Accel International Holdings, Inc., a producer of high-performance conductors, broke ground recently at the Tradition Center for Commerce in Port St. Lucie, Fla., for the company’s newest manufacturing facility.
At least 125 new jobs will be created by the company’s capital investment of $55 million for its new 150,000-square-foot facility and manufacturing equipment. Average annual earnings per worker at the Tradition facility are estimated to be $47,000 plus benefits, 16% higher than St. Lucie County’s average wage.
Originally established in a garage in 2002 and now headquartered in Meriden, Connecticut, Accel currently operates three manufacturing facilities in Indiana and Connecticut. The company produces and distributes high-performance wire and cable products for use in aerospace, medical and telecommunications equipment.
“We are excited to expand our footprint into Florida and tap into the great resources that the city of Port St. Lucie has to offer. We also look forward to becoming an important part of the community,” said Accel Chief Financial Officer Tim Cummings.
“Accel will be a wonderful asset for our community. The company’s manufacturing jobs are exactly the type of higher-wage jobs we have been wanting for our county’s dynamic workforce,” said St. Lucie County Commission Chair Sean Mitchell. “Accel is also planning on training partnerships with our schools and that is a great opportunity for students throughout our county.”
“Today’s groundbreaking on Accel International’s 40 acres in the Tradition Center for Commerce is another milestone in the ongoing diversification of the city’s economy,” said Port St. Lucie Mayor Shannon Martin. “In addition to higher-wage jobs, investment by companies like Accel make it possible for the city to continue to provide a high level of services and amenities for our residents while also reducing tax rates.”
“We began our relationship with Accel over two years ago by initially searching for an exciting facility to renovate. Not being able to find a viable option, we considered many alternatives within the southeastern U.S. for a ground-up facility and finally chose Port St. Lucie,” said Malcolm Sina, executive chairman of Sina Companies, the project’s developer. “Having developed projects in over 30 states, it has been a real pleasure working with everyone in the city of Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County, and the state of Florida.”
“This is what we do. It’s exactly what we need to be focusing on, in particular a focus on manufacturing,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce Mark Adler, who attended the Accel International Dec. 9 groundbreaking in his first official appearance following his appointment to the position of commerce secretary and interim president/CEO of Enterprise Florida on Dec. 8. “Florida is open for business.” The state funded $3 million in 2017 toward the development of road the facility is located on.
“Our focus on recruiting clean, high-paying manufacturing jobs to St. Lucie County continues to pay off,” said Pete Tesch, president of the Economic Development Council of St. Lucie County. “We are very proud that Port St. Lucie was selected for Accel’s expansion over two sites in Connecticut and one in North Carolina.”
The company’s vice president of sales, Kyle Senk, told the approximately 100 groundbreaking ceremony attendees that Accel’s manufacturing equipment is expected to arrive at the new facility in June or July. Senk said the project is the company’s largest capital investment to date, and will be its most technologically advanced.