Port Manatee attracts 8 Spanish companies to its HUB
PORT MANATEE -- Just months after a Manatee and Sarasota county business development mission team returned from Catalonia, Spain, the International Trade HUB at Port Manatee is drawing new tenants.
This week, an international business consultant based at the port announced eight Spanish companies are committing to either putting staff into offices at the port's Intermodal Center or using the center as a virtual office until they can establish production facilities and product distribution in the United States,
Ivan Mutis, principal for consultancy GM&L, said the first office occupants could be at the port within three or four months. Setting up shop at the port will be tire recycling company Foix-Fores, renewable energy company Recialum, perfumery Bejar Signature, e-learning firm Aditio+, media company Time Out, electric bicycle builder Oto Cycles, translation firm Translationary and renewables engineering firm Optima Renovables.
Mutis said these companies are just the start. He expects the three-story office center at the port to be home to U.S. offices for up to 15 companies. Some companies will likely tie their businesses virtually to the HUB by using the address and a local phone number for their U.S. business.
The HUB will be a jumping-off point for the foreign firms as they start doing business in the United States, Cuba and Latin America.
"These companies are focusing on introducing their businesses do the local market in Florida, to the domestic market in the United States and as a platform for Latin America," Mutis said.
Port and local economic
development officials traveled to Catalonia last November to meet with business leaders interested in branching out to the United States. Two of the companies coming to the HUB were secured before the trip, while three committed based on meeting with the Florida delegation during the mission. The remainder have committed through ongoing work between the port and Catalonia.
Oto Cycles, a Barcelona-based maker of high-end electric bikes that blend the look of classic European motorcycles with modern technology, retail for around $5,000 each. The company has been in talks with the port for nearly two years.
The electric bikes appeal to two types of clientele, Mutis said: high-end buyers who just want something flashy and unique to show off, and those who are serious about eco-friendly commuting but still want to ride in style.
Oto may be one of the quickest startups once it comes to the HUB. Mutis said the company intends to move its production facility to Florida. Translationary may also soon have a presence beyond a startup office. If it establishes a translation services office in Florida, it will the company's second in the United States.
Matt M. Johnson, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7027, or on Twitter @MattAtBradenton.
This story was originally published June 5, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Port Manatee attracts 8 Spanish companies to its HUB."