Beer distributor economic activity is on the uptick across the state of Florida. Today, Goldring Gulf Distributing broke ground on a new facility in Milton, Florida.
S.R. Perrott will open a new facility in Daytona in June and Jacksonville-based Champions Brands expanded its distribution center and is in the process of building an onsite Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station that will be open to the public.
Cone Distributing opened the doors of its new distribution facility in Ocala last year and J.J. Taylor Distributing recently built a CNG station in Tampa with plans to open another in Ft. Myers.
Goldring Gulf's new 191,000 square foot Beverage Distribution Center will be located in Santa Rosa County but will benefit companies as far away as Tampa and Orlando. The new facility is an $18 million investment in the community.
"The beer industry is responsible for more than 130,000 jobs across the state of Florida," said Beer Industry of Florida's President, Eric Criss. "Beer distributors not only bring quality beer to market, but are trusted business and community partners."
The company in charge of building the new distribution center, ARCO National Construction, released a partial list of local Florida companies that will help execute the project, including: Aero Photo of St. Petersburg; Larry M Jacobs Engineering of Pensacola; Jehle-Halstead, Inc. of Milton; Richard Adams Engineering of Tampa; and Seretta Construction, Inc., of Apopka.
"Economic growth starts with participation of the local subcontractor market, but trickles down in a broader sense throughout the community where the demand for services increases in small businesses, housing and hospitality," said Kate Helfer, ARCO National Construction.
Other Goldring Gulf Distributing partners weighed in on the social and economic value of beer distributors and the importance of the new distribution facility.
"We congratulate Goldring Gulf Distributing on this major landmark in the company's history. Distributors in Florida provide millions of dollars in scholarships for children in need each year and we are proud to partner with them to build a brighter future for our communities and our state," said John Kirtley, chairman of Step-Up for Students.
"Craft brewers are experiencing explosive growth in Florida and we rely upon distributor partners such as Goldring Gulf Distributing to make the necessary capital investments to grow our brands in the Florida market," said Leo A. Basile, vice president of sales for Abita Brewing Company.
