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Central Florida start-up companies in need of workers amid pandemic

Workforce development group is having easier time filling virtual jobs

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Two start-up companies are moving into Volusia County, bringing several hundred jobs with them. The move comes as many industries are having a tough time filling positions.

“We searched the whole peninsula of Florida to find the ideal location for the expansion of our business,” Geoffery Hoffman said. “There [are] additional challenges and the hardest thing is finding people that really fit our culture.”

Hoffman owns Factory Direct Marine and RV and The second location in Florida is off US-1 in Edgewater. It will open this summer.

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He said it will be an outdoor outfitter.

The outfitter includes an RV, boat, and golf cart sales with storage.

The 70-acre RV resort will also feature restaurants, pools, and boat ramps.

“There [are] about five phases of construction and again I’ve probably got 12 people on the property and that leaves a gap for another 80,” he said.

It will come together over the next three years. The company said the average salary will be about $45,000 a year.

“We have middle management, upper management, we need salespeople, maintenance people, contractors, technicians,” Hoffman said.

He said it’s been tough finding people who are excited to work.

Christine Sikora, with the workforce development group CareerSource Flagler Volusia, is helping companies hire. She is currently helping Alcom, LLC. The trailer manufacturer and retailer just bought a large property on West New York Avenue in DeLand.

“They filled all of the positions except for welders,” she said.

Sikora said they’ve been having an easier time filling virtual jobs.

“Businesses have access to global talent because employees and their workers can work from anywhere,” she said.

Sikora said every industry is hiring right now and CareerSource will even help pay for people to train in other industries that need workers, too.

“Like healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, construction, almost any industry that we have here locally that is hiring then we can most likely offset some of the cost of that training,” she said.


About the Author
Molly Reed headshot

Molly joined News 6 at the start of 2021, returning home to Central Florida.

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