Tervis, the local drinkware manufacturer based in North Venice, said this week that it will open a new fulfillment center in North Port.

The company, which has been headquartered in Florida for more than 50 years, plans to open a 71,000-square-foot facility in the North Port Business Park by next summer.

Unlike Tervis' headquarters in North Venice, however, the North Port facility won't have heavy manufacturing operations.

It will instead be a fulfillment center, where merchandise will be packed - a space to hold finished goods, as well as inventory for Tervis.com and the company's retail stores.

In case you missed it: Rogan Donelly is named new CEO of Tervis

Related: Tervis promotes Hosana Fieber to COO/CFO

The idea is to shorten lead times, while also expanding Tervis' presence in Southwest Florida, CEO Rogan Donelly said.

“This location’s new construction is more cost-effective versus retrofitting an existing facility,” he said.

As far as the decision to go with North Port, Donelly said many of the company's employees already live there. The new facility will employ 25-30 people and up to 45 during the holiday season, according to the company.

"Tervis' arrival helps to fulfill the promise to the community: to produce jobs and opportunity for our residents," Mel Thomas, economic development division manager for the city of North Port, said. "The brand recognition Tervis brings props up North Port's own recognition; for that, we thank them."

Tervis is one of the most prominent employers in Sarasota County. Locally, the company had 375 employees as of September, and 75 at retail stores across Florida.

Tervis was founded in 1946 by engineers Frank Cotter and G. Howlett Davis, who created a double-walled, permanently-sealed tumbler that would keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold.

Previously: Is the Tervis headquarters leaving or staying in Venice?

The founders combined the ends of both of their last names to create the name "Tervis," and an iconic brand was born.

Then, in the 1960s, the Donelly family purchased the company and moved it to Osprey, where it still maintains a factory store and outlet. Rogan's father, Norbert Donelly, took the reigns in the late 1980s. Rogan took over as CEO in January after serving as president since 2016.

Today, the company sells various drinkware products, including water bottles, wine glasses, sippy cups, and its famous tumblers.

Support local journalism with a digital subscription to the Herald Tribune.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Tervis drinkware manufacturer opening fulfillment center in North Port