Colt Comes to Osceola County

Osceola County is fortunate to have many strong women in the work force looking for opportunities to see our county grow and thrive.  One such strong leader is Maria Toumazos, with the Osceola County Economic Development Dept. . Her tenacity and diligence paid off for us because of her instrumental involvement in bringing Colt’s Manufacturing Co., LLC to our area.

Colt’s Manufacturing Company began over 175 years ago and has a reputation for quality and longevity, thus, making it a perfect fit to Osceola County’s rich heritage and tradition of being a community established in the early days by citrus and cattle ranchers. 

While the citrus groves and cattle ranches are slowly becoming less prominent, tradition is still alive and well.  Business and industry are attracted to this area because of its location and commitment to working together for the best quality of life Florida has to offer.

The new location for Colt’s new Regional Headquarters is going to be the building owned by Osceola County, formerly known as the Council on Aging facility on Shady Lane.  Colt’s will be leasing the now vacant building from the county as well as making a $2.5 million capital investment for its operations.  The location offers easy access to the Florida Turnpike and is centrally located for access to the major rail systems, ports and highways in the state.

In 2012, Colt’s will be hiring people for engineering, manufacturing and other jobs which will pay average salaries of $45,060, a sum considerably higher than the current average for Osceola County.  There will also be local jobs available in association with the renovations to the building.

The Economic Development Department (EDD) has worked with many entities to help see this project through and entice Colt’s Manufacturing Company and new regional headquarters to call Osceola County home.  From the Governor’s office to local businesses, the EDD has woven together a plan of incentives that sealed the deal for the decision.  The community really came together to celebrate the projects development. For example, Valencia College will be helping out by designing a specialized training program for them to provide quality training and education for ultimate safety and workforce standards.

With competitive incentive packages and the willingness to achieve high economic growth standards, Maria Toumazos says that this is the beginning of a long term relationship with many more opportunities to come.   So, stay tuned and watch for future announcements coming soon!  Read them here in Osceola Woman!