Rick Lott, a fourth-generation Plant City resident, is active on several area Boards of Directors and is on a mission to transform the town into "Event City." Photograph by Tom Berndt

YOU CAN STILL BUY A CHERRY SMASH AT THE Whistle Stop Café in Plant City for the old fashioned price of a nickel. The city's theme song could easily be borrowed from the television show Cheers, and every year when the Strawberry Festival rolls into town, the city plays host to thousands of strawberry-loving visitors from the southeast. But beyond Plant City's rural charm is a thriving business community that starts small, at the city's downtown area. Named for railroad tycoon Henry Bradley Plant, historic Plant City has undergone a major restoration in recent years. Today, the renovated buildings ­ many of which were boarded up until the mid-90s ­ are home to stores like Aunt Nellie's, Miss Vicki's, Miss Emma's and Yesterday's Attic. Plant City has also attracted larger businesses, those that come to the area bringing significant job opportunities, corporate headquarters and demands for new housing, water and road infrastructure, and government support.

In 2002, for example, Bill Heard Chevrolet opened a $30 million, 40-acre location near the Interstate 4 off-ramp, supporting its plan to become one of the largest car retailers in central Florida. In early 2003, Plymouth, Mich.-based Plastipak Packaging Inc., will open a factory in the Plant City Commerce Park, creating 75 manufacturing jobs. It's the manufacturer of plastic bottles and containers for consumer products' first move into Florida. The company has nine manufacturing plants and two research facilities in the U.S. in addition to its headquarters. Courtesy City Properties Inc.

Plant City is also home to distribution centers, manufacturing facilities and corporate headquarters. Companies like Creative Games International, Smithfield Packing/Lykes Division, International Paper, Crystals International Inc., Winn-Dixie Superbrand Dairies and Weyerhauser Company, all call it home.

"We're a rural town, but we have a big-city attitude when it comes to business," says Rick Lott, co-owner of several companies, including two Lott-Mather car dealerships in Plant City, insurance firm Benefit Resources and office equipment dealer Zeno Office Solutions. A fourth generation Plant City resident, Lott is active on several area Boards of Directors, and is on a mission to transform Plant City into "Event City."

Lott's theory is straightforward: bring visitors in and give Œem a taste of the area, then wait for them to come back to do business in or even live in Plant City. "You don't have a business opportunity until you have someone to talk to about business," says Lott. "By increasing the number of people visiting our city, we increase the chances that more people will fall in love with our town."

By turning Saturday night into "event night," Lott plans to reach his long-term goal of bringing more business and growth to the town where his parents and grandparents worked in the agricultural industry. So far, the efforts have translated into monthly classic car shows and bikefests, the latter of which recently attracted 2,000 motorcycles and 6,000 people. Anxious to fill up the other two Saturday nights, Lott is working with the Chamber of Commerce Council of Growing Business committee to brainstorm other possibilities.

"We're throwing out ideas and seeing if they stick," says Lott. "They have to fit into the community and impact the merchants in the city. If it doesn't work, we'll cancel it and move on to the next idea."

Planting Seeds For Growth
Along with new events, a newly-renovated downtown and diverse mix of existing companies, Plant City's location between the Tampa and Orlando metropolitan areas serves as yet another draw for business.

With easy access to Interstates 4 and 75, and Tampa International Airport and the Port of Tampa just a few minutes drive, Plant City residents and businesses can reap the rewards of having a small-town atmosphere that's very accessible to the rest of the world. That proximity to major roadways and railroads attracts major manufacturing, distribution and warehouse facilities to the 26-square-mile city where about 31,000 people live.

Also working in Plant City's favor is a diverse economy that dates back to the 1970s, when city head Nettie Berry Draughon decided that Plant City's reliance on agriculture was unhealthy. Draughon, who had a 57-year career with the city, most recently as city manager, passed away in 1997. But her efforts planted the seeds that made Plant City the progressive area that it is today.

"Nettie and the Plant City Business Committee realized that if they didn't do something to change their employment opportunities and get into more business and manufacturing-oriented jobs, then they'd lose their kids to other areas," says Robin Ronne, senior vice president for economic development, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. "They won grants from the federal and state governments, extended water and sewer lines, established an industrial park and set out to change the mentality of the area."

The strategy worked, and today the Plant City Economic Development Council has picked up where Draughon left off. Founded in 1992, the EDC is a public-private partnership that focuses on business retention, business recruitment, and improving the physical environment and infrastructure of the Greater Plant City area. The program includes disseminating demographic information, assisting business expansion, attracting new businesses, and monitoring relevant legislation.

One of the EDC's programs assists new corporate location through the review process, financial arrangements, government incentives, and workforce preparedness and infrastructure issues. Creative Games International, the lottery ticket printing division of Canadian Bank Note Company, Limited, is one success of this recruitment effort. The EDC also works with Enterprise Florida and the Tampa Committee of 100 to attract and retain businesses.

The results have come slowly and steadily, some only in the last three or four years, according to Danny Wilkes, vice chairman of economic development in Plant City and regional manager at Tampa Electric Co. He says Plant City ­ where cotton was at one time the primary industry ­ experienced positive growth in the number of commercial, retail and professional businesses moving into an area.

"There are new strip shopping centers and restaurants being built right now in the northern part of the city, and the southern portion is experiencing growth as well," says Wilkes. "As that development springs up on the outskirts, it also spills into our historic downtown area."

One local company that's experiencing growth right now is Crystals International Inc., a manufacturer of freeze dried fruit and vegetable powders and flavorings. The 100-employee firm has been in Plant City since 1955, the year it decided that it needed to be near central Florida's citrus processing hub in order to succeed.

Today, Crystals International is gearing up for a move into the neutraceutical and organic foods industries. According to Jennifer Closshey, president and CEO, having all three of its locations in Plant City gives the company easy access to ports and airports, and international recognition. "We ship to about 30 countries, and this area has instant recognition for our export customers who are always happy to come visit us here," says Closshey. "We find it easy to import raw ingredients, and we rely heavily on the transportation venues that are at our fingertips. Combined, Plant City's attributes and our hard work have enabled us to be an international company."

Downtown Revival Ed Verner cringes when he skims his collection of photos of historic Plant City from the mid-1980s. It was a depressing time for a city with such rich, historic roots that date back to a time when early pioneer Henry Bradley Plant named the town after himself. The stagnation began in the late-1970s, according to Verner, owner of Plant City property management firm City Properties Co., and culminated into a steady decline that lasted until the mid-1990s. Renovations and restorations in downtown Plant City add to the town's charm. "The downtown was marred by a high vacancy rate, vagrancy and dilapidated conditions," Verner recalls. "There were a few pockets of success downtown, but as a whole the core never reached critical mass until the mid to late-90s." It was then that Verner, a lifelong Plant City resident, and a few other enterprising individuals decided to do something about their town's diamond in the rough. First to make a move were Vicki and David Hawthorne, who renovated an entire retail block, transforming it into an antiques mall. "We figured it would take a good year to get the mall filled up and running, but it took just a few months," says Vicki Hawthorne, who quickly found herself short on space and strapped with a waiting list of prospective tenants. "We then began buying other buildings and ended up with 80,000 square feet of space in the downtown district, which we've filled with stores, and rented out to commercial and residential tenants." It's been a few years since the renaissance began, but the Hawthornes say they still get their share of compliments for serving as a catalyst for change in an area once plagued by blight and boarded-up storefronts. "People really appreciate what we've done here," says Hawthorne. "We especially like the fact that once we started investing and improving buildings, others followed." Verner was one of the followers. He restored a few "white elephant buildings" in the downtown area, and most recently finished renovations on buildings that were once retail-oriented, but that now comprise professional space. Verner gives credit to the city government and chamber of commerce for supporting the makeover. The city, for example, owned a few buildings that it sold to private owners who then fixed them up. The recent rebuilding of city hall downtown was a "huge move" for the overall effort, says Verner, adding that the structure could have easily left the downtown, but chose not to. "The city went through a lot of trouble to amass a parcel large enough to fit their needs, and kept the city services in the downtown," says Verner. "That helped create a real feeling of community." According to the city's planning director, Rob Anders, it's all in the name of retaining Plant City's charm while at the same time creating an environment where both business and residents want to be. In addition to the city's historic preservation efforts, Anders says the city also offers a grant program as incentive for building owners to restore their business. Buildings that in the 1960s were skimmed over with a metal frontage, for example, are now being restored to their original states in an effort to retain the original historic charm. The city is installing antique street lighting and reconstructing walkways with brick pavers. "These investments provide an additional visual amenity for the downtown area, and adds to the charm," says Anders. "Our overall goal is to make sure that the downtown survives for the long term as an historic downtown ­ that's what we're working for."

Going Strong
To support business growth and attract more workers to the area, Plant City has turned its sights to its residential side, where a new development of regional impact (DRI) is in the works. With its largest residential development, Walden Lake, nearly built out, a new developer is working on plans for additional homes. Wilkes says residential development has otherwise been relegated to smaller neighborhoods, where DRIs are unnecessary.

Thanks to the new DRI and steady stream of new business coming to the area, Plant City, a town with a rich history dating back to the mid-1800's when settlers first began to populate Florida, faces a new challenge: retaining its old-world charm while fostering growth, dealing with water issues and mapping out new DRIs that could bring thousands more residents to the city.

David Sollenberger ­ who serves as interim city manager until late-December when the city will fill the position permanently ­ says the city's commission regularly emphasizes its desire to grow the city while maintaining that small-town charm. And it has put money where its own mouth is by building a new city hall in the downtown area, designed in an old-style manner and borrowing features from the city's historic train depot.

Also challenging Plant City is a need for more water to serve its growing business base. Sollenberger says the city is working with the South Florida Water Management District to increase its consumptive use permit, and expects an approval by the end of the year.

"The quantity of water which I believe we'll get permitted will allow us to meet the needs of projected growth," says Sollenberger.

Sollenberger says holding back on permits will help Plant City plan for its future in a steady, solid way while helping it head off problems."

"We have to have growth to be able to sustain our children's futures," says Lott, "but that growth can't adversely change the character and charm that is Plant City, where everyone knows that you can count on each other and people stand behind what they say. We need to keep it that way.

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