ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.,
July 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/
-- Duke Energy has selected five Florida properties for participation in this
year's Site Readiness Program, which will prepare them for targeted
business development and future capital investment.
Through its Site Readiness Program, Duke Energy identifies
high-quality industrial sites and works with the site's owner,
county/city officials and local economic development professionals
to identify the property's current status and to develop a strategy
for providing water, sewer, natural gas and electricity, necessary
for the development of the properties.
"Site readiness supports communities' needs by evaluating
properties and providing recommendations and a vision that are used
to attract companies and jobs to the area," said Marc Hoenstine, director of economic
development, Duke Energy. "This process of identifying competitive
sites that are prime for development, coupled with strong workforce
programs and available talent, has resulted in several successful
projects throughout our six-state service area over the last 13
years."
The locations include:
- Volusia County
DeBary Industrial Park is a 255-acre site that is adjacent
to a CSX rail line and is 5 miles west of Interstate 4. The
site will be evaluated to support light manufacturing, advanced
manufacturing, IT/communications, biomedical/biotechnology and food
and beverage manufacturing.
"We're very excited about the opportunity to work with Duke Energy
through its site readiness initiative, highlighting an approximate
250-acre industrial zoned site with CSX access located between
Orlando and Daytona," said
Roger VanAuker, economic development
director for the city of DeBary.
"We appreciate Duke Energy's partnership in economic development,
taking a proactive role in the economic prosperity of DeBary and regionally."
- Marion County
Acorn Farms is a 190-acre site located east of Interstate
75 with convenient access to the Florida Northern Railroad. Five
key industry targets for this site include logistics and
distribution, light manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, food and
beverage manufacturing and aviation and aerospace production.
"The Duke Energy Site Readiness Program will help our community
identify and further advance the development of the Acorn Farms
property," said Brett Barnes, vice
president of job creation for the Greater Ocala Chamber and
Economic Partnership. "With extensive feedback from Global Location
Strategies (GLS), an internationally recognized site selection
firm, and the knowledge gained, we will be in a better position to
continue to develop the site for future growth. We greatly
appreciate this incredible opportunity Duke Energy presented to us.
We look forward to working with them and the entire GLS team."
- Levy County
The Levy site consists of
5,400 located in close proximity to navigable water with
transmission-level power nearby and is within 5 miles of a railway.
The site and neighboring area has key attributes to support timber
production/processing, food processing and general manufacturing
industries.
"Knowing a location's full potential for development is critical
for site selection, ensuring essential infrastructure and features
are in place for sought-after industry," said David Pieklik, executive director for Nature
Coast Business Development Council of Levy County. "Taking a hard look at a
5,400-acre site north of Inglis –
an area poised for growth – Duke Energy's Site Readiness Program
will help us ensure we have everything we need for a perfect
fit."
- Wakulla County
Opportunity Park is a 240-acre industrial park located in
Crawfordville, Fla., 14 miles
south of the Tallahassee
International Airport and 18 miles from Interstate 10. The park has
three-phase electric service, abundant natural gas, water, sewer,
business internet and communications available on site. Targeted
industries include general manufacturing, offices and green,
environmentally responsible businesses.
"It has been a pleasure for the Wakulla County Economic Development
Council to assist in bringing Duke Energy and NG Wade, a
Jacksonville, Fla.-based
investment firm and the site's owner, together for the evaluation
of Opportunity Park, a project that is vital to Wakulla's economic development," said
John Shuff, chairman of the Wakulla
County Economic Development Council. "We are grateful to Duke
Energy for having the vision to understand the importance of this
industrial park for Florida's
Capital Region!"
- Hamilton County
The Carter Property is a 468-acre site that is adjacent to
Interstate 75, just south of the Florida/Georgia border. Four potential targeted
industries for this site include logistics/distribution, food and
beverage, wood/timber products (pellet mills) and general
manufacturing.
"Hamilton County is
well-positioned on the Florida/Georgia line to offer businesses a strategic
location where they can easily reach the Southeast market," said
Susan Ramsey, executive director of
the Hamilton County Development Authority. "Duke Energy's selection
of the Carter Property for the Site Readiness Program will result
in yet another competitive Hamilton
County site for businesses to consider."
After each evaluation is completed, materials highlighting
the property's attributes are used to help strategically
market the sites nationwide for companies looking to expand or
relocate their operations.
Duke Energy is working with two nationally recognized site
selection consulting firms to evaluate the properties. O'Neal
Consulting, a consulting firm in Greenville, S.C., which recently acquired the
assets of McCallum Sweeney, has been
instrumental in locating many high-profile headquarters and
industrial relocations and expansions throughout Florida and the U.S. And most recently, Global
Location Strategies, based in Greenville,
S.C, is a new partner to Florida's Site Readiness Program working with
manufacturing and industrial companies assisting with capital,
labor, energy and water intensive project requirements. Heidt
Design, a Tampa, Fla.-based
engineering firm will continue to support the program with
buildable area studies and conceptual drawings for each site
evaluation.
Duke Energy's Site Readiness Program was recognized by Southern
Business and Development magazine as one of the "South's Top 10
Site Programs" and was noted as one of the main reasons Duke Energy
was named as one of the nation's "Top 10 Utility Economic
Development Programs" by Site Selection magazine for the past
several years.
Duke Energy's economic development efforts have helped attract
and grow more than 270 companies in Florida since 2001, resulting in more than
40,600 new jobs and $3.5 billion in
capital investment in the communities it serves. The Site Readiness
Program has resulted in 34 major project wins on sites across the
Duke Energy footprint. These projects will create over 6,800
new jobs and invest more than $7
billion in capital.
For more information about Duke Energy's economic development
programs, visit duke-energy.com/economic.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida owns and operates a diverse generation mix,
including renewables, providing about 8,800 megawatts of owned
electric capacity to approximately 1.8 million customers in a
13,000-square-mile service area.
With its Florida regional
headquarters located in St. Petersburg,
Fla., Duke Energy is one of the largest electric power
holding companies in the United
States. Its Electric Utilities and Infrastructure business
unit serves approximately 7.5 million customers located in six
states in the Southeast and Midwest. The company's Gas Utilities
and Infrastructure business unit distributes natural gas to
approximately 1.6 million customers in the Carolinas, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Its Commercial Renewables business
unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across
the United States.
Duke Energy is a Fortune 125 company traded on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the
company is available at duke-energy.com.
The Duke Energy News Center serves as a multimedia resource for
journalists and features news releases, helpful links, photos and
videos. Hosted by Duke Energy, illumination is an online
destination for stories about people, innovations, and community
and environmental topics. It also offers glimpses into the past and
insights into the future of energy.
Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and
Facebook.
Contact: Peveeta Persaud
Office: 727.820.5592 | 24-Hour: 800.559.3853
Twitter: @DE_PeveetaP
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SOURCE Duke Energy