Enterprise Florida, Escambia County and the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce announce the expansion of Cantonment-based Custom Control Solutions, Inc. (CCS) to Pensacola.
“Through CCS’ expansion, the Pensacola area, once again, is exemplifying Florida’s ability to nurture and escalate its smaller businesses to higher levels, thereby enhancing both local and statewide economic growth,” said Gray Swoope, president & CEO of Enterprise Florida Inc. “This expansion also reflects Florida’s commitment to high-value job creation and ensuring the right business climate to enable it.”
Headquartered at 1520 Power Blvd. in Cantonment, CCS designs and builds Analyzer Systems, Industrial Control Systems, Instrument Cabinets and System Integration Services. One of the company’s largest and most competitive markets is “building industrial equipment buildings,” and its largest competitors are located in the North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Currently, CCS outsources the fabrication of these buildings, but through this project – a $520,000 community investment -- the company plans to construct them at its new facility in Pensacola. The address is 9165 Roe Street in Pensacola, and a ribbon-cutting will take place there on January 27. CCS’ headquarters will remain in Cantonment.
“We are establishing manufacturing and service centers in the Pensacola area to serve industrial clients on the East Coast and Gulf States,” explained CCS President Manfred Laner. “CCS is using Pensacola’s available labor pool and is also providing training for candidates who would like to choose a career opportunity in manufacturing and industrial technology.”
Donnie McMahon, chairman of the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, noted that “it is an honor that this successful seven-year-old business has chosen to invest in the Pensacola area. This is yet another example of how committed the local business community is to increasing job opportunities throughout the region.”
CCS’ presently has 20 employees, but the expansion will create 15 jobs with annual salaries averaging $39,616, which is 115 percent of the metro area’s mean yearly wage of $34,449.
Escambia County administrator Randy Oliver points out that “while 15 jobs may not seem like a lot, those jobs have the potential to have a big impact on our community. The jobs will provide opportunities for our citizens to better themselves and, in turn, further help our economy.”
Aside from applauding CCS’ expansion, Pensacola’s mayor, Ashton Hayward, emphasized the economic importance of smaller enterprises.
"Small businesses like CCS are the backbone of a successful, sustainable local economy,” said Hayward. “These are the types of small businesses who not only create jobs, but through their customer and client base, help to be ambassadors for Pensacola and Escambia County as a great place to live and work."
For more information about CCS, visit www.ccsinc-florida.com.