Manatee Electronics Manufacturer Expands, 100+ Jobs

Creonix, an electronics manufacturing company in Bradenton, will be expanding its operations facility, resulting in over 100 new jobs in the next five years.

The company, which has been in business since 1988, is receiving $121,000 in performance-based incentives from Manatee County commissioners to help fund its expansion. The incentive money will keep the growing company in the Bradenton area.

In 2001, Ken Piela became president and CEO of Creonix, growing revenues by more than 300 percent. During his tenure, Piela and his team built platforms. including AS9100, which is used in aerospace, and the ISO13485 used in the medical field. However, as CEO of the company, Piela doesn't take all the credit. "We have hired an extremely talented and experienced personnel in all of our disciplines,'' he says. "Our biggest asset is our workforce."

While Piela and his company have experienced tremendous success, more growth is planned for the future. "We are going to continue to grow by pursuing new markets, especially the military, medical, industrial, lighting and high-tech markets," Piela says. "We also plan to grow by acquisitions, as we intend to acquire other companies."

Piela says the 100-plus jobs planned in the next five years will be in a variety of capacities. "We will be hiring in many disciplines including assembly workers, those in quality and testing, as well as engineering and design personnel," he says. "Our team is a very cohesive group of individuals dedicated to providing customers with a great product, and we look forward to continued growth."

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Ken Piela, Creonix