SMARTstartIn the News
2023
New Moffitt Cancer Center campus to bring more than just a hospital in Pasco
January 20, 2023
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Linda Shotsberger’s fight started off in the new year when she saw something that didn’t look right.
“I had turned yellow that was my only sign. And then they started testing and they found out I had pancreatic cancer,” she said.
(Read Full Article)Moffitt Cancer Center breaks ground on new Pasco County campus, the largest expansion in history
January 20, 2023
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Moffitt Cancer Center's planned 775-acre campus has hit a new milestone.
President and CEO Patrick Hwu, former Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson and others broke ground on the "Speros FL" campus in Pasco County on Friday in front of over 150 people. As part of the occasion, Moffitt announced that Simpson would be honored for his efforts to fund the campus with two namesake projects: a road called Wilton Way and the first 75 acres of development called the W.E. Simpson Concourse for Cures.
(Read Full Article)2022
Gary Plastic Packaging moving from the Bronx to Florida
December 9, 2022
Plastics News
New York City-based injection and blow molder Gary Plastic PackagingCorp. plans to pull up stakes from the Bronx and head to Florida, where ithas been offered job, tax and training incentives worth almost $1 million.
(Read Full Article)PLASTICS COMPANY TO ADD MORE THAN 500 JOBS IN FLORIDA
December 8, 2022
WhatJobs? News
More than 500 employees will soon be recruited by a plastics company which is
expanding Pasco County’s manufacturing presence in the Tampa Bay area.
Gary Plastic Packaging Corp. will relocate to the brand-new North Pasco Corporate
Center in Spring Hill, according to an announcement made on Tuesday, December 6 by
the Pasco Economic Development Council.
Pasco commissioners approve deal to moveplastics manufacturer from New York
December 6, 2022
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Pasco County Commissioners have approved anincentive deal to entice a New York plasticsmanufacturer to relocate from the Bronx.
Commissioners on Tuesday approved multipleincentives totaling $958,206 for Gary Plastic PackagingCorp., which will
move its executive offi ces
and twoproduct line manufacturing facilities to Spring Hill.Gary Plastic plans to invest $16 million in “leaseholdimprovements,manufacturingequipment, furniture and other fi xtures in order tocreate a modern state-of-the-art manufacturingfacility,” according to county documents.
Pasco leaders provide $1M in incentives to lure NY plastic manufacturer
December 6, 2022
Business Observer
A New York packaging company is moving to Pasco County and creating about 555 jobs in the process.
Gary Plastic Packaging Corp. announced Tuesday, Dec. 2, that it is moving into 279,000 square feet of space in a new400,000-square-foot building currently under construction at the North Pasco Corporate Center. The building is oneof two being built on 72 acres in Spring Hill.
Pasco’s ‘Ready Sites’ program is attracting companies
December 6, 2022
Laker Lutz News
Pasco County continues to attract manufacturers seeking a place to set up shop, and is headinginto a new fiscal year that will show an increased focus on supporting workforce developmentefforts.
Those were some key take-aways in a report delivered by Bill Cronin, president and CEO of thePasco Economic Development Council (EDC), to the Pasco County Commission.
SMARTstart celebrates 10 years of helping budding entrepreneurs
December 6, 2022
The Suncoast News
A decade ago, the Pasco County Economic Development Council received some seed funding from the Florida High Tech Corridor that hassince, according to the EDC, helped more than 500 participants, at some level, turn their bright ideas into thriving businesses. Funded largely byPenny for Pasco since 2016, the SMARTstart Small Business Program has issued more than $2 million in microloans to 68 recipients and heldnearly 600 classes and events for people who want to start their own businesses.
The organization’s offerings can be broken down into five areas, Dan Mitchell, program director, told Suncoast News: workspace, guidance,education, financing, and collaboration.
Pasco grants $958,206 in economic incentives to plastics manufacturer
December 6, 2022
Tampa Bay Times
NEW PORT RICHEY — With hopes of adding another high-impact, job-producing
manufacturer, the Pasco County Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved
up to $958,206 in economic development incentives for Gary Plastic Packaging
Corporation to move part of its operation from the Bronx to Pasco County.
The company hopes to provide 555 new jobs over the next several years. It would
move portions of its New York-based operation to 279,000 square feet of a
440,000-square-foot industrial building under construction by Harrod Properties
on Shady Hills Road west of the the Suncoast Parkway.
Two industrial buildings are planned for the site with one already committed to
other companies, said Pasco County Economic Growth Manager David Engel. Site
work is underway and construction should start soon, he said.
Gary Plastic is expected to make $66.4 million in investments to the industrial
space over the next three years. Once operating, the new site will generate a
payroll of $22 million and contribute an estimated $102 million to the county
economy. For every $1 in public money, the new company will generate an impact
of $105.55, according to the background material provided to commissioners.
Engel said that the project has been in the works for four years as the company has
sought an appropriate location and a building to house its operation.
Two product lines, promotional products and packaging, and the company’s
executive offices will move to the new site, The 184 jobs that qualified the
company economic incentives will provide an average salary of $54,326, which is
125 percent of Pasco’s average wage.
The company’s website shows that it manufactures a variety of plastic container
products ranging from clear hinged plastic compartment boxes to syringe holders.
The site states that the company has been in business since 1963 and has more
than 500 workers in over 300,000 square feet of offices, manufacturing and
warehouse space.
“The company has been awarded 15 government contracts for producing the
containers and parts for U.S. Treasury Liberty Coin and Proof Set Packaging,” the
company website states.
“Welcome,” said Pasco County Commission chairperson Jack Mariano, who asked
whether the company uses recycled materials. Gary Plastic Plastic Corporation
President Richard Hellinger said that it does. Mariano said he hopes that Pasco’s
recyling program can work with him.
“We’re super excited to expand our operation into Pasco County from New York,”
Hellinger told commissioners.
“We will get you plugged in” with the manufacturing community and training
programs, said Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, a strong supporter of AmSkills, a
training program that prepares the workforce for local industries.
The incentive package to Gary Plastic Packaging will include a portion for the jobs
it creates, dollars because the number of jobs create a high impact and funds for
employee training. All of the incentives are performance-based and would be
awarded over time based on performance benchmarks.
In addition to the financial incentives, Pasco officials have also agreed to expedited
permitting review for the project.
New York manufacturer seeks incentive to move HQ, operations to Pasco County
December 1, 2022
Tampa Bay Business Journal
A plastic packaging manufacturer wants to move its
headquarters and
operations to Pasco County from New York City.
Pasco County Commissioners on Tuesday will vote on
an economic development incentive agreement that
county officials have struck with Gary Plastic
Packaging Corp., which is based in The Bronx.