The Laker/Lutz News

Mettler Toledo

Rasmussen College moving to vacant Target store

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Rasmussen College soon will bring higher education to a vacant Target Super Store — the shuttered anchor at Suncoast Crossing plaza, off State Road 54 in Odessa.

The college plans to relocate from its current 25,000-square-foot education center at State Road 54 and Sunlake Boulevard, in Land O’ Lakes.

Developers are proposing to repurpose the former Target store, which closed in 2016.

Rasmussen College will be moving down the road and will soon be making a transition to Rasmussen University. (B.C. Manion)

A conceptual plan filed with Pasco County shows Rasmussen occupying more than 44,000 square feet. One and possibly two other tenants would fill the remaining shell space, separated from Rasmussen by an enclosed courtyard.

The flexible plan allows about 100,000 square feet to 115,000 square feet for a single business, or a split design with two businesses at 60,000 square feet and 40,000 square feet, respectively.

“It’s great to see something is moving in there,” said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore. “We never want to see an empty building. It seems like Rasmussen is growing. We’re definitely happy they are here. It’s a good location for them.”

The approximately 173,000-square-foot Target property is owned by 24/7 DeBary LLC, which acquired the site from Target in July 2017.

A May 11 preapplication meeting is scheduled with Pasco County planners to consider the “Suncoast Crossing 1” redevelopment proposal, according to county records.

24/7 DeBary is an affiliate of MVP Holdings Inc., a Tampa-based owner of restaurants, including PDQ and Glory Days Grill. A company representative could not be reached for comment.

The Target store – in a mall with about 30 stores – opened in 2006, as growth along State Road 54 was taking off. The Great Recession that began two years later with the real estate and housing market collapse ushered in hard times for Pasco County’s economy.

But, the closure in January 2016 caught many by surprise just as a turnaround and renewed growth was taking hold.

Target officials closed 13 stores nationwide due to what they described as poor performance. The Suncoast Crossing store was among those singled out.

This Target Super Store, which has been vacant since 2016, is expected to become the new home to Rasmussen College. Besides changing its location, the college also is expected to become a university.

More than 140 employees lost jobs, though Target officials said employees would be offered transfers.

“I was very upset when Target closed,” said Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey. “I called corporate office to reconsider.”

After Target’s departure, she had hoped the site might attract new tenants that would create a retail and business complex similar to nearby Northpointe Village – at State Road 54 and Suncoast Parkway. The complex in recent years attracted new businesses along Northpointe Parkway, including Mettler Toledo, a global manufacturer of precision scales and services used in research, and the packaging and production of food and pharmaceuticals; and TRU Simulation + Training,  which provides flight-training solutions, technical support and customer service for commercial and military markets.

But, she said, “I think Rasmussen will do well at that location (Suncoast Crossing). I’m heartened they are a for-profit college, so they will stay on the tax rolls.”

Rasmussen plans to make an announcement on its relocation plans in the “near future.”

“Due to key regulatory steps that still need to take place, Rasmussen College cannot yet share information regarding plans to relocate to a new campus,” according to an email from Molly Andersen, spokeswoman for Rasmussen College.

The new site, with substantially expanded space, comes as Rasmussen College is preparing for a new direction in its education model. By October, the college is expected to become Rasmussen University.

“This transition is more than a name change,” said Rasmussen President Trenda Boyum-Breen in a video message. “This is our next step toward a vibrant future. We are student-centered in our approach and future facing in our impact.”

Andersen in her email said additional details on Rasmussen’s transition to a university would be available soon.

Minneapolis-based Rasmussen College traces its beginnings to 1900, as a business school. The private college is a regionally accredited institution with more than 20 campuses nationwide. Its focus is on workforce and career-oriented education programs and degrees across several fields, including nursing, health science and business.

Of six Florida campuses, two are in Pasco — in New Port Richey and the soon-to-be closed location in Land O’ Lakes.

It’s not clear what is next for the Land O’ Lakes site.

Bayshore Properties LCC, affiliated with BayCare Health System, purchased the property in January for about $6.5 million, according to county records.

Representatives for Bayshore declined to comment at this time.

By Kathy Steele

Published April 22, 2020

Incentives add jobs, boost economy

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When Pasco County spends money from its Jobs and Economic Opportunity Trust Fund, it’s getting a healthy return on investment, according to David Engel, manager of the Pasco County Office of Economic Growth.

Engel recently gave the Pasco County Commission an update on the county’s primary incentive programs.

Between 2015 and 2025, the county expects to collect $60 million for its Jobs and Economic Opportunity Trust Fund, through its Penny for Pasco tax revenues. Those projections are based on a 3.5 percent annual increase, Engel said.

So far, the county has spent $22 million of those funds — on a variety of programs aimed at boosting job opportunities and increasing the county’s economy.

Programs include job skills programs and incentives for targeted industries that are investing in Pasco County and expanding the number of jobs in Pasco.

Industries that have received incentives include Touchpoint, Welbilt, Mettler Toledo and others, Engel said.

Job skills programs include AmSkills, the Pasco-Hernando Work Force Board and various programs through Pasco EDC, Engel said.

“For every (incentive) dollar that the board awards, we’ve gotten $10 back in gains to the county,” Engel said.

With the jobs creation incentive, which has been around since 2011, the Pasco County Commission, awards incentives to industries that create high-paying jobs. High-paying jobs are defined as jobs paying at least 115 percent of the median pay in Pasco County,

“This is one of our most highly successful programs. We’ve created almost 1,300 jobs since 2011. For every job we create, it costs the county around $3,800. We’ve look at other JCI programs across the state,” Engel said.

By comparison, the incentives cost $5,000 to $9,000 a job in other counties they looked at, Engel said.

Pasco’s return on investment in this program “is extremely high,” Engel said, noting for every dollar the county has spent, it has received $30 in benefit.

He also noted that the future is looking bright, too.

“Our pipeline is robust and growing,” Engel said.

The master-planned unit developments approved by the board, particularly along the State Road 54 corridor, are beginning to focus on their employment centers, the economic growth manager said.

“So, we have a number of big projects coming in, consisting of hundreds of thousands of square feet of Class A office buildings. Right now, we have three to four Class A office buildings we are processing for incentive awards now. We’ll make recommendations to the board of County Commissioners in the next several months,” he said.

Projected revenue: $59.65 million in the Jobs and Economic Opportunities Trust Fund, over the life of the Penny for Pasco (2015 to 2025), assuming a 3.5 percent annual increase.
Expenditures to date: $21.8 million, includes operating expenses
Encumbrances to date: $34.7 million: Board-approved awards, excludes operating expenses

Published April 24, 2019

International business increasing in Pasco

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Pasco County has been making strides in the arena of international trade, and Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey provided a briefing on the topic at a recent North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

In introducing Starkey, Hope Allen, president/CEO of the North Tampa Chamber said: “Kathryn Starkey is a huge advocate of Pasco County.

This rendering shows the future campus for TouchPoint Medical Inc. (File)

“It’s wonderful that Pasco now has a seat at the table, now on the global level, and it’s because of her work and the work of Pasco Economic Development Council, making Pasco part of the conversation.

“She is involved in developing international trade, with a focus on Europe and South America,” Allen said.

Starkey has a pulse on what’s happening locally, and also nationally, on the international trade scene.

She is chair of the International Economic Development Task Force at the National Association of Counties (NACCO). She also was nominated by the White House and NACCO to serve on a committee that looks over trade agreements and makes recommendations. She is among four commissioners who represent the voice of local government, she said.

She’s still undergoing her FBI background check, so at this point, she can participate in calls, but can’t read the information.

Starkey said her introduction to manufacturing came in 2004, when she was on the Pasco County School Board and she made a visit to a training program offered in Okaloosa public schools.

“What they had done was they interviewed their business community, and then they figured out how to start programs in their school system that taught the high school kids how to enter into that workforce when they graduated,” she said.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey

Because of her interest, Starkey traveled to Germany five times — to see for herself and to show others how the Germans do their system of apprenticeship training.

“It was really important to go and see how the world’s premiere training program works.

“If you don’t see it, you can’t understand it. They have the gold standard in manufacturing,” she said.

“What we have done here in Pasco County, Hernando and Pinellas County, is that we’ve set up a training and manufacturing program based on the European model of apprenticeship training,” Starkey added, referring to a program called AmSkills.

“We take high school students and we take students who have graduated, and we take adults who need retraining, and we take them through the process here and we get them very knowledgeable about manufacturing, training and jobs, and then we help them get meaningful jobs here in the community,” she said.

Over time, Pasco County Schools also has established several career academies. It also opened Wendell Krinn Technical High School this year, on the former Ridgewood High campus.

Mettler Toledo opened its 270,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Northpointe Village, off State Road 54.

In partnership with Marchman Technical College, Wendell Krinn provides students access to 14 different technical education programs, including auto collision/repair, biomedical sciences, commercial art, computer systems, cosmetology, culinary arts, cybersecurity, digital cinema, electricity, HVAC, marine service, robotics, and welding.

Pasco’s workforce development is helping to attract international companies, Starkey said.

She also has been involved with Pasco EDC in trade missions to help local companies find foreign markets, and has helped host events to teach local companies how to grow their business in other parts of the world.

Pasco’s outreach efforts, its workforce development and its willingness to offer incentives to attract companies offering high-wage jobs has resulted in international companies setting up shop in the county.

Some of those companies include:

  • TouchPoint Medical Inc., a global supplier of technology-based health care delivery systems, will bring 116 new high-paying jobs to Pasco County. Company officials plan to relocate their headquarters to prime vacant land in Land O’ Lakes. They will build an approximately 125,000-square-foot facility, including a parking lot, on the northwest corner of Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54. The site is part of the South Branch Ranch property. The facility is expected to open in late 2019.
  • Mettler Toledo: Mettler Toledo opened its 270,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Northpointe Village in April. The Swiss-based company is a global supplier of precision scales and services used in research, and the packaging and production of food and pharmaceuticals.
  • TRU Simulation: TRU Simulation + Training celebrated the opening of a $30 million expansion of its Pilot Training Center in Lutz in February 2017. The facility opened in a 15,000-square-foot facility at 1827 Northpointe Parkway, off State Road 54 at Suncoast Parkway. TRU Simulation has contracts with companies such as King Air, Boeing and Cessna.

Starkey noted that it’s not enough to get international companies interested in Pasco, it’s also important to treat them well after they arrive, and to continue to form relationships.

Taking a page out of book she read about how the international community developed in North Carolina, Starkey makes it a point to take CEOs of international companies to visit assets around Tampa Bay.

It’s a great way for the CEOs to get to know each other and also for them to develop a deeper understanding of Tampa Bay’s strengths, Starkey said.

“I am trying to take really good care of your CEOs here, and they are spreading the word to their friends back overseas, or to their business friends, that Pasco County is a great place to do business,” Starkey said. “We want them to feel very welcome.”

Revised December 5, 2018

Zephyrhills economic summit puts focus on education

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Fostering educational opportunities in Pasco County was the primary focus of the second annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit.

Doing that begins with beefing up the Pasco County school district’s career and technical education programs, said Kurt Browning, superintendent of Pasco County Schools.

“We need to put our career academies on steroids,” said Browning, one of several guest speakers at the Oct. 24 summit, at the new Zephyrhills City Hall, that brought together local education, business and government stakeholders.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning was one of several guest speakers at the second annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit. The event focused on local educational and career opportunities in Pasco County. (Courtesy of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce)

Based on the region’s business profile, Browning said there needs to be greater emphasis on teaching trade skills — such as roofing and carpentry, plumbing, HVAC technicians, electricians and more.

“One of the things that we keep hearing a lot about is the trades. I’m continually amazed of the number of people that stop us and say, ‘I just need young men that can get up there and lay roof,’” Browning said.

To meet those demands, he called for increased state funding and greater collaboration with the Florida Department of Education to create industrial certifications for those fields. The district also needs to ensure opportunities for students, not destined for college, to have a chance to learn trade skills that can translate to high-wage job right out of high school.

Browning put it this way: “What we need to do is have training programs that meet the needs of all of our students, so if you’re going to be a plumber, you be the best plumber you can be.”

Browning also said the school district needs more input from local business leaders on the types of labor needed for the present and future.

“We need to do a better job of communicating, and we need to create a better relationship with our chambers, because the chambers are the ones that are really connecting, letting businesses know what we do and creating dialogues to help build that need,” the superintendent said.

Preparing tomorrow’s workforce
Browning was upbeat about some of the career and technical academies the district presently offers.

Pasco County School’s Career and Technical Education programs were discussed extensively at the second annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit. (Courtesy of Pasco Schools)

He pointed to Zephyrhills High’s aviation academy and Wesley Chapel High’s automotive technology academy, along with academies at other schools ranging from health and finance, to cybersecurity and culinary arts.

“I think we’re on the right path,” Browning said. “We’re working tirelessly trying to make sure our programs are relevant to meet the employment needs of our employers in Pasco County. We’re not perfect, and we’re not where we need to be. We’re still trying to figure out how to address the trades issue.”

Browning also mentioned the district is designing a technical high school in east Pasco that would likely open by 2022.

The district’s only two technical offerings — Marchman Technical College and Wendell Krinn Technical High School (which replaced Ridgewood High this school year) — are located in New Port Richey.

Plans call for the new school to be built on a 125-acre, district-owned tract of land along Fairview Heights and Handcart Road in the Dade City area.

It will help relieve overcrowding at Pasco, Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch high schools, Browning said.

“It’s going to be uniquely situated in the right place, right spot, offering technical career education students are clamoring for,” he said.

The technical school is also something the manufacturing industry is pushing for, according to Tom Mudano, AmSkills executive director, another guest speaker at the summit.

Mudano said a tech school based in east Pasco could help lure more manufacturing business to the region, to follow in the footsteps of companies such as Mettler Toledo and TouchPoint Medical, which he said have already brought a combined 700 jobs to the county.

“We truly believe that we need a facility on this side of Pasco County,” Mudano said. “If you’re looking at bringing jobs here, having a workforce is important.”

Mudano pointed out Tampa Bay has the most number of manufacturers in the state. And, he said that many of those companies have expressed a great need for additional skilled and semi-skilled workers.

“A lot of people don’t even realize that there’s a lot of (manufacturing) opportunities out there,” he said.

Mudano also assured that those types of trade jobs aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

He cited information from the National Association of Manufacturers that projects there will be about 3.4 million jobs over the next 10 years, yet only 1.1 million of them will get filled.

The summit also featured a lengthy presentation from state Sen. Tom Lee, a Republican from Thonotosassa. Much of his talk centered on the state’s education system and the strides made during the last several years.

He pointed to the advent of charter schools and various opportunity scholarship programs as key reasons for boosting the state’s public education system on the whole.

“Everybody is more on their game today than they were 20 years ago. We have a rising graduation rate, better testing scores,” said Lee, who represents parts of Hillsborough, Pasco, and Polk counties in District 20.

He added: “We have created some competition for the public education system, and the public education system has responded well.”

Meanwhile, Lee suggested that going forward, the state legislature should “back off some of the micromanagement” of county school districts. He said school boards should instead have more control over district budgets and educational programs to “best meet the needs of the individual student populations of the schools.”

Lee also advocated for creating “fair competition” and “leveling the playing field” between public schools and alternative charter schools.

One way to do that, he said, includes loosening up some of strict building requirements of new public schools, called State Requirements for Educational Facilities (SREF), that cost school districts exponentially more than their charter school counterparts. He asked: “Why is it costing public education system 20 percent more to build a public school than it is a charter school?”

Other speakers at the summit included Dr. Keiva Wiley, Pasco County Schools director of Career and Technical Education; Angie Stone, Zephyrhills High School principal; Dr. Stanley Giannet, of Pasco-Hernando State College; Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley; Maria Reza, Career Source Pasco/Hernando business services consultant; Seta Ruiz, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills director of clinical services; and, Dr. Randy Stovall, Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce president.

The Zephyrhills Economic Development Coalition presented the summit, in partnership with the City of Zephyrhills and The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

Published November 7, 2018

Pasco EDC presents annual awards

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Hundreds attended the Pasco Economic Development Council’s 32nd annual Awards and Trade Show on Sept. 6, where Jay B. Starkey Jr., was honored and awards were bestowed in various categories.

Nominees were scored based on company growth, leadership in current business issues, and corporate citizenship, according to a Pasco EDC news release.

Jay B. Starkey Jr., was named the 2018 Leadership Award winner during the Pasco Economic Development Council’s 32nd annual Awards and Trade Show. Shown here, from left: Bill Cronin, Pasco EDC president and CEO; Kathryn Starkey, daughter-in-law of Jay B. Starkey Jr., and a Pasco County commissioner; Trey Starkey, Jay B. Starkey Jr.’s son; Jay B. Starkey Jr., 2018 Leadership Award winner; Marsha Starkey, the winner’s wife; and Zachary Starkey, the winner’s grandson. (Courtesy of Pasco Economic Development Council)

“All 15 Award Finalists made great investments in their businesses and community, and that’s why it’s always so hard for the Award Committee to choose the winners. The six winners this year are a great representation of the diverse business climate we have in Pasco,” Bill Cronin, president/CEO of Pasco EDC, said in the news release.

The 2018 Pasco EDC Award Winners are:
• Business of the Year – Start-Up Category: Merrell Bros. Inc. What began as a small family operation now offers services in every state. Their Florida division opened in Pasco County in early 2017.
• Special Contribution: Morton Plant North Bay Hospital
The hospital opened in 1965 with a 50-bed facility and was the first hospital in New Port Richey. It continues to expand and has grown to 154 beds, enabling the hospital to offer more services, improved technology and greater convenience for patients.
• Business of the Year- Small Category: DC Johnson & Associates
Established in 1980 with the goal of providing land surveying services to specifically meet the needs of professionals involved in land acquisition and development.
• Business of the Year – Medium Category: San Antonio Lumber Co.
Over the past 90 years, their ability to adapt to an ever-changing and evolving industry is what has allowed them to weather even the most unstable times.
• Business of the Year – Large Category: Mettler Toledo
Their product inspection systems are used by manufacturers in many industries, including food, beverage, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, personal care, plastics and chemicals, to ensure the total quality of their products, and improve the efficiency of their manufacturing and packaging processes.
Starkey, who was honored with the Leadership Award, was recognized for his strong work ethic on the ranch and in his community, where he helped to shape the way for Pasco County.

Starkey served on the Pasco County School Board for eight years during the 1970s and sang in Master Chorale, an affiliate of the Florida Orchestra for more than 20 years, according to the release.

Published September 12, 2018

Finalists named for annual industry awards

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Pasco Economic Development Council announced its selection of 15 finalists for the 32nd Annual Awards and Trade Show, according to a news release from the Pasco EDC.

Bill Cronin

The event will be on Sept. 6 at Saddlebrook Resort and Spa, 5700 Saddlebrook Way in Wesley Chapel.

Festivities will begin with a reception at 5 p.m., followed by the award announcements from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. A dinner and trade show, with about 50 exhibitors from Pasco County businesses, will be featured, too.

Six businesses, selected from the finalists, will be honored as award winners at the annual celebration.

All nominees were scored based on company growth, leadership in current business issues, and corporate citizenship.

According to the news release, the finalists “excelled in all of those categories.”

The finalists are:

  • A.L. Saland Insurance Solutions
  • Academy at the Lakes Inc.
  • DC Johnson & Associates
  • Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco County
  • Hernandez Accounting Solutions Inc.
  • Medical Center of Trinity
  • Merrell Bros., Inc.
  • Mettler Toledo
  • Millian-Aire Enterprises Corp.
  • Morton Plant North Bay Hospital
  • Pharmaworks Inc.
  • San Antonio Lumber Co.
  • Spark Technology Solutions
  • Tampa Premium Outlets LLC
  • Ultimate 3D Printing Store

“This event honors the accomplishments and growth of our business community, while providing a rare networking opportunity with over 600 of Pasco’s business leaders and government officials at the biggest event of the year,” Bill Cronin, the Pasco EDC’s president and chief executive officer, said in the release.

Published August 8, 2018

Pasco County’s outlook is bright, panel says

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Panelists speaking at a real estate conference in Wesley Chapel last week said Pasco County has been making strides and is expected to continue to do so.

For decades, Pasco County has been considered a bedroom community — with residents making a daily commute to jobs in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

That picture is changing, said Heidi Tuttle-Beisner, an expert in commercial real estate.

“The excellent thing for Pasco County is that we now have jobs being created right here. We have big national companies that have chosen to build their developments here and hire the people that we have living in our community.

“Whoever thought companies like Mettler Toledo would be here?” Tuttle-Beisner said.

“Lots of people are paying attention to Pasco County,” she said.

She also gave high marks to the Porter family for the work they’ve done to manage the development of Wiregrass Ranch, in Wesley Chapel.

“People like the Porters have really done an incredible job of keeping the quality up. I don’t think we’re ever going to see (State Road) 54 be (like) U.S. 19. They set the standard,” she said, noting they have been strategic not only in building relationships. But also “building buildings that are attractive.”

Mark Metheny, division president of Lennar, said he spends a lot of his time trying to find locations for new Lennar communities.

A good example of the range of Lennar’s offerings can be found in Wiregrass Ranch, he said. Estancia is a multigenerational community, with a number of product lines, he said. There are homes exceeding $1 million, but there are also high-end townhomes coming in, he said.

“It’s really exciting to see the growth that’s going on in Pasco County,” Metheny said.

Clarke Hobby, a land use attorney based in Dade City, said his family has deep roots in Pasco County.

“We are very interested in the long-view of the county — building a great community, great places to live for our families and for many generations beyond us,” Hobby said.

“We’ve watched the Porter family and have seen their vision play out. It’s a wonderful thing they’ve done at Wiregrass – more than anything else, they’ve tried to create a balanced community. It’s so easy to just focus on the residential.

“The harder part is to bring the employment side and the institutional side, making sure that places like the building we’re in today, are here. Without their guidance, that wouldn’t have happened,” Hobby said.

He’s optimistic about the outlook in Pasco County.

“There’s a bright, bright future ahead of the county,” said Hobby, who has been involved in the effort to extend State Road 56 from Wiregrass Ranch over to Zephyrhills.

The four-lane extension, which covers 6.7 miles, is expected to open up within a few months.

He expects that extension to generate new activity, leading eventually to the construction of about 10,000 houses and millions of square feet of development.

J.D. Porter, another panelist, told the crowd that he, too, anticipates continued growth — as well as new employment.

He expects the long-awaited Raymond James office park to “start turning dirt by the end of the year.”

“It’s very exciting to have one big user like that, and we are waiting for somebody to come out of the ground,” Porter said.

That being said, he noted, “we are talking to two names that are bigger than Raymond James right now, in the immediate area adjacent to that.”

“The Raymond James announcement, once they finally go, that will be a drop in the bucket versus what actually comes down the pipeline shortly after.”

Porter also noted the family wants to be sure to have a mix of development, so the community doesn’t become too reliant on big users.

Published May 16, 2018

Mettler Toledo brings jobs to Pasco County

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Mettler Toledo celebrated the grand opening of its 270,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Northpointe Village, with tours, refreshments and a ribbon cutting.

The Swiss-based company is a global supplier of precision scales and services used in research, and the packaging and production of food and pharmaceuticals.

Mettler Toledo executives and local dignitaries cut the ribbon the 270,000-square-foot manufacturing plant. (Kathy Steele)

Mettler Toledo announced plans in 2017 to relocate its Town ‘n Country facility, and also to close its plant in Ithaca, New York. About 600 employees now work at the new plant at the Northpointe shopping center, off State Road 54 at Suncoast Parkway.

Nearly 170 people were hired in the past year, with most coming from Pasco County.

“We have a global leader now located in our county,” said Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey. “It’s an amazing company. Opportunities like this one bring even more enthusiasm to our region.”

The facility will be home to four business units.

Currently onsite are Tampa-based Safeline Metal Detection and X-Ray Inspection, and Eagle Product Inspection.

During the summer, they will be joined by Mettler Toledo’s Hi-Speed Checkweighing, which currently is in Ithaca; and, Vision Inspection, currently in Aurora, Illinois.

Mettler Toledo opened its 270,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Northpointe Village, off State Road 54. (Courtesy of Mettler Toledo)

The units offer a range of services, including the design and manufacture of systems that check for contaminants, provide quality control for products and packaging, and test for safety of foods and pharmaceuticals.

During tours of the plant, visitors walked through the sales and services departments, plant operations area, training room, and quality control area.

The campus also has an on-site fitness room, a recreation room with ping pong and foosball, a courtyard and the “Northpointe Café.”

In quality control, visitors got a demonstration of Mettler Toledo’s testing equipment.

The one on display is capable of checking 300 boxes of chocolates in 1 minute for contaminants, and missing pieces of candy.

In her remarks, Starkey singled out Mettler Toledo’s commitment to apprenticeship programs for manufacturing jobs. Because of its on-site cafes, the company also started a culinary program at its Switzerland headquarters that will be adopted in Pasco.

Visitors to Mettler Toledo are greeted in the lobby of the manufacturing plant, which produces equipment for the food and pharmaceutical industries. (Courtesy of Mettler Toledo)

Four students in Pasco’s AmSkills program — Melissa Fink, Alex Gerwe, Nikki Daniels and Josh Ortiz — attended the Mettler Toledo’s opening.

AmSkills is a Tampa Bay initiative that helps high school students, adults and veterans seeking manufacturing jobs. The program operates in Pasco, Pinellas and Hernando counties.

AmSkills instructor Dan Albright said he was able to place some of his students at Mettler Toledo.

Daniels, 36, was impressed with her tour. She is in the adult program at AmSkills.

“I’m very interested and excited that (Mettler Toledo) is close to this area,” she said. “It’s what we’re looking for.”

Ortiz, 19, also is in the adult program, which will last 17 weeks. “I want to be able to find a job,” he said. “Something I can go into, and be proud of and have a career.”

Published April 11, 2018

Developers get $6 million county loan to build offices

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A project to build two upscale, premier office buildings will get a $6 million loan from Pasco County.

The Pasco County Commission approved the loan agreement with Atlanta-based Land Investment Partners at its March 14 meeting in Dade City.

No tenants are pre-signed for the office space.

However, if certain performance goals in leasing the buildings are met, the entire loan could be forgiven. It is initially an interest-only loan, with a 10-year term.

Land Investment Partners plans to build two premier office buildings at Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54. Each of the three-story buildings will be 75,000 square feet. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Each three-story building, described as Class A, will provide 75,000 square feet, for a total of 150,000 square feet of premium office space at the southeast corner of Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54.

The site is part of the Suncoast Crossings development property, and is north of Mettler Toledo.

The manufacturing company is building a 250,000-square-foot building in Northpointe Village.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said she thinks that intersection offers an excellent example of development.

“I wish all the corners of all our interstates developed this way,” she said.

County officials estimate the project will produce 400 new jobs, and add about $43 million annually to the county’s gross product. Jobs from the project are expected to generate nearly $28 million in total salaries from direct and indirect employment.

“It’s nice and window-y and very pretty,” said Melanie Kendrick, the county’s program administrator for the Office of Economic Growth.

Under agreement terms, the county will wipe out $3 million of the loan if leases are obtained for 75 percent of the first building. The same terms, and elimination of the last $3 million, will apply to the second building.

Land Investment Partners will receive no reduction in principal if the goals aren’t met.

For the project to be profitable, developers estimated rents should be in the range of $32 a square foot to $33 a square foot. But, in the current market for that area, the rents realistically would only be $27 a square foot to $28 a square foot, according to attorney Clarke Hobby, who represents the investors.

“We’re bridging the gap to make it economically feasible,” Hobby said, of the loan.

Pasco’s Office of Economic Growth is pursuing a strategy of building a more diverse economic base that includes industrial and office projects that are more often seen in urbanized areas.

If this project is successful, Hobby said Pasco could “get more urbanized projects to come to Pasco.”

Published March 21, 2018

Apartments an option for Northpointe Village

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The Northpointe Village shopping center could get a 300-unit apartment complex, on a vacant parcel with rental appeal for employees of Mettler Toledo.

The Swiss-manufacturer broke ground in January on a 250,000-square-foot plant, within Northpointe. The plant is expected to bring about 500 jobs into Pasco County, with about 185 of them being new jobs for the company.

Northpointe Village is a walkable ‘main street’ village concept with offices and shops, off State Road 54 at Suncoast Parkway. Apartments would add a residential component to the development.
(Kathy Steele)

Members of the Pasco County Development Review Committee recommended approval of the apartments at their March 30 meeting in New Port Richey. The matter now goes to the Pasco County commissioners for a final vote.

Letters of support came from the board of directors of the North Pointe at Suncoast Crossings Owners Association, and Mettler Toledo.

Mettler’s General Manager Viggo Nielsen wrote that the apartments may provide “convenient on-site housing for employees and a good mixed-use development that we hope will thrive for many years.”

The rezoning requested by Land Investment Partners would only affect the eastern portion of a master plan for Suncoast Crossings. The development is divided into east and west sides, with separate owners of each side.

Northpointe is a mixed use office and retail complex at the southeast corner of State Road 54 and Suncoast Parkway. The complex is laid out as a walkable “main street” village with shops, offices and restaurants. Renaissance Inn and Hilton Garden Inn also are on-site, as well as TRU Simulation, a manufacturer of flight simulators and a pilot training center.

The Pasco Economic Development Council, which partners with the county on job creation, also has its offices in Northpointe.

The western side of Suncoast Crossings includes the Suncoast shopping center, offices and residential neighborhoods.

Despite efforts to market the Northpointe parcel for non-residential purposes, developers and investors showed no interest, said Clarke Hobby, a land use attorney representing Land Investment Partners.

They repeatedly said the location lacked direct access and visibility to State Road 54

Hobby said, “We think multifamily makes good sense, and it is consistent with market demand. What (Northpointe) doesn’t have and what the retail village has struggled with is multifamily or higher density to get it moving.”

Suncoast Parkway, at State Road 54, is attracting investment for several projects after languishing through the economic downturn.

The master-planned community of Bexley North is under construction on the north side of State Road 54, across from Northpointe. Also, on the north side of the state highway, two more residential and commercial developments are planned adjacent to Bexley and the Suncoast Trail.

If approved, the rezoning for Northpointe would add apartments as a use while retaining office, research and light industrial for another portion of the same site.

Hobby said the focus remains on attracting office and light industrial, and creating jobs. “We’re aggressively pursuing opportunities,” he said.

Future development could include about 225,000 square feet of Class A offices, as well as one or two hotels, he added.

Pasco County plans to build an extension of Northpointe Village Drive as part of an incentive package of about $7.6 million for Mettler Toledo.

Northpointe’s owners will contribute more than $250,000 to the project. That could be reduced by 15 percent if Pasco receives a state reimbursement of about $1.2 million for the estimated $3.2 million road project.

Published April 19, 2017