MANATEE — Trinity Graphic’s roots may be in the United Kingdom, but Manatee County is where the company has been most successful.
The company, which manufactures and designs product labels, has seen its customer base grow from 15 clients to more than 500 since opening its Manatee manufacturing facility more than 20 years ago.
Florida has become a hot spot for international business investment. Businesses headquartered outside the United States were estimated to have $39.3 billion worth of investment in Florida in 2006, the most recent data available.
That ranks the Sunshine State at No. 9 in the country for foreign direct investment, according to Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership group focused on economic development issues.
“We’re a real good bargain,” said Manny Mencia, senior vice president of international business development for Enterprise Florida. “A weak dollar combined with a decline in real estate prices makes Florida a very, very attractive place for international businesses to put their money.”
Robert Smithson, chief executive officer for Trinity Graphic, said the company recognized the value and potential for business development in Florida about 23 years ago.
“The core reason why we moved over here is the largest account that we were getting business from suggested if we were to settle into a manufacturing facility here it would finance the growth of our company by giving us more business,” Smithson said.
Trinity Graphic, which has 20 employees, figured if that was the case for its largest account then other U.S. clients might be willing to increase business with a local company.
“We’ve grown quite considerably since,” Smithson said. “And the growth has been very good so far this year.”
Smithson estimated Trinity Graphic’s annual revenue has increased by about 30 percent this year over last year. And he anticipates next year’s revenue will increase by another 30 percent as a result of some equipment and technology investments the business is pursuing.
“I’ll never move,” Smithson said.
Trinity Graphic is one of 44 foreign-affiliated companies in Manatee and Sarasota counties, according to Enterprise Florida.
Statewide, there are 1,500 foreign-affiliated companies that, combined, provided 273,100 jobs in Florida through 2006.
Enterprise Florida says that puts the state at No. 5 in the country in total employment by foreign-affiliated firms.
“Ultimately, putting people to work is the most important thing that comes out of foreign direct investment,” Mencia said.
“We have a large, diverse, multi-lingual labor force, which makes us more attractive to some employers than other states.”
Another selling point for the state, Mencia said, is quality of life.
“Florida is well-known for a high quality of life,” Mencia said. “That’s a huge attraction. I find foreign investors are more inclined to invest based on quality of life issues than domestic companies. Another factor is connectivity, Florida has tremendous infrastructure in terms of seaports and airports.”
American Aldes Ventilation Corp., a subsidiary of The Aldes Group, which is headquartered in France, opened a branch in Bradenton about 26 years ago and employs 10.
John Harrell, president of American Aldes, said location was a major factor for the manufacturer of environmentally friendly ventilation in moving to Manatee County.
“The standard of living for us was pretty key,” Harrell said.
“Also, logistically since we import quite a bit from Europe we needed the option of seaports in Miami and Jacksonville to pull in equipment for us.”
Harrell said The Aldes Group established American Aldes from scratch in Bradenton in 1984 to better reach clients in the United States.
According to Harrell, the result has translated to plenty of success.
“We’ve had consistent 20 to 25 percent annual year-over-year growth,” Harrell said.
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