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A Maine-based builder and distributor of premium specialty trailers is expanding into the DeLand area with plans for creating about 100 new jobs in its first year.
Alcom LLC of Winslow, Maine, with plants in South Dakota and Montana, is coming into Florida with hopes of being operational this spring, according to an announcement from Team Volusia Economic Development Corp.
“Florida is the second biggest market for trailers, behind Texas,” company president Trapper Clark says in the news release. “We have had plans to establish a Florida presence for several years. Now, along with our private equity partner, we are following up on our expansion plans. Our new plant will allow us to provide top-of-the-line aluminum trailers to our dealer network faster and more cost-effectively.”
Clark is eager to build a workforce for the DeLand plant. Overall, the company employs about 600 people.
Clark says his human resources director is in the process of hiring a plant manager, production manager, logistics manager and purchasing agent. The company is also hiring welders, and CareerSource is helping build the local workforce.
“We are excited to work with Alcom in its recruiting and hiring; we have posted their job openings and they participate in our virtual job fair,” Robin King, CareerSource president and CEO, says in the release.
Alcom’s investment in the DeLand expansion is estimated to be $3 million for building improvements, capital investment and inventory. The company acquired a seven-year lease, with options beyond that, on a 136,000-square-foot building at 2526 W. New York Ave., just west of the CSX railroad tracks.
Overall, the company projects revenues of $140 million this year.
“Everything is moving along. We’ve done this before and we’re pretty good at it, so we are optimistic about commencing operations,” says Clark in the news release. “We anticipate assistance from county officials in navigating the permitting process to keep everything on track so we can put people to work and begin moving product throughout our dealer network.”
Local officials welcome Alcom and support its efforts to begin operations this spring.
ON THE ROAD — An aluminum trailer built by Alcom USA is hauled on a rural highway. Alcom USA is refurbishing a plant west of DeLand to build and distribute commercial or recreational specialty trailers that can haul equipment, building materials, motorcycles or horses.
“We are especially pleased to welcome Alcom to Volusia County,” Team Volusia Chair Jordan Jiloty says in the release. “Not only is it a growing company, but it is widely recognized as a leading manufacturer in its industry.”
Volusia County Manager George Recktenwald concurs. “Companies that are leaders in their field — such as Alcom — fit right in with our manufacturing community, which includes many innovators who set a high standard for best-practices.”
Alcom USA is a leader in the design and manufacture of the highest-quality aluminum trailers, according to the release. The company has plants in South Dakota, Montana and Florida, and serves more than 500 dealerships in 51 states and provinces, China, India and Kuwait.
For more about the company, go to www.alcomusa.com.
