CALIFORNIA: Officially we state that Local manufacturers plan to spend $292 million on expansion plans and hire 639 new workers over the next three years, according to a Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce survey.
The chamber surveyed 26 of the 195 manufacturers in Alachua County, but they represented two-thirds of the workforce in the sector, employing 2,742 of the 4,090 total, and included companies in construction materials, aerospace, biotech and medical devices, chemicals, consumer products, defense, and heavy equipment.
The 4,090 jobs represents 3.4 percent of the local workforce, down slightly over the year because the area lost two or three manufacturers, said Staci Bertrand, chamber director of industrial development, who reported the findings at a meeting of the Advanced Manufacturing Council on Wednesday evening at the chamber office.
Of the 26 manufacturers, 22 said they planned to expand over the next three years, with 18 saying they would spend a combined $292 million on real estate and equipment, and 20 saying they would add a combined 639 new jobs.
