As Santa Rosa County Commissioner Jayer Williamson and SRC Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree scour the International Council of Shopping Centers, (ICSC) Retail Convention (Recon) event in Las Vegas, Commissioner Bob Cole was one of the officials to attend the Goldring Gulf Distributing ribbon cutting ceremony on a beverage distribution plant in the East Milton Industrial Park. While Cole cited various signs of economic growth in the county, SRC County Administrator Hunter Walker discussed areas the county can improve. “You hate for your best export to be your talent.”
Cole said the “first class operation” plans to employ 200. The family-owned beverage distributor, representing companies such as Miller Coors Brewing Company, Heineken, Red Bull, and Snapple, covers roughly 191,000 square feet with its new plant according to Walker, who also attended. He described it as one of the large additions to the industrial park.
Cole said Goldring takes a different approach to employment. Because the company is family-owned and sees its workforce as family, as well, he said, “They chose not to do it robotically as far as truck loading and inventory.”
Cole said the SRC Board of County Commissioners has been “very aggressive in economic opportunity in our county. That’s why this board is so prone to purchase additional property for industrial growth for industrial parks.” As to additional companies, Cole said he seen Gulf Cable expanding. A portion of Navy Federal is coming on a temporary basis, though suggested they may decide to retain the area. Ropella, the recruiting and consulting firm, continues to grow as well as the convenience store distribution company Hackney, according to Cole.
Pensacola State College also looks to make inroads with Milton Aviation Partners at the Peter Prince airfield. Cole said, “Milton Aviation Partners is working directly with PSC to start an aviation instruction program for aircraft maintenance. It wouldn’t be directed toward large airlines but toward personal and smaller aircraft. It’s a niche nobody’s filling right now.”
While Walker said the board has been good through the years to develop the county’s economic opportunities, he said the 2007 and 2008 downturn saw a lot of industry go offshore making the economic development job more competitive. He described it as “a lot of jurisdictions chasing a few number of projects.”
Walker cited the Gulf Breeze company AppRiver as the kind of business where the county could improve as far as attracting to the area. Those are the jobs the area should have for those graduates out of tech school and college, he said, who have computer security and programming skills.
Keep up with the Santa Rosa Press Gazette to learn the findings of Williamson and Ogletree when they return. Also read more with thoughts from Dr. Karen Barber with Bridges out of Poverty and Locklin Technical School and Pensacola State College leaders on what they see as employment needs in Santa Rosa County.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: County looks to improve economic growth