Gov. Rick Scott and officials from Osceola County announced this week that Colt’s Manufacturing Co. LLC will build a new regional headquarters and production facility in Kissimmee.
Valencia College was instrumental in helping Osceola County officials put together the deal. Osceola County will spend about $550,000 to renovate the old Council on Aging building that will house the new Colt plant, while Valencia offered $100,000 for worker training. In addition, the Governor’s Quick Action Closing Fund contributed $250,000 in incentives.
The new facility will create 63 jobs in Osceola County, most in engineering and manufacturing. The jobs will pay an average salary of $45,060.
At the announcement, Gov. Rick Scott and Colt’s Manufacturing Company president and chief executive officer, M. William Keys, were joined by the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners and a team of Valencia representatives, including President Sanford Shugart, Gaby Hawat, the college’s senior executive for strategic initiatives and economic development, Osceola Campus President Kathleen Plinske and Joe Battista, chief operating officer of Valencia Enterprises.
“Colt’s expansion to Osceola County is a perfect fit for the region,” said Shugart, who said Valencia College will design a specialized training program for the company. “Valencia College stands ready to deliver the best trained, best educated workforce possible. We welcome Colt’s Manufacturing Company to Osceola County and commit to partnering with them and serving their employees and families for many years to come.”
Colt is making a $2.5 million capital investment in the vacant building, which the company will lease. Gov. Scott and his economic development team at Enterprise Florida Inc. and the Osceola County Economic Development Department worked with Colt to bring the project to fruition.
“Colt looked at many possible sites across the nation, but we ultimately decided to locate our new facility in the state of Florida,” said Keys, Colt’s president. “Florida offered a strong pro-business incentive package. Coupled with the low cost of doing business in Florida and a favorable regulatory environment, opening this new facility was very attractive to us. Governor Scott’s personal commitment to both Colt’s growth plan and America’s right to bear arms was instrumental in our decision.”
“Attracting an American icon like Colt, which is one of the world’s top brands, is a real coup for our economic development efforts,” said John Quiñones, chairman of the Osceola County Commission. “Beyond creating new, high-wage jobs, Colt is going to be a great asset to our community.”
Comments are closed.