Firm leaving Clearwater for Pasco industrial park

Reasons for moving "all boiled down to money,'' says a manager for Anvil Iron Works, a company that makes steel parts.

By JENNIFER GOLDBLATT, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 27, 2002

ODESSA -- A Clearwater-based company that makes steel parts for ladders, handrails and framing, plans to move to West Pasco Industrial Park early next year and bring more than 30 jobs to the area.

Anvil Iron Works plans to expand its operation once it moves, and hire up to 10 more people, depending on the business climate and how many employees decide to relocate with the company. The company's average salary is just more than $34,000.

Anvil is building a 14,000-square-foot manufacturing and office facility in the Odessa industrial park.

The decision to move to Pasco "all boiled down to money," said Mike Mier, operations manager for the 10-year-old company, which now rents a 10,000-square-foot facility. "We got some good pricing on some property and our building."

Another factor in the company's move: Many key employees have recently moved to Pasco.

The company plans to ask Pasco for relief of its transportation, water and sewer impact fees, which would amount to about $8,000. The county reimburses those fees for companies that expand or move to Pasco and create more revenue for the county than they tax in services.

In order to qualify for the incentives, companies must have at least 15 employees, 10,000 square feet of space and pay wages of $28,320 on average, which is equal to about 80 percent of the median income of the Tampa Bay area.

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