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JOBS COMING TO DENISON About 70
jobs are coming to Denison because of the quality of people in the Texoma
area. Ron
Flores, owner of the Florestone Company of Madera, Calif., said the reason
Denison was chosen for bathroom equipment manufacturer's first
out-of-state expansion effort is, "It just feels comfortable." The
family-owned business broke ground Tuesday on its new, 121,000 square-foot
manufacturing plant on eight acres in Denison's industrial park. The $6.4
million project is expected to be completed in the next eight months and
will be built by Piazza Construction of Denison. Isbell Engineering Group
of Sanger will handle the design work. Tony Kaai,
President of the Denison Development Alliance, got the groundbreaking
ceremony started Tuesday afternoon with introductions of people who played
key roles in bringing the Flores family to Denison. Cary Hutchins of the
Greater Dallas Chamber was Florestone's first contact and was present for
Tuesday's ground breaking. Other area
dignitaries on hand Tuesday were Mayor Bill Lindsay, State Representative
Larry Phillips and State Senator Craig Estes. "I hope all of us will
spread the news that Grayson County, and Denison, is a great place to do
business. Flores
explained a little about his upbringing. His parents started the company
in 1947 and Flores said he's known all his life that's what he wanted to
do. He said at age 11 his father had him working with a shovel behind a
wheelbarrow. "He didn't put me behind a Corvette, and that was to my
benefit." Flores has
a down-to-earth demeanor. He seems humble and told the crowd Tuesday how
thankful he is that everything has worked out in Florestone coming to
Denison. He said his sister Carol (Flores- Deaver) is his partner in the
business. He explained the decision to come to Denison took about six
months and many trips back and forth to work things out. Finally,
the decision came down to how comfortable the people at Florestone are
working with the people of Denison. He added that Kaai was a big reason
they made that decision. Florestone
manufactures shower bases, tubs and sinks and has been the industry leader
in developing products, which meet the requirements of the Americans with
Disabilities Act. Flores said the company has been shipping products all
over the United States and it's time for them to expand outside of
California. Jerdy
Gary, chairman of the Board of Directors for the Denison Development
Alliance said last month, "We are honored that the Flores family has
chosen Denison for their first major manufacturing plant expansion out of
California. We knew, after our first meeting, this well-established
family-owned operation was a premier company within their industry. Our
team put together a very aggressive recruitment package that exceeded all
their location requirements. We are looking forward to the completion of
their project as we are confident their expansion here will be a major
factor in their continued growth and prosperity." This will
be Florestone's second plant inside the United States and is the first
factory to come into Denison since the late 1980s. DDA is doing a build-to-suit for Florestone and will then extend to them a lease at an annual rate to cover the cost of DDA's financing of the construction. Florestone is also expected to receive a 100-percent tax abatement for five years and $2,000 per new job created. |