Pasco County commissioners rewarded a Lutz startup pharmacy service for adding at least 26 full-time jobs to the local economy.
Crestmark Pharmacy Services LLC received an incentive payout of $104,000 through a jobs agreement approved by commissioners at their June 21 meeting in New Port Richey.
Since opening in 2015, the company has hired 24 employees.
That number could rise to 30 or more, according to Randall McElheney, company manager.
“We’re happy to be in Pasco County,” said McElheney.
Crestmark Pharmacy is located at 1860 Highland Oaks Blvd., in Lutz. The company provides prescription medications to long-term care patients at nursing homes. Services also include information technology solutions for caregivers, consultations, and infusion therapy.
The Pasco Economic Development Council reviewed the company’s application and found that it qualified for the incentive program.
Under county ordinance, companies must create a minimum of 10 jobs within a year. Salaries must be greater than the average wage in Pasco County, and at least 51 percent of products and services must be sold outside of the county.
County officials see the economic impact from jobs at Crestmark Pharmacy as a generator of additional jobs, indirectly. Estimates are for 17 more jobs locally at other businesses and 13 more jobs in other counties, for a total of 56 jobs.
Crestmark Pharmacy also is adding good paying jobs at an average annual salary of about $60,000 per employee. At 26 employees, total annual wages paid by the company would be about $1.3 million.
Annual sales for the company are about $12 million, according to county officials.
The pharmacy’s distribution area primarily is central Florida, as far north as Gainesville and as far south as Port Charlotte. McElheney said.
“The incentive had a lot to do with us deciding to come here,” he said. But, other factors also mattered.
Lutz is centrally located within the Tampa Bay region. There also is a good labor market for recruiting job applicants, McElheney said.
He also noted that Pasco is a growth area.
“People can be close to their home. It was attractive to them to work here,” he said.
Published June 29, 2016
