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Since the opening of the current headquarters, Publix has expanded to three other states and added more than 500 stores and approximately 70,000 workers.
LAKELAND – Publix Super Markets Inc. has promised to hire 700 new employees by 2027 to fill a 190,000 square foot addition to its Lakeland headquarters announced Thursday.
"I will only have three months to announce things like that," said Gov. Rick Scott, referring to the end of his eight-year term. "One of the things I wanted to do as a governor was to encourage business offices to come to Florida. It's great to have companies like Publix that are just growing. "
Scott, the Republican nominee to the US Senate in November, was joined by a parade of other dignitaries, including Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz, among other municipal and county officials.
Todd Jones, President and CEO of Publix, told the audience of a hundred employees that the current headquarters had been built for 1,200 employees in the early 2000s. It now numbers 1,400 people.
"To say that we are breaking our mouths would be a euphemism," Jones said.
Since the opening of the current headquarters, Publix has expanded its supermarket chain to three other states, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia, and has added more than 500 stores and approximately 70,000 workers.
In addition to politics, Scott attended the ceremony as a representative of the state, which provided more than $ 2 million in incentives through Enterprise Florida, the public-private economic development agency. the State and the Department of Economic Development.
"The public-private partnership is very important," said Maria Brous, spokesperson for Publix, at a press conference after the event. "Incentives must be available for this project to succeed."
Ashley Cheek, director of business development at the Lakeland Economic Development Council, said the main incentive came from the targeted incentive program for the industry.
The program will pay a company about $ 3,000 for every new high-paying job it creates in Florida, Cheek said. Jobs must pay an average of $ 46,000 per year, including benefits.
The Florida Department of Transportation has also agreed to make improvements to the entrance to the Drane Field Road headquarters, she added. The cost has not yet been determined.
Publix needs improvement for the safety of its current and new employees, said Brous.
The new jobs will be added to Publix's head office departments, such as accounting, marketing, information technology and e-commerce, she added.
Publix has not yet hired an architect to expand the building, which will be connected to the existing headquarters, but he hopes to start construction next year and move in by 2020, Brous said.
Brous could not say how many new people will move into the expanded seat when it opens. Publix has until 2027 to create the 700 new jobs to qualify for incentives, she said.
The supermarket industry analyst, David Livingston, said Publix should not have a problem filling out the new addition.
"I guess it's in order considering all the growth that they should expect," Livingston said in an email to The Ledger. "Florida continues to grow and Winn Dixie (based in Jacksonville) will most likely crush and burn at some point. The Carolinas are like fish spinning in a barrel with mediocre competitors like Food Lion, Bi-Lo, Piggly Wiggly, Earth Fare and The Fresh Market, to name a few.
The Lakeland Development Council and the Central Florida Development Council, the Polk County Economic Development Agency, have been working with Publix and state officials on the headquarters project for two years, said Cheek.
"We are pleased that Publix is the largest private employer in the state," she said. "We are proud to have them in our area. This is a sign of the continued growth and success of the company. "
At the press conference, Scott pointed out that identifying already successful companies in the state can recruit new businesses in Florida.
"I brag about Publix when I recruit companies in the state," he said.
Mutz also praised the company in its brief remarks during the ceremony.
"Every company has a personality, and Publix is no exception," said the mayor. "Everyone in the Southeast knows that Publix is the place to go to meet your grocery needs and where shopping is a pleasure."
Among the company's personality traits include the emphasis on staffing and sustainability, an intentional and targeted growth strategy and the support of local communities through philanthropy.
"They are a model of integrity throughout the company and a model of integrity for our citizens," Mutz said.
Publix employs more than 195,000 people in its corporate facilities and 1,198 stores in seven Southeast states, including 794 stores in Florida, its largest market. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix had sales in 2017 of more than $ 34 billion.
Kevin Bouffard can be reached at [email protected] or 863-802-7591.
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