Electrical maintenance safety solutions manufacturer IRISS is doing big business, expanding their Bradenton headquarters and creating 25 new high-wage jobs in engineering, accounting, sales, project assembly, welding, and machinery. Hiring will begin the first quarter of 2014.
In 2007,
IRISS relocated to Bradenton and made the decision to consolidate its U.S. and UK operations. The firm eventually expanded from a 4000-square-foot space in a strip mall office center, investing $1.5 million in new equipment and opening a new $5.7 million 33,000 square-foot global headquarters in Bradenton in April 2013.
"As we researched our marketplace and looked at our industry and realized the magnitude of our growth as a result of the regulatory compliance safety laws, we realized we needed to have a facility of our own," says Karen Wells, VP of global business development.
Throughout the year, the firm has continued to grow significantly, acquiring a high-tech company from New Jersey that offers customers another safety solution as well as launching three new significantly large projects in 2014.
"Our growth has been to the point where we have to expand 50 percent more of our operations, and that is a result of three research and development projects that we’re getting ready to launch that are extremely sizable," says Wells.
IRISS will announce the details of the new projects in early 2014.
The firm is also expanding their new facility by 15,000 square feet which will feature a new 2-story warehousing facility to add equipment operations as well as the expansion of the manufacturing center.
The expansion project will allow IRISS to accommodate a sizable new client as well as having safety solutions immediately available for other clients.
IRISS has qualified to receive up to $28,196 in performance-based initiatives from Manatee County Government. The jobs created must have an average wage at least 15 percent higher than the current local average wage of $35,633. The company's facility also qualified for the county's rapid response permitting program.
The company’s site also features an 80-room state of the art training center that offers specialized industry training as well as
"traincation" packages that promote local business development and tourism in Bradenton.
The company also works with
Community Haven to employ disabled adults and additionally focuses on actively hiring disabled veterans.
For more information on career opportunities, visit
IRISS online.
Writer:
Kaye Brown
Source: Karen Wells, IRISS
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