CRESTVIEW — As Northwest Florida recovers from economic downturn, a new industry has taken interest in the Crestview area.
Manufacturing is now the industry sector showing most interest in the area,according to Kay Rasmussen, of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County.
Manufacturing’s 44 percent of industries represents current businesses expanding and businesses interested in coming to the area, Rasmussen said in her year-end report at Monday's City Council meeting.
Today’s manufacturing reflects a trend: bringing production back to the United States, she said.
And forget images of sooty smokestacks blighting the skyline. “Manufacturing is not what it used to be,” Rasmussen said. “It now is high quality, high-paying jobs; very technical, very clean.”
In the city’s enterprise zone, 51 small businesses started up this year; most were within city limits, Rasmussen said.
“That's a very impressive level of growth that you've been able to sustain,” she said.
Crestview is the third highest area of interest on www.okaloosasites.com, an EDC website showing countywide statistics and available commercial and industrial real estate. Only Destin and the county as a whole surpassed Crestview in searches between June and November, Rasmussen said.
“You are getting a lot of businesses looking at your community, to relocate here or expand here,” she said.
Rasmussen also reported the city has seen a 6 percent job growth rate, the highest in the county.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview enterprise zone has 51 new businesses; manufacturers showing most interest