Its code name was "Project Bourbon". But will it quench the thirst of Treasure Coast job seekers?
City leaders in Port St. Lucie call this the biggest manufacturing development in St. Lucie County since the Great Recession.
Outside the Tamlite Lighting building in St. Lucie West, the parking lot doesn’t have the number of spaces it needs.
Tamco, the parent company that also operates under the name City Electric Supply, has five buildings spread throughout the St. Lucie West Commerce Park.
Now, it wants to bring everything under one roof.
The company is proposing a $38 million facility to be built in the Tradition Business Park that would have twice the square footage.
"We’re fortunate that Port St. Lucie is the best place for Tamco to expand their operations," said Peter Tesch, the president of the St. Lucie Economic Council.
Tesch spent the past two days going to the City of Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County to get an incentive package approved. It includes tax breaks and a million dollars to offset infrastructure costs.
“This is a business retention effort, part of that is retaining 222 great jobs," said Tesch.
The company has been in the area for 30 years and about 90% of its employees live in St. Lucie County. The company says 50 new jobs would be created by the expansion.
“It’s immediate, and we’re trying to pave the way for them," added Tesch.
Port St. Lucie beat Dallas and Charlotte to keep the company on the Treasure Coast.
A company spokeswoman said they are excited about expanding their presence in the community. In correspondence with local leaders, the company cited the quality of local labor as a positive.
Construction on the new facility is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2018.