In July and August, at least six big companies launched their operations in the Tampa area, increasing the number of employees with potentials to participate in the Tampa real estate market, either as homebuyers or renters. A number of them could even become investors when they come to realize the potential gains of buying and selling homes in Tampa.
Here are some of the companies or organizations that relocated to Tampa or that started operations or launched new businesses in Tampa in July and August 2012:
Air Culinaire
Air Culinaire, a business aviation in-flight company, has decided to move its
corporate headquarters in Columbus, Ohio to a 14,000-square-foot building at the Westshore business district in Tampa. For several years before the transfer, the company has been maintaining a satellite office in Tampa.
Epicurean Hotel
A 140-room $33-million boutique resort hotel will rise across from landmark restaurant Bern’s Steak House on South Howard Avenue, with construction starting in September 2012 and opening expected in November 2013. Bern’s Steak House and partner Mainsail Lodging and Development of Tampa, will partner with Marriott, which will add Epicurean to its Autograph Collection of high-end boutique resort hotels.
Epicurean will feature a ground-floor restaurant called E Bistro; the Bern’s Fine Wines, which is currently located beside SideBern’s; a luxury spa and fitness center; a ground floor pool; a second-floor patio with private terraces; rooms that have views of Hyde Park; a bakery called Chocolate Pi, which will produce pastries and breads for retail buyers and for Bern’s restaurants; and the popular Bern’s Winefest food and beverage event held every April.
The resort hotel is also expected to become one of the destinations of guests and residents gathering around Bayshore Boulevard, Hyde Park Village, Howard Avenue and nearby neighborhoods. Seen by many as also a great boost to Tampa’s economy, the project is expected to create jobs for around 100 people.
StreetLinks Lender Solutions
StreetLinks, an Indianapolis-based appraisal management firm, has expanded its operations in Florida, particularly in the Tampa Bay area. It provides appraisal services and lending technology systems to banks, lending institutions and mortgage companies. It started in Florida in July 2011 with a 36,000-square-foot facility at Netpark TampaBay. Now in 2012, it is celebrating its 77,000-square-foot facility and about 190 employees, with plans to hire about 300 people more to push its expansion in Florida in the next three years. These employees will be doing real estate appraisal and data processing.
Highland Packaging Solutions
Highland Packaging has started moving from Mulberry in Polk County to a
243,000-square-foot facility on Gordon Food Service in Plant City. The move to a much bigger building was prompted by its expansion and need to consolidate under one roof its Mulberry operations spread out in four warehouses. The Plant City location adds efficiencies, such as a separate entrance, fenced grounds by the chain fencing new york ny team, expansion options, access to Interstate 4 and a rail spur, commercial electric gates. Highland can cut costs by bringing in raw materials by rail. Currently, Highland has 215 employees, and it expects to hire seasonal workers from October to June.
IC Mechanical Inc.
Mechanical contractor IC Mechanical has started building in the Tampa area its
$1.9-million facility which will house its affiliated companies and expanded divisions that include IC Engineering Solutions, Ruark Construction & Engineering, Alloy Fabrication. IC, which currently has 30 employees, will hire additional engineering and construction professionals over the next two years.
German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S.
This regional international chamber of commerce will open another U.S. office in the Tampa Bay area, in addition to its offices in New York, Chicago and Atlanta. The chamber aims to promote and facilitate bilateral trade and investment between the U.S. and Germany, particularly the Southern U.S.
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