NEW DIGS: 5 things to know about sports apparel maker's FitUSA's move to DeLand
DELAND ― Three years after its owner considered relocating to Atlanta, FitUSA Manufacturing found a bigger building for its growing private-label apparel business on Volusia County's west side, where it moved earlier this year from Ormond Beach.
Here are five things to know about the company's move:
They make apparel sold under their clients' brands
FitUSA is primarily a private-label manufacturer of apparel branded with the logos of its clients, which include major corporations "for staff apparel and costuming needs" as well as sports teams and brands. It also sells its own line of volleyball apparel under the name Rox Volleyball.
The company also is in line to land a "multi-million-dollar" contract from the federal government to produce physical training gear for the Marine Corps. "It could be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, we've ever had," said Troy Olson, FitUSA's owner and CEO.
The need for more space was one of the big reasons for the move.
"We went from only having 15,000 square feet to 33,000 square feet," Olson said of his company's new plant in the former DelTran Battery Tender building at 801 E. International Speedway Blvd. in the DeLand Airport Business Park.
Olson said his company signed a multi-year lease and proceeded to invest more than $200,000 in improvements to the building as well as buying additional commercial sewing machines.
DelTran's offices are now in downtown DeLand.
Many of its workers already live in the area
FitUSA employs 55 workers, many of whom live in northwest Volusia County.
"We have 65 to 75 job openings, which we'd love to fill. We need more workers with experience in commercial sewing," said Olson whose company has big banners in front of its new plant stating "Now hiring" and "Sewers & packers needed."
They made face masks during the pandemic
When the global COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, government-mandated shutdowns of non-essential activities, such as sporting events, nearly caused FitUSA's business to grind to a halt.
Olson responded by switching to producing cloth face masks to keep his workers busy and make use of existing production equipment.
Finding a new customer base in hospitals and first-responder departments across the country, FitUSA suddenly found itself needing to increase production capabilities. It grew its workforce to over 250 and invested in new machines that could produce disposable face masks after landing a $500 million contract for personal protection equipment (PPE) from the federal government.
That contract wound up being cancelled in 2021.
"We made an investment of $1 million in PPE equipment that's now sitting in a warehouse in Atlanta doing nobody any good," Olson said.
Fortunately, FitUSA has gradually recovered by switching back to its original core businesses. Olson said the wasted capital expenditure set his company back, but "we're on the right track now."
The labor shortage is now the big problem
Olson said production orders are up double or possibly even triple what they were before the pandemic.
His biggest impediment for growth these days is the labor shortage that's making it difficult to fill the additional positions needed to handle the increased business.
"It's the staffing that's holding us back, not the work orders," he said. "We offer $17 an hour starting pay for experienced sewers. For those who don't have experience, if they have the will to learn and want to learn, they can move up quickly."
Olson said one of his goals is to create a trade school on site to train people for careers in apparel manufacturing.
Many of FitUSA's employees are Latinos, all of whom are either U.S. citizens or have green cards that makes it legal for them to work in this country.
When Gov. Ron DeSantis in May signed into law the state's new anti-immigration law, SB 1718, which took effect July 1, Olson said he immediately lost 15 employees.
"They all had papers and were legal, but were afraid because they have family members who might not be," he said. "We know for a fact that they all left the state."
Olson said he has written letters both to members of Congress as well as the White House urging for more, not fewer, paths for illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens.
"All these people crossing the border, 50 to 60% come from countries like Colombia, Honduras and Mexico where they produce Levi jeans and other apparel," Olson said. "I say put them to work here under government supervision and let them help pay down our country's debt. We taught them (people in other countries) our business in the early '90s when U.S. apparel makers moved manufacturing off shore. Why not put them to work here?"
Move to DeLand is a 'win-win'
Nick Conte Jr., economic development manager for the City of DeLand, said FitUSA's move to his city was a "win-win for everyone involved including the City of Ormond Beach because they were able to quickly fill the space they vacated with another tenant."
Brian Rademacher, economic development director for Ormond Beach, confirmed that Mayhew Tools, the manufacturer that acquired hand-tool maker Skyo Industries a few years ago, immediately expanded its plant by agreeing to lease the former FitUSA space next door.
"They (Mayhew) have investment millions into their facility here and have added more workers as well," said Rademacher. "Industrial space is hard to come by. Now Troy's in a bigger space that allows him to expand, and so is Mayhew."
And it all happened without the use of economic incentives. "There were no incentives given for our move over here. There was nothing offered," Olson said.
Olson praised Volusia County's economic development division for assisting him in finding a suitable new home for his company. "They helped me secure the building when another county agency wanted it instead," he said.
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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Sports apparel maker FitUSA Manufacturing finds a new home in DeLand
