MANUFACTURING trends &
SPOTLIGHTS
by Susan Slater
Volusia County is widely known for its beautiful beaches, abundant recreation, world-class sports, and great restaurants, but it has an economic alter-ego: innovative manufacturing. Over 400 manufacturers reside in the county of half a million people, providing thousands of jobs and supporting a strong proportion of the local economy. Unique business models and products abound, from sunscreen to sunglasses, parachutes to mechanical pumps, weapons manufacturing to boats, green-energy to bio-containment and high-tech virtual reality to specialty foods, The variety is seemingly endless.
According to 2016 United States Census Bureau Business Statistics, 75 percent of the approximately 255,000 manufacturing firms in the United States are small businesses that employ fewer than 500 workers. Most Volusia County businesses fit this profile. Smaller manufacturers often face greater challenges than their big-business counterparts in weathering change. They tend to be hardest hit by the costs that often accompany changes in government regulations or tariffs on products or materials. Other common manufacturing concerns revolve around technology, especially weighing the costs and benefits to a smaller business of keeping up with today’ s technology, knowing that it may become obsolete within a short period. Attracting and maintaining a skilled workforce can also be difficult. At the same time, smaller businesses may be better poised to take advantage of new opportunities because their size makes them more nimble than a global conglomerate. Small business leaders know that vision is everything— knowing where the company should be in the future and having a current strategy to get it there.
Many Volusia County manufacturers are optimistic, having weathered the 2008 business downturn and recently undergone expansion or with plans to do so in the near term. We are spotlighting three such manufacturers. All three are experiencing solid growth. They each chose to do business in Volusia County because the business-friendly environment, available area for expansion, and access to shipping hubs fit seamlessly with their unique business models. All have high expectations for the future.
What these companies prove is that while they may be small manufacturers, they are also innovative and customer focused, leading their firms to significant growth. The future of Volusia
manufacturing is bright.
Kermit’ s Key West
Key Lime Shoppe
Kermit’ s Key West Key Lime Shoppe is an upscale gourmet specialty foods business with a production and retail outlet located in Deland. Karen Haught, Sales and Marketing Director, pointed out the wide variety of products they make, from limeflavored jellybeans, peanuts, steak sauce, and fudge, to jellies, candy, cookies, and salsa. But pies are what Kermit’ s is known for— touted by The Food Network and Paula Deen as the best.
From humble beginnings in Key West, Kermit Carpenter used his grandmother’ s
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