With its southern border at Hillsborough and Pinellas, Pasco County finds itself in an interesting position for new growth. On the heels of last year's opening of the Suncoast Parkway through the center of Pasco, the inevitable development of residential and commercial centers along that new corridor is gathering steam.

One such development is the behemoth Connerton, which will provide Pasco with a new town near Land O' Lakes. Clustering around this 8,000-acre development of regional impact, which includes land for a government center, hospital and schools, are several new residential communities that will expand the type of housing available in the area. "Pasco hasn't had much choice before now," says Mary Jane Stanley, executive director at the Pasco Economic Development Council.

Although the nation's economic woes are affecting businesses in Pasco, some segments of the county's industries are on the upswing. Most of the corporate expansions are due to the anticipated surge of new development coming to the area. Construction supply companies are mushrooming throughout Pasco.

Business parks, such as One Pasco Center in central Pasco and West Pasco Industrial Park in Odessa, have been attractive options for businesses ready to expand their facilities. Many of these growing businesses are relocating from neighboring counties.

Peter Thomas, operations manager at Twin Star Optics, Coatings & Crystals, finds a Pasco location cost effective for this high-tech firm that recently relocated from a neighboring county. Photo: Robin Donina Serne

A rarity in years past has been speculative development of commercial buildings in Pasco. That is changing. "Three years ago we didn't see many buildings developed for speculative purposes," says Earl Young, senior vice president at SunTrust Bank and president of the Pasco Economic Development Council. "When people want to move their business they're interested in doing it fast with few hassles. Spec buildings would bring people looking to relocate to this area. But we didn't have any until recently.

"Last November we counted 13 spec buildings being built across the county," Young says. "Now we're down to eight. They're moving that quickly. Investors are now willing to bet some money of their own that Pasco is ready for more business."

While companies may be relocating to Pasco, a good portion of its workforce of 148,524 people still commute out of the county to work. "Our Job Education Partnership did a study that indicates that 50,000 people travel each day to Tampa and Hillsborough County to work," says Young. "That's a good chunk of our population. They travel a long way for a higher paying job or a more skilled job. We have a good workforce living here in Pasco and a company relocating to this county would find a willing workforce."

The county has a population of 344,000 and households have grown from 139,000 in 1998 to 147,566 in 2000. The median age of the population in the past decade has dropped by three years and continues on a downward trend. The total number of jobs as of 1999 was 72,600 and per capita personal income is $23,435. The average value of a new residential home as of 1999 was $142,000. "Developers are raising the bar," Stanley says.

Last year more than 3,200 permits were awarded for new residential development in Pasco. If there's a concern, says Stanley at the Pasco EDC, it's a lack of property zoned for industrial development. "We don't want to lose the opportunity to develop more business parks that will bring good jobs to Pasco," she says.

"Residential development needs to be balanced with more commercial modes to make sure we don't have 100,000 people driving to Tampa in four or five years," adds Young.

New commercial projects in Pasco are on the drawing board. Developer Ken Morin is working on Suncoast Crossings, a 689-acre mixed-use development at the intersection of State Road 54 and the Suncoast Parkway. Edward D. DeBartolo Jr., former owner of the San Francisco 49ers and a mall developer, plans to develop Cypress Creek Town Center at Interstate 75 and State Road 56. At 1.3-million square feet it will be one of the largest malls in the region.

Also on the drawing board in Pasco is additional development of infrastructure to accommodate growth for the area. Tampa Bay Water is in the process of selecting sites near the Anclote River for a second desalination plant to provide another drought-proof source of water. Atlanta-based Mirant Americas Development is preparing to begin operations at its new $150-million, 480-megawatt power plant near New Port Richey to provide additional sources of electric power.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) has approved funding toward the planned Land O' Lakes subregional wastewater treatment plant to allow more reclaimed water for use throughout the county. In addition, SWFWMD continues to purchase land throughout Pasco. This land will be preserved as conservation areas to balance the new development that is occurring. The agency plans to buy 3,700 acres at the Connerton DRI in Land O' Lakes. This acquisition is in addition to thousands of acres already preserved as parks and recreation areas.

"We have a wonderful park system," says Young. "And Pasco stands up to any location for getting kids ready for college. Our county commission cares about Pasco and is trying to do the right thing. They're working hard to make this a good place. And we have a very experienced county administrator in John Gallagher. He is overseeing a tremendous growth in Pasco and there's more to come."

A contribution to that growth this year has been made by TwinStar Optics, Coatings and Crystals, a high-tech firm that recently relocated its headquarters from Oldsmar to a 15,000-square-foot facility in Port Richey. The 25-employee business made a $1.8-million capital investment in Pasco with this expansion that has more than doubled the size of its operations.

"It was more cost effective for us to move to Pasco than to build in Oldsmar," says Peter Thomas, TwinStar's operations manager. "About 75 percent of our workforce lives in Pasco."

The company manufactures laser components, silicon wafers, semiconductors and fiber optics for medical device manufacturers, defense contractors and telecommunications companies. It does not grow cyrstals, however, as does its corporate neighbor VLOC, which was founded, interestingly enough, by Thomas's father.

"My father sold the company in 1989," Thomas says. "We're a totally separate company from VLOC. But we do the same products. The Florida High Tech Corridor is exploding with laser optics and there's truly a friendly environment in our industry. There's enough work for everybody."

Thomas anticipates that TwinStar will grow by 50 to 100 percent next year. "Right now we're small and doing well," he says. "We've built this company slowly. We have the equipment and the work space in place now. We've built a solid foundation before we go after the growth we expect over the next couple of years."

Thomas likes the workforce that's available in Pasco. "All of our employees are technical," he says. "We train many of them right from the beginning. Pasco has been a good pool of employees."

As part of the employee training program, Thomas is working with local schools to allow students to intern at TwinStar. "The Pasco Economic Development Council has been very willing to help us and inform us of programs," says Thomas. "We look forward to working more closely with the University of South Florida to train their students."

Another high-tech firm, Aviation Instrument Technologies in Zephyrhills, has received funds from Workforce Florida Inc., the state board for workforce development and training administration. The funds will be used for aviation-related training of employees. "In addition to its flight simulator, AIT has done a prototype for a new cargo plane," Stanley says.

Joining the county's high-tech firms is Global Energy & Environmental Research, which this year has relocated to a 24,000-square-foot facility in the West Pasco Industrial Park from Hillsborough County. The company, which also has operations in Europe, specializes in energy technology for air conditioning systems. "Our technology increases the efficiency of these systems," says Eugene Cornett, the company's spokesperson.

New companies locating at One Pasco Center in central Pasco include Nacogdoches, Tex.-based Foretravel of Florida, which occupied an 11,000-square-foot building. "They manufacture and distribute motor homes," says Al Fluman, who handles leasing and sales at One Pasco Center. "This will be their east coast sales and service facility."

Frog Publications has purchased land in the business park and plans to build a new 10,000- to 15,000-square-foot facility. "They are relocating from Tampa," Fluman says. "This facility will handle the production of educational publications."

Also soon to build is DEI Services, another Tampa company relocating to One Pasco Center. "They're a contract distributor for international airlines," says Fluman. "They put together the Œgoody' bags with toiletries."

International Trading & Tool has recently occupied its new 20,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility. And International Epoxies and Sealers, a supplier of fasteners and adhesives, has relocated into a new 10,800-square-foot building in another move from Tampa.

Tucked back in a corner of One Pasco Center will be a new ready-mix concrete plant for Jacksonville-based Florida Rock Industries (NYSE:FRK). "This is our eighth facility in the Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco market," says Bob Hays, president of the firm's Florida Concrete Group. The company has annual revenues of $700 million. "This is the direction in which Tampa is growing. Pasco County is a growing market and we want to be part of it."

Hays likes the access that One Pasco Center provides. "It's located at good thoroughfares for north, south, east and west in Pasco," he says. "This is good for a business with a perishable product like concrete. We have to be near the markets that are growing so we can produce and sell our products."

Another concrete manufacturer is also expanding its Pasco operations. Keys Concrete Industries, based in Odessa, has built a new facility at Highway 41 in Land O' Lakes. "That makes our fifth concrete plant," says Jimmy Keys, the firm's president. "We're on the northeast side of Connerton."

This expansion is a $3.5-million capital investment in Pasco and the new facility will employ 18 people "This new plant increases our efficiency and opens up some markets we weren't able to take care of," Keys says.

The Keys family has owned this 150-employee business since 1973. "We've been in Pasco a long time," says Keys. "Our Odessa and Spring Hill (Hernando County) plants were far out in the woods for so many years. The growth is now coming to those locations."

And Keys cites the Suncoast Parkway as an enticement to that growth. "It is going to have a most beneficial economic impact on Pasco," he says. "The ability to move through the county has been greatly increased for industry and residents. This has taken a load off of our other north-south highways."

Another construction supplier has devised a unique way to take the "load off" when it comes time to install trusses in buildings. Steel Time Truss Co. Inc. is based in Land O' Lakes and has grown from four employees when it began operations in 1992 to 14 workers. "My husband Harry came up with the idea of assembling trusses on the ground and lifting them to the top of a building," says Melissa Williams, the firm's president. "Normally it's done one truss at a time from a crane. But this way is much safer. No one is falling off the roof."

Harry Williams previously worked at General Dynamics and is a certified welder. "He understands the strength of steel," Williams says. "He's a smart guy. He's perfected this technology."

Assembly of rooftops is done on the ground, including trusses, metal decking, rooftop product and fascia. "We just completed one at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Pompano," Williams says. "The assembly was 22 tons. It was huge. We used a crane like they use at NASA."

The ground assembly can also include installation of electrical and air conditioning systems. "Catwalks can also be added on the ground," says Williams. "This is a big safety issue. It's more efficient and safer. It's very exciting to see when we lift this roof product. At the La Quinta hotel in Orlando huge crowds formed to watch the flight."

The firm's rooftop technology holds special appeal in the South Florida market, which has strict building codes for hurricane-force winds. "Any building four stories and above has to have steel trusses," Williams says. "This is new but we're seeing a tremendous response to it, especially in coastal communities where hurricanes are a big concern. Our trusses can withstand up to 150 mile-per-hour winds. They've been tested to 175 but we claim up to 150. That's a very high windload. With the last hurricane in Miami, they found steel roofs still intact even though the buildings suffered a lot of damage."

As a result of the popularity of the firm's rooftop technology, "we're growing rapidly," says Williams. "We have so much business coming in that we're hiring constantly to keep up with things."

In a repetitive theme, Williams cites access to major thoroughfares as an advantage to doing business in Pasco. "We're located conveniently close to Interstate 75 and the Suncoast Parkway," she says. "The growth here is phenomenal. We have a nice central location here."

Ensuring that the area retains its comfortable ambiance, Young points to two issues confronting Pasco County. "We need to work on our roads most," he says. "And our comprehensive plan needs to be checked. That's being done. We need to make sure we balance our interests. Less than that, we fail. Uncontrolled growth takes no talent or energy but we need a good end product as our goal. If growth is going to happen, we had better take control of it or we won't be happy with what we get.