by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
If a proposal approved Thursday by the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission comes to its full fruition, it will get a little chillier at Imeson Industrial Park. The site was chosen to take advantage of the area’s growth in terms of shipping and logistics and increased port activity.
Imeson Consolidated Services LLC (ICS) proposes to build a 210,000 square-foot refrigerated warehouse on a 24-acre undeveloped tract on Malnove Drive. In addition to three other local facilities, the company also operates in Mobile, Ala. and New Orleans, and both cities are currently in the running for the project. Financial incentives available within Jacksonville’s Enterprise Zone and the State of Florida-designated Brownfield Incentive Area could help the project eventually break ground at Imeson.
If the warehouse is built in Jacksonville, it will create 75 new full-time jobs paying an average annual wage of $35,000, plus $4,900 in benefits. The new facility would add $2.6 million in annual payroll ($3 million with benefits) to the local economy.
ICS estimates the total investment at $6.3 million for land, $17.5 million in construction and $9 million in machinery and equipment for a total capital investment of $32.8 million.
The state’s Brownfield Redevelopment Bonus Program provides tax refunds up to $2,500 per new job created in the designated area. Funding for the incentive is shared by state and local government with the state covering 80 percent of the funds. There is a provision that allows local government to request a waiver that would eliminate the local contribution and that is part of the proposal approved Thursday.
JEDC Business Recruitment and Retention Coordinator Joe Whitaker presented the proposal to the commissioners and pointed out the average annual salary in Duval County is $42,800, then added that when the City adopted its public investment policy, “Creating high-wage jobs was the priority.”
The State will remit the $150,000 incentive to ICS in equal payments over a four-year period.
Whitaker also said ICS would like to build the new facility in Jacksonville since it is headquartered here and the company has proven to be an asset to the community beyond jobs and payroll. The company has for years provided financial support to organizations including Rodeheaver Boys Ranch, the Sulzbacher Center and the Second Harvest Food Bank.
“ICS has been a good citizen in the community,” said Whitaker.
The commissioners approved the proposal including the waiver unanimously. It will now be sent to City Council for final approval.
The meeting and the vote was the first for two commissioners whose appointment to the JEDC was approved by Council Jan 13.
Jack Meeks is a CPA and president of Meeks, Ross, Selander & Associates with offices in Springfield. He is a former vice president of Springfield Preservation and Revitalization and a former member of the City of Jacksonville Ethics Committee.
Robert Helms was state CEO of Wachovia Bank until 2007 and serves on the boards of directors of The Jacksonville Community Foundation, the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens and WJCT Public Broadcasting. He served as chair of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce in 2005 and is on the Florida Tax Watch Executive Committee.
The JEDC’s next meeting is scheduled for March 12 at 9 a.m. in the conference room on the 8th floor of the Ed Ball Building. JEDC Executive Director Ron Barton said proposed legislation that would allow removal of public phone booths from public right-of-ways Downtown will be presented to the commissioners for their approval.
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