Grit Removal Company Announces Real Estate Closing of New Manufacturing Facility

Hydro-Dyne Engineering, Inc. (USA), a manufacturer of custom-engineered screening and grit removal equipment for water and wastewater facilities, is pleased to announce that it has completed its closing on the purchase of a more than 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Located in the Tampa Bay area, the new facility will dramatically expand Hydro-Dyne’s manufacturing, service, research and design capacity.

"We are thrilled and excited to have Hydro-Dyne expand their business in Pinellas Park. Pinellas is a business-friendly county and our community is very supportive of a dedicated workforce that will insure their growth and success," said Sandra Bradbury, Mayor of Pinellas Park.

The impressive 107,500-square-foot facility is the second largest industrial real estate transaction in Pinellas County year-to-date and is centrally located in the Tampa Bay area to take advantage of the region’s strong workforce and access to a broad intermodal logistics network. Hydro-Dyne’s global markets include customers in North America, Europe, Australia, South America, Africa and Asia.

“We have been fortunate to outpace industry growth year-over-year for more than a decade, which is a testament to the quality of both our people and our products” said Jay Conroy, President of Hydro-Dyne Engineering. “When fully built-out, our new facility will reflect the quality of our company and will meet and exceed operational capacity to keep us perfectly-positioned well into the future.”

As part of the company’s long-term managed growth, the purchase of the new facility is the latest move in the company’s investment in people, technology, equipment and capability. Hydro-Dyne has increased its employee base by more than 70 percent during the past 12 months and plans to hire a number of new employees company-wide in the next 12 to 24 months in departments including engineering, production, sales, marketing and information technology, among others. Capital investments totaling more than $1 million will also be made in manufacturing equipment, computer systems and building renovations.

“Though we’ve grown exponentially during the past several years, we have been very deliberate in the management of that growth,” said Christy Walsh, Vice President of Hydro-Dyne Engineering. “Sustainability is a factor considered at every turn. Our investments in people, plant and technology will maintain and improve our global market position of providing the highest quality equipment to the water and wastewater industries.”

Working with Pinellas County Economic Development, Hydro-Dyne will utilise an Industrial Revenue Bond (IRB) to finance a portion of the property acquisition. The company plans to use the remaining proceeds from the sale of the Bond to finance renovations to the facility to meet growing demand for Hydro-Dyne’s products and services.

“We’re very pleased that Hydro-Dyne chose Pinellas County for this significant corporate expansion,” said Mike Meidel, Director of Pinellas County Economic Development. “Helping our existing companies to grow and create new jobs is part of our core mission, and the Industrial Revenue Bond financing program can provide tax-exempt financing to eligible industrial projects. Combined with Pinellas’ strong workforce, it makes our community the ideal climate for manufacturing.”

Hydro-Dyne has built its reputation on providing the highest quality products for the water and wastewater industries, which drive value for the customer through lower lifecycle costs and superior service. This new facility will continue to improve the company’s industry standing by providing a markedly larger, world-class facility for all of its services under one roof, including research, engineering, design, manufacturing, testing, sales and service.

Hydro-Dyne will begin building renovations immediately and anticipates relocation of operations by Q3 2014 while maintaining uninterrupted service to its customers.