sites are ready for development.
“We are really excited about this,” said Rick DelaHaya, a Gulf Power spokesperson. “This is a win-win for both us and the county.”
DelaHaya hopes the boating company will be the first of several industries to locate to one of several First Sites across Northwest Florida.
Fabbro Marine, which opened in the Santa Rosa Industrial Park in 1993, anticipates being settled in its new location on Jeff Ates Road by January of 2017.
In addition to having property developed for industrial use and working alongside the county’s economic development office, Davis said the company has no intention of relocating anytime soon.
“90 percent of the customers live in this area,” he said. “We also have customers from Texas and New York.”
Another plus, according to Davis, is the area’s lone industrial atmosphere.
According to a press from the county, the SRC board of county commissioners accepted Fabbro’s bid for 20 acres including 10 additional acres for expansion.
With the new expansion, the company is expected to hire between 10 and 12 new employees.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Expanding boat company to build on a Florida First Site