High Hopes: Selling Century To Potential Industry

September 1, 2010

Century’s mayor has high hopes for the future growth of his town. And he has about 40,000 square feet of space that would be just perfect for a company looking to locate and grow on the Gulf Coast.

“It has a lot of office space up front,” he said as he showed the empty Helicopter Technology Building in the town’s industrial park. “It has a little kitchen here with a microwave.” He knows the real estate sales pitch on the building the town repurchased for less than $1 at foreclosure auction one year ago.

Standing on the huge plant floor, McCall does not see just empty space and an odd arrangement of old couches and a grandfather clock moved from the office space. He sees the potential for a company to thrive — and the key to Century’s growth.

“It’s ready to go,” McCall said of the building. “Fairly heavy duty electrical wiring. Air conditioning. Plenty of room. It has great potential.”

The biggest potential of the building, according to the mayor, is the fact that it’s move-in ready. He said that would allow a company to become operational quickly, rather than waiting for permits and construction of a new facility.

As for the price, McCall — reverting back to his pitchman tone — said, “The more jobs it creates, the better we can negotiate”.

“Things are looking up in Century,” he said. “We are ready for a company to become part of the excitement.”

Companies interested in the building in the Century Industrial Park can contact Mayor Freddie McCall at (850) 256-3208 or Bennie Barnes at the Century Chamber of Commerce at (850) 256-3155.

Pictured top: Century Mayor Freddie McCall on the empty plant floor in the old Helicopter Technology Building in the Century Industrial Park. Pictured inset: McCall believes the building could be key to the grown of Century. Pictured below: The building, repurchased by the town a year ago at a foreclosure auction, sits empty. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

6 Responses to “High Hopes: Selling Century To Potential Industry”

  1. Tammy Hodge on September 5th, 2010 7:15 pm

    This building started out to be Started sportd wear,jobs was taken to mexico to pay child labor .05 labor..
    No factory will sucessed be cause in is build on burnen ground. There are people bury there and the souls are spooking them off.

  2. thank you on September 4th, 2010 9:36 pm

    who cares what the town payed for the building, as long as it could bring jobs to the area.

  3. William on September 4th, 2010 9:20 am

    Horrific wrote:

    >>And who lost this wonderful building that the town could just buy for
    $1.00.

    Personnally I dont’ think government should even be able to take
    advantage of something like this.

    It’s the former Helicopter Technology building, as the story says. The town financed the building for the company. The company did not pay, and the town foreclosed. It went to a public foreclosure auction where anyone could have bought it. Only the town bid; no one else showed up. They basically bought back their own building for which they had not been paid.

  4. Horrific on September 4th, 2010 9:01 am

    Interesting

    And who lost this wonderful building that the town could just buy for
    $1.00.

    Personnally I dont’ think government should even be able to take
    advantage of something like this.

    Thats all government does is take advantage where ever they can
    strike us.

    Wasn’t anything over 12 percent interest against the law.
    Look at your charge cards now.
    My interest isn’t too bad because I negotiated it before I put
    things on my card, but I have read the things that come
    with the bills and seen that it is possible for people to be
    charged clear up to 29 percent.

    I’m really sick of things like this that the government goes in
    and takes advantage of because it means that you and I
    foot that bill, and they make the profit. ALWAYS!

  5. David Huie Green on September 1st, 2010 9:13 pm

    still, at a dollar, it was a bargain

  6. too much is too much on September 1st, 2010 3:04 pm

    The government owns and controls too much property.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News