This company received economic incentives from Manatee. Now it is expanding operations

Air Products, a 75-year-old industrial gases company that has had a manufacturing facility near Port Manatee since 2014, on Thursday celebrated the ribbon cutting for a new liquefied natural gas equipment test facility and the groundbreaking for a manufacturing facility expansion project.

The Allentown, Pa.-based company bought the 32-acre former Piney Point property in 2012 for about $6 million.

The site’s easy access to Port Manatee, located across the street, and intense wooing by state officials, Manatee County and the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation were key factors in the company locating its manufacturing facility in Manatee County.

Air Products is increasing its manufacturing capacity by 50 percent. The company cited growing demands for liquified natural gas around the world.

For more than a half century, Air Products has manufactured liquefied natural gas heat exchangers, now operated in 20 countries.

A heat exchanger can be as large as 15-feet in diameter, 180-feet long — about two-thirds the length of a football field — and weigh as much as 500 tons.

“Air Products has a long and successful history of serving the needs of the LNG industry. We intend to remain the leaders in this industry and the events today are designed with that intention,” said Samir Serhan, executive vice president at Air Products.

“We already have the best performing liquefaction technology, have passed every customer performance test and our products exceed customer expectations on output and longevity on a regular basis.”

Air Products is expanding its manufacturing facilities so that customers know that the company is not limited in its capability, Serhan said.

In addition to heat exchangers, Air Products also builds other specialty cryogenic and gas processing equipment for a range of industrial markets.

The first heat exchanger was manufactured at Port Manatee in 2016.

The recently completed equipment test facility will allow more testing and evaluation of product lines, Serhan said.

Air Products takes natural gas and unlocks its potential by liquefying it, making it possible to economically ship it. The liquefied natural gas is eventually converted to a gas for energy use.

Jim Solomon, director of LNG at Air Products, used the analogy of the common plastic water bottle to explain what the company does.

Once natural gas is liquified, what originally would fill 600 bottles can be reduced to one bottle, Solomon said.

“These two milestones today are important for the community and the worldwide industry,” he said.

Sharon Hillstrom, president and CEO of the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation, reflected back on 2011 when Air Products first visited Manatee County.

“We knew we had to put our best foot forward. It was a very competitive project,” she said.

The arrival of company’s such as Air Products helps diversify Manatee County’s economy beyond tourism and agriculture.

Vanessa Baugh, chair of the Manatee County Port Authority, recalled that Air Products’ move into Manatee County signaled a new day.

“We were so excited we were getting such a wonderful company,” Baugh said. “As Air Products grows, we get to grow, too.”

The state paid Air Products $1 million through its Quick Action Closing Fund, which aims to attract and retain businesses to the state.

The move of Air Products to Manatee County hasn’t been without its challenges. Air Products signed an economic development incentive agreement with Manatee County to create 250 jobs over four years, under which it would be paid $1,500 for each job paying at least $44,360.

In 2016, the company laid off 30 full-time workers at its Manatee County facility, citing a drop in worldwide orders for the equipment it manufactures.

Air Products now has about 120 workers at its Manatee County facility, company spokesman Art George said.

In 2017, the Manatee County Commission extended its agreement with Air Products to create 250 jobs through 2020.

The Manatee County Port Authority on Thursday met prior to the Air Products groundbreaking and ribbon cutting. At that meeting:

• Executive Director Carlos Buqueras reported that Port Manatee continues to break cargo records, including handling an all-time-high of more than 9.3 million tons in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, up 19.1 percent from the preceding 12-month period. Revenues increased to $16 million, up from $9.4 million in 2014.
  
  
• The board wished Robin DiSabatino well, as she attended her final meeting as a port authority member. DiSabatino chose not to seek re-election as a county commissioner after eight years of government service and is returning to her real estate career. “Eight years has been a lifetime, yet it has been fast,” DiSabatino said.