Howard Fertilizer and Chemical Co. Inc., headquartered in Orlando, Fla., announced on Jan. 10 that it will open a new location this month near Charlotte, N.C. The company said the new facility expands its footprint along the East Coast and strengthens its coverage of key turf markets in the Southeast.
The new facility is a 10,000 square foot distribution warehouse that will handle both liquid and dry fertilizers, seed, and chemicals for the turf and ornamental markets. According to company sources, the facility will have three to five employees. The company has not yet announced who will manage the new site.
The North Carolina facility is the second expansion announced by Howard in as many months. In November 2011, the company reported that it is constructing a new dry fertilizer plant in Lake Placid, Fla. (GM Nov. 7, 2011). Operations in Lake Placid are expected to begin in September 2012, and projected first-year production at the plant is estimated at 100,000 tons of dry blended fertilizer. A liquid storage depot will also be located on the property, as will agricultural chemicals stored in additional space at the site.
Howard’s current Orlando plant will close when the Lake Placid construction is complete, but its corporate headquarters will remain in Orlando. Howard’s turf and ornamental plant in Groveland, Fla., will continue operations. The move from Orlando to Lake Placid puts the company’s dry fertilizer plant in “the heart of Florida’s citrus, sugar cane, and vegetable farmlands,” reported President and CEO Robert Howard Jr. in November.
Also last week, Howard announced that Mike Gregory has joined the company’s Southeast sales team as a golf and lawn care sales representative in North and South Carolina. Gregory has some 30 years of experience in the industry. The Southeast sales team’s core responsibilities include sales of chemicals, seed, fertilizer, and other supplies; their service areas include Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Family owned and operated for nearly 80 years, Howard specializes in blending custom fertilizers for the agriculture, commercial pest control, lawn care, sod grower, golf course, and ornamental markets. The company posted record fiscal year sales of $150 million in 2009.
In addition to its production facilities in Orlando and Groveland, the company also produces custom-blend liquid fertilizers at Florida locations in Immokalee, Quincy, and Orlando. The Orlando plant includes a separate organic certified production line, providing bulk and bagged products for agricultural and turf customers.
The new Charlotte facility joins a roster of Howard’s other distribution facilities, which are located in Florida sites at Orlando, Bowling Green, Homestead, Immokalee, and Delray Beach, and in Georgia at Alpharetta.