NEW UNIVERSITY CENTER BEGINS THE HIRING PROCESS IN CRESTVIEW

Okay folks, we have said enough about the military and its impact to the area. Guess what, the time has arisen for another industry to flourish in the Crestview area. That being education with FAMU’s Pharmacy School, which is anticipated to generate 269 jobs and a number of students. If you been following this project, you will know a Drug Manufacturing Company is looking hard to bring their manufacturing plant to the Crestview Industrial Airpark (Florida Enterprise Zone) with the help of the Florida Governor’s Office on down. In fact, this school is a big reason this Drug Manufacturing Company has targeted this area. Stay tuned. Are you getting the idea, something is going on here? Again, stay tuned. It doesn’t stop here. More to come.
Work on new FAMU center starting to bring jobs to Crestview
October 13, 2011 6:07 PM
Brian Hughes
Florida Freedom Newspapers
CRESTVIEW — Jobs already have started to trickle into town as work continues on renovations to the Alatex building to convert it to Florida A&M University’s pharmacy school. “We’ve started reaching out to the community to get resumes,” said David Delancy, president of One Day Came, the project’s construction management firm. Delancy said between 20 and 40 construction jobs will be available. Delancy joined community leaders and officials from FAMU, the state, Okaloosa County and Crestview for a meet-and-greet Thursday at the Crestview Community Center. “The thing that really made us feel at home is when we had former employees of Alatex come out and sit in that hot sun with us to see that wonderful building transition from a factory to an educational center,” FAMU President James Ammons said. Bradley Will, vice president of operations for prime contractor Peter Brown Construction, said his company has hired local subcontractors through the state competitive bid process. The project is well-timed, given the state of the economy, he added. “It’s not creating jobs, it’s saving jobs,” Will said. Project architect David Vincent, senior vice president of Panama City-based JRA Architects, agreed. “This has been a godsend to us,” Vincent said. “Work has been slow.” Vincent said his firm’s design will repurpose many of the wooden components salvaged from the original construction. Floors and baseboards are being refinished and the heavy wooden columns with their distinctive Y-braces will find new uses. He also praised the soundness of the historic Alatex building. “We were shocked when we had a restoration expert look at the building,” Vincent said. “He said it was built like a tank.” JobsPlus and Trojan Labor are helping place workers. Representatives of the groups also attended Thursday’s the event. “Our plan is to gather people from the local community,” said Amy Freeland of Trojan Labor. Seven full-time professional positions have been filled, said FAMU pharmacy school Associate Dean Dr. Myron Honeywell. Of those hired, five are Crestview residents. Crestview City Council President Charles Baugh Jr. said research by the University of West Florida Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development shows the pharmacy school eventually will generate 269 jobs and ultimately have as much as $20 million impact on the community. Sam Houston, FAMU’s director of facilities, said the project is on schedule. Construction is expected to wrap up in June 2012 and the first class will begin in August. The school will be called the Rural Diversity Healthcare Center. FAMU officials plan to admit classes of 30 students each until the school reaches its 120-student capacity, Honeywell said. The school will offer a PharmD degree that leads to a pharmacy license.