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Indoor Organic Farm Promises 500 Jobs For Century, Some Questions Unanswered
August 24, 2017
Century’s empty Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company property could soon be home to an indoor organic farming operation employing up to 500 people, but some questions about the company and their plans remain unanswered.
“We are going to have somewhere between 300-500 jobs,” Stephen Simpkins of the South Carolina company Pisces Organic Farms LLC said. He said the company should be taking employment applications soon.
“We will be growing food inside those facilities which will be renovated. We will be taking applications maybe in the next 90 days for jobs but our primary purpose right now is to set the groundwork so that people know when we get here and get setup, that we are not going anywhere.”
At a recent council meeting, Mayor Henry Hawkins presented Simpkins as the future owner of the sprawling property — 330,200 square feet in eight buildings on 38 acres. The property was heavily damaged in Century’s February 2016 EF-3 tornado, including a collapse of the rear portion of the largest building. Portions of the buildings blew into, and in some cases through, houses along Front Street. Since the tornado, residents have pushed the town and Escambia County to clean up the property. Estimates for a cleanup have approached a million dollars.
Simpkins said the property would be converted into a grow facility for organic farming for products such as lettuce as well fish like shrimp, tilapia and perch. The sustainable operation plans to use solar power. Simpkins said his company was involved in a similar business in North Carolina.
“We got a customer base up the Southeast. We don’t have enough facilities. We can’t produce enough food. It’s organic food, no chemicals, no pesticides,” he said.
“We are not going to be a fly by night operation. We already operate in other states. Matter of fact, we suspended operations last year because our biggest problem is we have more people that want organic food and we don’t have enough square footage. We grow primarily indoors. Which is why that large facility is what we need to protect it from the weather and to protect it from people like Monsanto and a couple of people. You know what I am saying. These are some issues you deal with in modern day farming.”
Simpkins said the sale on the property — which is listed on real estate websites for $1.5 million — had not yet closed. Property records show it is currently owned by a holding company in Navarre.
“We are moving forward with it. We have two closing dates….there are some things we need to put in place right now before we sign the paperwork. The reason is once we sign the final paperwork we can’t use the money from the State of Florida in some instances,” he said. “In other words, if we move forward, we bypass those things the state of Florida has for us to use as far as economic development.”
One the closing is complete, Simpkins said the company would employ 300 people within 120 days and reach 500 employees in a year. He said the company would hire locally in Century first.
Simpkins interrupted his presentation during a regular public meeting of the Century Town Council to object to a NorthEscambia.com photographer taking his picture.
“You was taking that picture of me. So let me tell you this. I am copyrighted, right. Do you know what that means?,” he said.
When asked about Simpkin’s existing business and employees in North Carolina, he replied, “I’m not employing anybody right now. I got some other stuff going on too. We can talk.”
NorthEscambia.com asked Simpkins if his company had a website or operated under a different name because an internet search returned very few listings for Simpkins, his South Carolina LLC, or any business in North Carolina.
“We don’t have a website. We took it down on purpose because y’all are nosy….A lot of people start asking questions that are not really relative to the function of a business, right? People start asking questions not relative to the funding, not relative to anything,” Simpkins said.
“I got some other businesses I’m in. OK, let be frank with you. Now were are going to put between 350 and 500 people in this location right here….so the question about North Carolina, I’m here. I’m right here with you.”
“We have a contract in place. Money has been escrowed to the local attorney. It’s a green light,” he said.
During his presentation to the council, Simpkins said “We are going to move here locally, so we will be a fixture in your community…I apologize for not being here before. We have some other stuff going on in some other states…we looked at several different places, and Century was just the perfect place for several reasons.”
“We are not going to be a fly by night operation. We already operate in other states. Matter of fact, we suspended operations last year because our biggest problem is we have more people that want organic food and we don’t have enough square footage. We grow primarily indoors. Which is why that large facility is what we need to protect it from the weather and to protect it from people like Monsanto and a couple of people. You know what I am saying. These are some issues you deal with in modern day farming.”
“We are a food agency working with the USDA and the federal government.” he said.
He also said another company location was shut down because the local residents were not accepting of the business.
“We set up in several communities. In one community we shut down completely because when you come into a community and they don’t accept you with open arms people don’t want to do business with you.”
Century, however, is the perfect fit for the operation, he said.
“We picked Century because number one because it was a community that we could set a business up that it would be sustainable because there are people that need jobs. It’s not over populated so we don’t have to worry about if everybody gets an opportunity. When we say jobs, we are going to hire people that are able to work on the job. We have a veterans’ program, or people coming out of a corrections facility. We don’t discriminate.”
Simpkins said the Century-grown produce and seafood would also be sold locally and even served in a new restaurant.
“We’re actually going to set up a restaurant…we are going to set up a farmer’s store…we’ll have a wide variety of things. Local made cheese, local made things,” he said.
Town Planner Debbie Nickles cautioned Simpkins that the Alger-Sullivan property is currently zoned for industrial use, and it would take a large scale comprehensive plan amendment to change the property use to agricultural for a farming operation. She said that process could take as long as a year.
While the Century Council listened to the presentation from Simpkins, he did not make any formal request and the council took no action regarding his plan.
Following the council meeting, Simpkins refused to provide any further information about his business to NorthEscambia.com, other than to say he had a LLC and a USDA registration. He also refused to provide any contact information.
Pictured top: Century council member Ben Boutwell (seated), Stephen Simpkins of Pisces Organic Produce (center) and Alfred Phillips. Phillips stood with Simpkins during his presentation but did not speak. Pictured below: The Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company following a February 2016 EF-3 tornado. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
62 Responses to “Indoor Organic Farm Promises 500 Jobs For Century, Some Questions Unanswered”
@kim
Seems he slithered his way into the meeting. Who wouldn’t announce their coming to the meeting so they could let the general public attend the meeting to find out about his business? Sounds like a scam to me.
who let this guy in the door?
This sounds like a con artist and a scam to me
We don’t have a web site we shut it down because y’all nosy nana boo boo
I hope you rightly got the copyright right and made sure the right photo was copied rightly. A photocopy ain’t right if you didn’t do the copyright right.
Forgive my ignorance but I must ask. Do we have to pay a company to clean up this property or can we bargain and say they can keep all the scrape metal to sell as long as they clean the entire property? Maybe selling all the metal is not worth it?
While I am all for economic development in Century, and I applaud any legitimate efforts made by the Mayor, the Council and the County to make that happen, my gut says something is not right with this action. As other commenters have said, there are some red flags.
Once again, the Mayor does not follow parliamentary procedure, works in the dark and does not keep the Council properly informed until it suits him. He lobbied the County to reduce or forgive liens against the property, money that the County and the Town could use. There is no mention of any requirement for Simpkins’ company to repair all of the facilities and clean up the entire site. What is really going on here?
Mr. Simpkins should be up front about who he is, about his businesses and where they were and are operating. Any legitimate businessman would willingly do so. What background checks have occurred? Has he and his business been properly vetted? Century has been burned before by those who were not.
I’d like to see this or any other legitimate company bring such a project to fruition. Taxpayer dollars and economic development money, however, should NOT be used. A good company should use its own money and resources to set up and operate a business.
If this works out well the Mayor will deserve and can take all the credit. If it fails, however, then he owns the blame. Good luck to you, Mayor Hawkins, and to this business. But do it right.
@trGun
You beat me to it. Found the building and his house on google images.
Okay so his address is actually 200 Davis St. Shows a large warehouse shut down and for sale. His phone # is listed there as well.
So the address listed on his LLC license is NOT EVEN VALID! No such street per google and SCDOT. This guy is crazy and the council is crazier for thinking it was true or anything! If it happens, good but due diligence is required..Remember Diapers in Florence SC?? Think
Here the grant article. You using this to clean it up?
http://www.northescambia.com/2016/06/century-400k-grant-recognized-in-brownsfields-redevelopment-forum
@Kevin Stead
Please run for town council again.
Do you or can any of the council weigh in on how the 450K grant from EPA was spent or will be spent. If it was or is used to clean up the site that will be beneficial and appropriate. If it was applied for another use we also need to know that.
Please look into that.
Ann Brooks thank you for commenting.
Upon examining the pics……check out those shoes! He’s not clean shaven! I don’t want to judge a book by it’s cover but……..
Something ain’t right here!
Scammers.. Trying to make a quick buck.
Probably found an old Carlton Sheets RE course book and think they can flip it
what a joke.
I’m quite sure his photo is copy righted probably in South Carolina prison system. This business man had on a wrinkled t shirt dirty jeans with a hole in them and a dollar store tablet in his hand talking about employing five hundred people lol really
I advocate getting the Holding Company in Navarre that owns it to clean it up. Board of County Commissions. Please use our Code Enforcement and go to the next step if there is a way to operate eminent domain.on these. It has been two years and the fines are mounting. Does any one know the process? There was another article in North Escambia that they were lobbying the COUNTY to waive the liens? I don’t think that is prudent in this case.
So he is hiding from Monsanto and a couple other people? Hmmmmm. Wonder who those people might be.
With a business plan, or lack of one like this there are a few obvious points to consider.
One could question weather the purchase of local property and lots of jobs is even a consideration with this proposal.
Any government organization that fronts money for a project like this should be closed down.
Could selling stock, grants, getting loans or contributions be the real goal here.
The purchase price of the property is a fraction of the cost of cleaning up the property and building green houses or even putting on roofs to grow mushrooms. Where would that money come from.
Ralston Purina tried to get into hydroponic growing in Central Florida and failed to make it profitable with all of their millions of backing. So how do you do it with no start up funds?
Hydroponic growing sounds great but is very costly.
Then say that this is a great success and they max out sales of their production. Close down – again?
Buyer beware.
Just a few afterthoughts. They will be taking applications in 90 days? Job applications contain a ton of personal information. Is this information being sold? Is that where this guy is raking in money too? Also, does he appear dressed for success? He should at least brought photos of the inside and outside of the plants he claims to own.
RED FLAG*** RED FLAG***
I would like to ask the city to be diligent and smart. A successful business has a pretty good resume. In order to further their business they do not mind discussing there past successes or failures. Background checks or providing basic information should not be a problem for any business. In fact it should be mandatory and the business should be ready to provide it.
I’m not against this business venture but in order to conduct business you must be ready to answer any and all questions. A thorough background check seems to be necessary before the city commits to anything.
Shouldn’t we be asking questions like”what can we do to help this company succeed in bringing this project to fruition? ” How awesome would it be if they did bring even 50 jobs to our town?
The Town Council had nothing to do with Mr. Simpkins’ appearance at the Council meeting Monday night. Mr. Simpkins was not on the agenda for our meeting. The Mayor introduced him as part of the Mayor’s report. The Council was not provided any information about this business, even Mr. Simpkins’ name, until Monday night. I have serious reservations too, but regardless of the outcome, the Mayor deserves the credit or the blame.
There could be many reasons for this company to give evasive answers. I’m sure that too much information being made available to the public could have others trying to thwart their business plan. Sadly there are some in this town who would love nothing more than to see this current administration fail. To those folks I say shame on you! To want our leaders to fail in order to push your own agenda is not very Christ-like behavior. We all live, love and work here. Shouldn’t we be working together to better our current situation not against one another to bring shame and degradation to our town?
HA…Busted out Laughing out Loud when I saw the looks on the faces of the gentlemen flanking “Mr. Simpkins” they’re looking like WhaAAAAAtttt????
Mr. Simpkins, if you have something to sell to the city and county how about appearing in something other than your t-shirt, just some RESPECT you know.
Yeah, we here at the house smell spoiled fish all over this scheme, Sounds like as big a Scam as the Fish Hatchery in downtown Pensacola.
Guy as Mama would have said, “Looks like he’s UP to something no good”.
Thank you for a good laugh this morning! Can’t believe the city council actually listened to this man’s presentation. Not one single commenter had a favorable opinion – if this does not raise a red flag!!!
This makes me think about that box that was supposed to recycle power that the city was going to try .Any one know what ever happened with that.
I remember when a guy came to Pensacola and got money from city for a “Art Gallery for the Blind” and said he would restore old San Carlos hotel.
Took the money and disappeared. Imagine that!
And this guy is knows nothing about copyrights. Funny funny stuff
Well upon looking up their information with the secretary of state in south carolina they do own that business name and the address provided is a run down building. I am not sure what the town council is thinking about presenting this without looking into the company more and asking questions. As far as the website goes, it has been expired since 2015. I do not see how the facility in Chesterfield,SC is making them enough business to be able to buy the property there in Century for $1.5 million. I work in the banking world and sometimes people have money and you would never know it based on the way they dress and act while others you think must be loaded down with money are bouncing checks all over town. I think this whole “business” deal should be looked at very carefully and to proceed with LOTS of caution. If the business is legit it should not matter what questions are asked to them. It only is an issue when you have something to hide.
It is too easy to get a federal grant these days. Those involved take the money and run. I plan to raise turtles in my back yard. Research on city turtles vs sea turtles will get the grant. These predators look for under educated communities, hoping no one will ask questions. They have misjudged this community.
I attended the meeting Monday night and asked specifically if the organic products that were produced at the facility would include cannabis. Mr. Simpkins responded no, they will not be growing cannabis. After the meeting I had a personal conversation with Mr. Simpkins and left with questions still unanswered. I am cautious as to why the illusion and not just being forthright with plans to conduct hydroponic farming using aquaponics. If Mr. Simpkins would have presented a business plan that was clear and would have answered questions in a more straightforward approach, I would feel more comfortable with him and the business he is proposing. The people of Century are hurting and they are in need of a sound local business to boost the economy. As for Mr. Simpkins and his business, I remain skeptical and alarmed for the fellow residents of this town and surrounding communities.
OK…he had an operation he closed because he too much business, he’s registered with the USDA, he does business around the Southeast and he’s been offered a pot license in California.
But the story is right….he’s not in Google. The company is not in google, except for the LLC registration.
There’s no way!
Henry Hawkins presented this guy? What happened to due diligence? This will be like the car company or the wood tree thing that was going to locate the in century (is that guy still in prison?).
Henry…they offer free classes at the library on how to use Google.
He slipped with a comment about state and federal funding. Is a new business eligible for start up money from the state and US Government? Free start up money that goes into his pocket.
My guess is he is going to get a big check from the government to start up . build up a lot of debt and walk away. It wouldn’t take a lot of research to find out why he failed in other states. that is probably why he was so defensive about any questions . Quacks like a duck,walks like a duck,swims like a duck………..mush be a duck .
After reading I scrolled down to comment and was shocked how many had already committed and guess what everyone has that same uneasy feeling about this “company “. Who ever heard of shutting down a business bcause you had too many people wanting to buy what your selling ? If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck….well we all know.
One more thing while I’m here…Century better get rid of that mayor before he bankrupts that town. In my opinion he is another duck. Just saying .
No one would ever close a business because the demand for their product is too great for them to produce enough. I would run away from this proposal as fast as I could this is nothing but a sham. I would check all his other growing facilities to see how they are doing. Century is just trying to get jobs for the community and over look a lot of things. Century please slow down and start doing some investigation of this man and his company.
I hate to be negative, but I don’t see a positive pole on that story !
I remember this skit on”in living color “,.. with David Chapelle!! Hilarious!
What the heck is going on with Century? Something embarrassing just about weekly now, if not daily. Which elected official allowed this man to even make his proposal? Had they even met him prior? WOW! The last thing Century needs is another snake hanging around….
Marijuana grow house? To evasive to be anything legal
Something doesn’t smell right about this. There is so much wrong with this business plan and the way this company is representing itself. Why is the company being so secretive about their business and business practices? You’d want people to be able to go on a website and find about you and your business. You want people to ask questions so that you can sell your company to them. You would want a community to feel comfortable with you moving into their community. Wouldn’t you? Internet is a big part of a business plan. Secondly, why would a community not be accepting of a thriving business that was bringing in money to the community. Why would you close it down if it was doing so well? It almost sounds like from the companies statements that they feel the Century should feel lucky they’re offering 300 plus jobs and just not ask questions.
I smell a scam!
Nothing Simpkins says makes much sense. Why is he so camera shy? Seems like he doesn’t want his face out “there”. Got something to hide?
Scam City! The council should be ashamed of giving someone with so little verifiable information a forum.
If it’s too good to be true then it probably is…..proceed with caution. Someone who can’t answer simple questions or they are being evasive about the answers has something to hide. Jobs would be nice in Century but at what cost to our town and residents? Tread lightly…..
Sounds like a con man to me. Is his “organic” plants include marijuana? He just doesn’t seem legitimate.
“We are not going to be a fly by night operation. We already operate in other states. Matter of fact, we suspended operations last year because our biggest problem is we have more people that want organic food and we don’t have enough square footage. We grow primarily indoors. Which is why that large facility is what we need to protect it from the weather and to protect it from people like Monsanto and a couple of people. You know what I am saying. These are some issues you deal with in modern day farming.”
I have to doubt this gentleman’s odds of success because no business ever shuts down operations because what it produces is in high demand. If that were so, and his products from the proposed facility become highly desirable, is he going to cease operations here too?
SCAM! Who does a business proposal presentation in a t-shirt? Century needs to be smarter than this.
Something just don’t add up about this whole thing. That would be great to add jobs to Century, but I just don’t think we need to get our hopes up. It feels like he is not reliable and he is hiding something.
Reading the article gives me an uneasy feeling about this group. They are seem hostile to being asked questions you would be asked at any meeting of this type.not wanting pictures made of him? Really? Something is fishy. Hope i am wrong but we’ll see.
Something smells fishy, and it’s not organically grown.
Something does not smell right with this story.
Pigs will fly before this pie in the sky venture ever happens. How do the Century elected officials fall for these great business deals, over and over again? Do any of them actually believe this company is capable of making this happen? (If there is a company) Time for a reality check. Con men, con men. con men.
Sounds a little fishy to me!
The way this transaction is being presented by the “company” leaves serious doubts in my mind about whether Century is being scammed.
Sounds a little more fishy than talapi and perch.Be careful Century..may take a ride and not even go to Beach Express.
WOW ! What a sham, who could possibly fall for this.
This sounds so shady. The words he uses, his manner of dress. This sounds like a problem.
Did anybody get his fingerprints to go with the mug shot? Maybe we can figure out what kind of business he really is in.
Sounds like Henry brought a con man to the meeting. 500 workers on 38 acres? There is no way, no how that 38 acres can produce enough crops to support 500 workers. I’ll call BS on this one
I was very happy and almost stayed excited about such a business in Century, until I read on through to the end of this article. So many good points …..like a dream come true. But, then, there were a number of red flags that caused some discomfort.. beginning with the picture/copyright comment. Then, there were other things that just had a tone that gave me pause and an uneasy feeling. I guess time will tell. It would be great to have trustworthy people of integrity providing a business like this. Good in more than one or two ways, Such as giving all people that want work a job, and helping people that are looking for a source of more organic NON GMO food. But, because of the the red flags here, I will not get my hopes up.
Are you kidding me. If Century considers doing any type business or sales with this clown, they have lost their minds.
Hopefully this scheme will bear fruit….er, vegetables. IMHO, it seems like this plan is more fertilizer than crop, Only time will tell if the property closing date comes to fruition and jobs actually occur.