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Tech firms see county as good option
By JENNIFER GOLDBLATT © St. Petersburg Times, published May 18, 2001 Landing a high-tech company -- with its high-paying jobs and clean manufacturing facilities -- would be a coup for any county trying to improve and expand its tax base. Particularly a county such as Pasco, where the average annual salary is $23,461 -- just 78 percent of the statewide average. Now, at least two small flight-simulation companies are eyeing Pasco, and an optical laser components manufacturer, TwinStar Optics and Coatings, is planning to move to Pasco from Oldsmar. "Our economy wasn't built on technology," said Mary Jane Stanley, executive director of the Economic Development Council. "We do have technology companies, but we aren't known as a technology cluster. Would we like to be? Absolutely. Maybe this is the furtherance of it." Given that low-wage service and retail jobs make up 52 percent of all earnings in Pasco, companies that bring annual salaries above $40,000 would be welcome. The retirement industry now accounts for more than 75 percent of the money that comes into the area, according to a recent study by consultant William Fruth. Fruth's study, conducted for the Economic Development Council, also said companies such as dental labs, health insurance, pension and welfare funds would be compatible with the large medical industry that is already in Pasco. Companies that are considering moving here would join a small core of high-tech companies including Optima Systems, VLOC and Tingley Systems. Officials from those companies said that they moved to Pasco, and have stayed even as they have grown, because of its relatively inexpensive land and labor, proximity to the airport, and access to community colleges, which help them train potential and existing employees. One of the companies to which Pasco is appealing is Opinicus Corp., which upgrades and manufactures flight simulator software and hardware, and recently was hired to manufacture a DC9-30 flight simulator for Airborne Express. The company occupies a 5,000-square-foot space off U.S. 19 in Clearwater near Countryside Mall, and recently leased an additional 5,000-square-foot facility adjacent to it. If Opinicus builds another DC9 simulator, moving could be a possibility, said Jennifer Frame a company spokeswoman. Opinicus' lease is up in the next two years, and it will be deciding in the next year whether to move, and whether it would be most economical to own its own building. Most of Opinicus' 30 employees have engineering positions. Average salaries at the company exceed $26,640, which is equivalent to 80 percent of Tampa's median income, and one of the qualifications to meet the county's economic development incentives. "Pasco is very reasonable," Frame said. "A lot of our employees live up there. We're talking internally about the best thing to do. We're a slow-growing company and we don't want to do anything that would throw us off track." She added that a move also would depend on accessibility to the airport, the commute for employees, and incentives that any community might offer. Stanley said another flight simulation company is interested in Pasco, but declined to name the company, citing confidentiality agreements. TwinStar Optics and Coatings, a maker of laser-optic components, plans to move into a 15,000-square-foot building in Port Richey from a 6,000-square-foot building in Oldsmar. The company has 18 employees and pays them annual salaries up to $50,000. "We need more room and there's very little land left down here," said Robert Thomas, president of TwinStar. "I just think there's a better market for us to bring people in to train in Pasco." - Jennifer Goldblatt covers business in Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6229 or (800) 333-7505, ext. 6229.
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From today's Pasco Times |
