TCMA VOICESPRING 2021 - Treasure Coast Manufacturers Association
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LEAR N. GR OW. CONNECT.
TCMA VOICE
A Newsletter presented by the Treasure Coast Manufacturers Association SPRING 2021
FORT PIERCE PRECAST FIRM WINS CONTRACT FOR FSU PROJECT
Fort Pierce-based Florida Architectural shipped for final installation by masonry
Precast has been awarded a more than contractors in Florida and throughout the
$1 million contract to supply precast Eastern Seaboard.
architectural components for the new
Florida State University Student Union The company employs 22 people at
building in Tallahassee. its state-of-the-art 35,000-square-foot
production company at 2640 South Kings
The project will be one of the largest ma- Highway in Fort Pierce.
sonry projects in Florida this year, accord-
ing to company president Shawn Walters. Florida Architectural Precast has worked
Design and manufacturing for the FSU extensively with FSU in the past. The
job began in March, Walters said, and the company supplied the south end towers This curved staircase is part of a project completed
project is slated for completion during the at Doak Campbell Stadium and also has by Florida Architectural Precast at the Trump
third or fourth quarter of 2021. completed work at the Wildwood Dormi- National Doral golf resort in Miami.
Florida Architectural Precast has designed, tory, the Warren Library and the Student
Success Center in Tallahassee. Locally, Florida Architectural Precast has
engineered and manufactured custom worked on Indian River State College’s
precast concrete, cast stone, glass fiber- STEM building at the Pruitt Campus in St.
reinforced concrete and foam-filled The company also has completed a
number of projects for Trump golf clubs in Lucie West and the Center for Innovation
lightweight architectural trim, panels on the Massey Campus in Fort Pierce.
and decorative additions on a variety of Jupiter and Doral; the Disney Four Seasons
institutional buildings and private homes Resort in Orlando; and St. James Cathedral Contact Florida Architectural Precast at
since 2009. Finished components are in Orlando. www.faprecast.com or 772.489.0920.
MANUFACTURING SPOTLIGHT: Aluma Tower Company Inc., Vero Beach
Aluma Tower, which began operations in Approximately 95% of its products are executive vice president, is very involved
Vero Beach in 1973, designs, manufactures distributed outside Florida, and 20% is with the Indian River County Chamber’s
and services customizable telescoping shipped overseas. Aluma Tower is ISO- Manufacturing Boot Camp program,
towers and associated products. It serves certified. coordinated by the Chamber’s economic
the military, telecommunications service development office.
providers, law enforcement, emergency In 2015, Aluma Tower was recognized as
management, surveillance, weather Manufacturer of the Year by South Florida Mullan is featured in a promotional video
monitoring organizations, the oil and gas Manufacturers Association and by the for the program, explaining how he
industry, utility companies and the ama- Indian River County Chamber of Commerce. worked his way up from earning a techni-
teur radio field. In 2018, Aluma Tower was a finalist in the cal certification and starting as a welder at
Florida Companies to Watch program and Aluma to his current position.
was featured in the February edition of
Florida Trend’s Clean Manufacturing section. He welcomed boot camp students to tour
both Aluma Tower’s facilities during the
In 2020, Aluma Tower was included on 2019 program year. Mullan is also involved
Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 5000 list of the with the EDO’s Manufacturers’ Roundtable
fastest-growing privately held companies discussions — biweekly conference calls
in the U.S. The list is the most coveted rank- between manufacturers and training
ing of the nation’s entrepreneurial elite. It providers, to strengthen relationships and
was the first time that the company applied be sure the training offered is in sync with
for inclusion on the list. Aluma’s core values the training needed for new hires.
are: dedication, continuous improvement
and integrity. Aluma Tower is a great community partner!
Trailer Tower Systems, which are the heart of Aluma’s
business, come in all shapes and sizes. Shane Mullan, general manager and Visit AlumaTower.com
www.TCMAmfg.com 1
SPRING 2021
EVEN DURING COVID, MANUFACTURING EXPANDS
TCMA VOICE recently caught 40%, far ahead of its nearest the top five states in manufac-
up with Kevin Carr, CEO of competitor in job growth since turing production and work-
FloridaMakes, a statewide, 2014 among the top 12 states, ers by 2030. Can it get there?
industry-led partnership California, at about 23%]. CARR: In productivity in 2019,
that strengthens and ad- Florida was 30th, one of only
vances Florida’s manufactur- When I look at the state of four states to increase in aver-
ing economy. Its mission is to manufacturing, I focus on age productivity. Florida’s aver-
improve the productivity and productivity which is the gross age productivity level, which
technological performance output per worker. In 2015, again is the GDP per [manufac-
of the state’s manufacturing Florida was ranked 38th in the turing] employee, was about
sector, focusing on small- and country and that productiv- $153,000 in 2019, and the U.S.
ity has grown to 30th. It has Kevin Carr, CEO of FloridaMakes
medium-sized companies. average was about $183,000,
grown at a rate about two so if Florida simply reached body, again. [Florida up 20%
TCMA VOICE: How is Florida times everybody else’s. That the national average, that’s a since 2014, several percent-
manufacturing doing, has to do with the growth of gain of $11.6 billion added to ages points ahead of California,
considering the impact of what I call higher-value indus- the economy, without adding second in that growth.]
the COVID? tries. Medical devices, aviation, another job. Just by improving
CARR: It is expanding. Many defense, and others. your technology. So, if we keep that pace of
companies had half a bad growth up, we can get to
March, a bad April, a bad May TCMA VOICE: How is Florida And if you look at the growth where we want to be by 2030.
and then started to come back. going to keep up that growth? in productivity, we top every- We can be in the top five.
But a lot of companies grew. CARR: Manufacturers are mov-
They found some markets that ing to Florida and the ones that
expanded, or they found supply are here are improving their PRESIDENT’S LETTER
shortages that they could fulfill. workforce. For planning purposes, people
who manage manufacturing
We have recovered pretty well. Those companies that employ
companies are often asked to
In December [2020], we had people and in turn create predict the future. Answer-
384,000 manufacturing work- demand from suppliers look ing this question requires
ers, and that’s about the same mainly at two things. The tal- determining needs within the
as we had the year before. ent, and the talent pipeline. company, what outsourced
When a lot of people lost work, Talent is the biggest differentia- resources will be needed, what
manufacturing kept chugging tor, when a company decides technical training will be re-
where to locate, and secondly, quired or something as simple
along. Manufacturing was
do you have the suppliers? as what the workload will be in Jerry Jacques, general manager
a stabilizing influence. [The at Advanced Machine & Tool, is
Before I bring my company to three months.
December manufacturing jobs president of the Treasure Coast
figure is an 8% improvement Florida, I have to know who is Manufacturers Association.
going to build all those compo- As technology advances, the
over the low point of 2020 in
nent parts. Most of those big- manufacturing industry sees Technology advances continue
April, state figures show.] to change the manufacturing
ger companies are assemblers. the benefits right away. Today’s
plant floor looks much differ- industry for the better. These
TCMA VOICE: So, manufactur-
Florida has 2,700 or so manu- ent than it did even 20 years advances have created new
ing did well to be steady as types of manufacturing jobs
facturing companies, and 80% ago. Machine automation is
the pandemic hit Florida. Do the normal and our equip- that require more technical
you expect it to grow now? of those are under 20 employ-
ment is now communicating ability and critical thinking
CARR: Yes. Florida in 2019 was ees. That bodes very well for us from employees who operate
with our databases resulting
12th [in number of manufac- because a lot of those [bigger] technology driven equipment,
in increased proficiency. The
turing workers], but its growth companies are looking for a industry has seen substantial processes and environments.
in jobs was higher than every- local system of supply. growth in productivity and effi- There are interesting, well-paid
body else. So, you don’t get ciency as technology redefines positions that need to be filled
A factor that increases produc- across the industry. Our in-
too freaked out about being in what can be accomplished.
tivity is technology. The more novative workplace welcomes
12th place. You look at growth. skilled your worker is, the more new employees and the exist-
Since 2014, among the top 12 A recent example of new tech- ing skilled workforce as manu-
advanced the technology that
states, Florida’s growth was nology that has captured every- facturers fill jobs the industry
they are applying, the more one’s attention is 3D printing.
by far the most. Now, among output per person. You are see- has created. What a wonderful
those top 12 states in manufac- Because of its ability to quickly time to work in technology.
ing that happening in Florida take design concepts and rap-
turing employment, Florida’s at a level that is not happening idly produce goods that can be The ball is in your court now.
GDP is pretty low [actually, anywhere else [in the United used immediately, 3D printing How are you helping change
the lowest], but when you States]. has become a viable option the perception of the manu-
look at GDP growth, Florida for manufacturers instead of a facturing industry? Let’s make
is No. 1. [Florida’s growth in TCMA VOICE: You’ve said that novelty. So what’s next? a difference.
manufacturing GDP was nearly Florida wants to be among
2 www.TCMAmfg.com
SPRING 2021
ST. LUCIE COUNTY DEVELOPMENT REVIEW/TCMA GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
The St. Lucie County Development Review Taskforce was formed 10 years ago
by the EDC and the St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce which responded to a
request by the county’s administrator and planning director to review its permitting
and development processes for business. It was reinvigorated in 2016 when the
City of Port St. Lucie was reworking its permitting processes. Two key members
of the taskforce are Terissa Aronson, president of the St. Lucie County Chamber of
Commerce, and W. Lee Dobbins, a land use attorney with Dean, Mead, Minton &
Moore and the Treasure Coast Manufacturers Association. They responded to some
questions about the taskforce. Terissa Aronson W. Lee Dobbins
St. Lucie County Dean, Mead,
Chamber of Commerce Minton & Moore
Q: What is the St. Lucie active members. It also has is finding ways to make the the number and types of site
County Development Review representatives from the process go smoothly without plans that can be approved at
Taskforce? Treasure Coast Builders diluting the review. Everybody the staff level without having
Dobbins: It is a group of Association, the Treasure Coast wants to see the standards to go to the Board of County
people who work with our Manufacturers Association, maintained because that Commissioners. That can save
local governments [St. Lucie and the Realtors Association benefits all of us. a lot. And we worked together
County, Port St. Lucie and (Broward, Palm Beaches & St. for a 15% cut in all permit
Fort Pierce] to make the Lucie Realtors Association®). Q: Are the elected officials fees including all planning,
development review process Suggestions come from the involved? building and environmental
go a little more smoothly. We professionals on our taskforce Aronson: Yes, but the most permits, for a year starting last
try to find ways to streamline as well as the cities’ and the important people are the October 1. That was approved
the processes of getting county’s staff. department heads who direct by the Board of County
approvals from planning, staff. The department heads Commissioners.
building, utilities and other Q: How can you make really dig deep to figure out
departments. sure we maintain sensible ways to work with us to make Q: So you’ve got it all figured
regulations? everybody’s lives a little easier. out now? Time to fold the
Q: What is the composition of Aronson: This is not one- taskforce?
the taskforce? sided. This is not just Q: What are some recent Aronson: Not quite. It is ever-
Dobbins: The St. Lucie County applicants trying to get ease of accomplishments of the evolving. No application is the
Chamber of Commerce and restrictions. It is really a process taskforce’s efforts to work same. There are always new
the Economic Development that can benefit both the staff with the local governments? issues, new concerns, and new
Council of St. Lucie County and the applicant. Dobbins: We worked with opportunities arise all the time.
are probably the two most Dobbins: A lot of what we do St. Lucie County to increase
TREASURE COAST MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION 2021 MEMBERS
A-1 Roof Trusses LLC Maverick Boat Group, Inc. AFFILIATE MEMBERS
Advanced Machine & Tool, Inc. MP Manufacturing & Design, Inc.
Aerex Industries, Inc. Nylacarb Corporation Business Development Board of
Aluma Tower OCULUS Surgical Martin County
Apple Machine & Supply Co. Orchid Island Juice Company CareerSource Research Coast
D & D Welding & Fabrication LLC PAC Seating Systems Carr, Riggs & Ingram
Derecktor Shipyards Paradigm Precision, Inc. CBIZ
EB Airfoils, LLC Phoenix Metal Products, Inc. CenterState Bank
Expert Shutter Services Piper Aircraft Dean, Mead, Minton & Moore
Fasco Epoxie’s Inc. Pursuit Boats Economic Development Council of
Fastsigns Vero Beach Real Stone & Granite St. Lucie County
Florida Architectural Precast, Inc. Ross Mixing, Inc. Express Employment Professionals
Helena Agri Enterprises Southern Sewer Equipment Sales Greater Treasure Coast Partnership
Hi-Tide Boat Lifts Southeast Elevator Inc. HBK CPA’s & Consultants
HOG Technologies St. Lucie Battery & Tire Indian River State College
Hot Pie, Inc. The Porch Factory Manpower
Indian River Select / Freshco TNT Custom Boat Works, LLC Spherion
Investment Casting Specialists of Florida Triumph Aerospace Structures UBU Brands
Islamorada Beer Company Unique Tool & Dye, LLC
Lenco Marine Solutions, LLC
www.TCMAmfg.com 3
SPRING 2021
TREASURE COAST BOOT CAMPS GIVE ENTRY-LEVEL EMPLOYEES
A KICKSTART IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
When he was a senior at Treasure Coast
High School in Port St. Lucie in 2018, Slater
Price wasn’t sure what he would do after
graduation. Other than the improbable
dream of being a professional skateboard-
er, all he was sure of was that he did not
want to go to college.
A guidance counselor pulled Price into an
office and told him that what he needed
was boot camp. Not the military one with
demanding drill sergeants, but the Ready
to Work Manufacturing Boot Camp.
Price figured he had nothing to lose but
was not enthusiastic about the five-day TONYA WOODWORTH, CAREERSOURCE PHOTOS
program where he would learn how to Jarl Stromer, class regulatory manager for Triton Submarines in Sebastian, shows a deepwater submersible to
write a resume, perform in a job interview Josh Green, Hunter Crawford and Ben Deering, students from the 2019 Indian River manufacturing boot camp.
and tour local manufacturing and ware-
housing plants. STUDY REVEALS GAP IN TRAINING with company leaders, Marasa said.
A 2017 study by the St. Lucie County
Maverick, along with Piper Aircraft in
The eye-opening plant visits changed his Economic Development Council showed
Indian River and CVS in both counties,
life, Slater, 21, said. He was particularly a gap in the training level for the area’s
are among the most active employers
moved when he saw boats being made at prospective entry-level manufacturing
involved in the boot camp.
Maverick Boat Group. employees. The EDC along with company
leaders on the Treasure Coast Manufactur-
“I was blind. I had no clue what I wanted to ing Association created the Ready to Work
do and this kind of showed me a direc- Manufacturing Boot Camp in St. Lucie
tion,” Price said. “I got a job that I kind of County in 2018. The first class, which in-
like doing, so, that’s cool.” cluded Price, had about 20 students from
Price is part of a growing manufacturing St. Lucie schools. That will be about 15 this
workforce that accounts for more nearly year, limited due to virus-protection spac-
5% of the Treasure Coast labor force, ing, said Jill Marasa, EDC vice president for
Florida and federal figures from 2019 business retention and expansion.
show. Manufacturing jobs accounted for In 2019, Indian River County began a
5% of the labor force in Martin County, similar boot camp, which like St. Lucie’s,
4.9% in St. Lucie, and 4.3% in Indian River, Manufacturing on the Treasure Coast varies from
was enthusiastically received by company airplanes, aluminum shutters and these precision
against 4.3% statewide. St. Lucie has the and school officials as well as the students drill bits produced by M.A. Ford Manufacturing in
most manufacturing jobs. St. Lucie, with themselves. Since 2018, four out of five at- Vero Beach.
310,000 people in the latest count from tendees of the boot camps were working “Everybody has the same issues,” said
2019, has as many people as Martin and in the area’s manufacturing sector a year Angie Brandt, human resource manager
Indian River combined, and 77.5% of its after completing the program, said Jerry at Maverick. “We have a hard time finding
population was part of the labor force, Jacques, president of the Treasure Coast people skilled in the field. The boot camp
compared with 55.5% in Martin and 51.2% Manufacturers Association. has really sparked an interest and we are a
in Indian River.
very strong supporter.”
Helene Caseltine, economic development
director at the Indian River Chamber of Maverick has hired about a dozen workers
Commerce, which coordinates with Indian straight out of the boot camp, Brandt said.
River schools for the boot camp, said its
program is much like St. Lucie’s: five days Price, in his fourth year at Maverick, oper-
of training in soft skills from personal fi- ates a CNC — computer number control
nance to ways to work on a manufacturing — a prominent machine in many plants
team, and tours of manufacturing plants worldwide that cuts a variety of material
along with question-and-answer sessions into manufacturing parts. In Price’s case,
with company leaders. it’s not a stretch to say a Maverick boat
starts with him and the plastic forms he
Slater Price, center, and fellow members of the In 2020, St. Lucie was able to offer a modi- cuts into parts and sets up on a cart called
2018 St. Lucie County Boot Camp class watch a fied boot camp that met virtually and was a kit that travels from station to station in
demonstration at Hi-Tide Boat Lifts in Fort Pierce. privy to virtual plant tours and discussions the building process.
4 www.TCMAmfg.com
SPRING 2021
TCMA welcomes new directors TCM A ANNUAL M E ETIN G
Jack Chadam, director at CBIZ, and Timothy
Fischer, CEO at Southeast Elevator, have SUMMER 2021
joined the board and we look forward to
their leadership and experience to propel DETAILS COMING SOON!
the organization forward.
Jack Chadam TCMA Board of Directors
Director at CBIZ
Jerry Jacques, Advanced Machine & Tool, TCMA President
Bill Wilcox, Phoenix Metal Products, TCMA Vice President
“
TCMA has proven to be an Pete Tesch, EDC of St. Lucie County, TCMA Secretary
invaluable resource for me at Brian Bauer, CareerSource Research Coast
Southeast Elevator. Being new
Helene Caseltine, Indian River County Chamber of Commerce
to the company and the local
Jack Chadam, CBIZ
community I have leaned on TCMA
Lee Dobbins, Dean, Mead, Minton & Moore
to help make connections, locate
Mike England, Express Employment Professionals
local vendors and introduce me Timothy Fischer
to local educational resources to CEO Southeast Elevator Stephen Farinacci, Maverick Boat Group
help develop our workforce. In Tim Fischer, Southeast Elevator
my first 60 days as CEO, this nominal investment Mike Gordon, Piper Aircraft
has paid for itself 10x over and introduced me to Tom Kindred, Florida SBDC @ IRSC
countless great business people in the region. Brooks Price, Phoenix Metal Products
Thank you TCMA!
”
— Tim Fischer, CEO Southeast Elevator
Chad Rockefeller, Expert Shutter Services
Jarrod Trefelner, CenterState Bank
EXPANDING YOUR BUSINESS?
Contact the economic development organization serving your county
Indian River County Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Division
www.indianrivered.com
Economic Development Council of St. Lucie County
www.youredc.com
Business Development Board of Martin County
www.bdbmc.org
772.336.6250 | contact@tcmamfg.com | www.tcmamfg.com
www.TCMAmfg.com 5
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