Daily Record FINANCIAL NEWS &
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016
Vol. 103, No. 050 • oNe SectioN
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Maxwell House seeks incentives
Would invest up to $36M, add 40 jobs; 3D firm also wants help
The Maxwell House plant opened in Downtown in 1910.
Special to the Daily Record
By David Chapman Staff Writer Jacksonville could be in line for a couple of manufacturing boosts — one known, one new — in exchange for $1.68 million in taxpayer incentives. A bill filed this week is more of an improved redo of one agreed to in 2014 for a Downtown icon. The city seeks to terminate its past economic development agreement with Maxwell House that would have provided $425,000 in taxpayer incentives
Atlantic North is closer to landing a movie theater, which would bring screens to the Atlantic and Kernan boulevards area. Developer Toney Sleiman said Wednesday he envisions a 12-screen, 45,000-squarefoot theater at the northwest intersection. Pending a deal, he said it could open in 2017-18. “There’s still a lot of negotiating,” he said. Sleiman said the operator is a national theater company, but he declined to identify it. He said it was not Epic Theatres, which is opening in April at Sleiman Enterprises’ OakLeaf Station shopping center in Southwest Jacksonville. He said the Atlantic North site is between the two closest theaters at a distance agreeable in the industry. It would be about 5 miles east of AMC Regency 24 at Regency Square Mall and a little more than 5 miles northwest of Regal Beach Boulevard Stadium 18. “The company that called us likes the site,” Sleiman said. He expects the real estate representative to visit within 90 days. If the site is chosen by the company, the deal would proceed. Once construction starts, it takes about a year to build, he said. Atlantic North is one of three corners owned by Sleiman Enterprises at the Kernan and Atlantic intersection. Atlantic North is anchored by Belk, Earth Fare, Academy Sports & Outdoors, and LA Fitness. The Hanania Automotive Group recently acquired 6 acres for an Audi dealership. Sleiman said he had a letter of intent with another auto dealer next to the Hanania site, but he would not disclose the identity. The theater would be on a site west of the Belk store and near the unidentified auto dealership. That dealership is next to the Hanania site, which is next to CarMax. MATHIS
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Special to the Daily Record
Theater possible at Kernan, Atlantic
for 10 jobs and a $16 million expansion to add coffee and bag lines. Instead, there’s a new deal on the table. This one would provide $1.26 million to The Kraft Heinz Co. for a $30 million to $36 million investment to the Downtown building, infrastructure and machinery. The differences in capital investment arise in discrepancies between the project summary and development deal. Instead of 10 jobs, the com-
pany will create 40 new jobs by 2018 at an average wage of $54,828. The plant has 218 employees in Jacksonville and 40,000 worldwide, according to the project summary. In the new deal, the city will provide a $1.04 million REV grant. It would be paid over seven years at a 50 percent rate. The state would give $220,000 through Qualified Targeted Industries and Quick Response Training grants. Maxwell House has long been
a part of Jacksonville’s history. The plant opened in 1910 and has been known for the lighted coffee cup on the side of the building and the aromatic coffee smell at various times of the day. More than 25 years ago, Kraft was considering closing either the Downtown factory or one in Hoboken, N.J. A “Keep Max in Jax!” campaign was organized and the company decided the Jacksonville location would remain open. INCENTIVES CONTINUED ON PAGE A-3
Members of Inspection 12 are, from left, Peter Mosely, guitar and singer-songwriter; Jeremy Baker, bass; James Trimble, guitar; Rob Reid, singer; and Tim Grisnik, drums.
Sounds of Downtown
By Carole Hawkins Staff Writer
Downtown Jacksonville has a sound and there’s a place to go to hear it. The Elbow is preparing the second volume of Amplified, a compilation of Northeast Florida’s best recording artists. The idea is to show a cross-section of what Jacksonville’s music scene sounds like. It’s a mission that fits well with The Elbow, a marketing co-op that unifies Downtown’s entertainment district.
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Elbow compiles CD to promote Jacksonville artists
“One of the best things we can do for The Elbow is put this kind of stuff out,” said Grant Nielsen, Elbow media manager. “People told me after the first release, ‘If you weren’t doing this, Jacksonville wouldn’t be nearly as interesting.’” Amplified’s first iteration, released in spring 2014, revealed a mix of hip-hop, bluegrass, indie-folk, punk-rock, alternative-folk and jam-funk artists. Among those featured were popular local bands like Grandpa’s Cough Medicine, Inspection 12 and Nielsen’s own
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band, JacksonVegas. The Elbow distributed 2,600 of the free CDs. “That’s huge. No local band is selling 2,600 CDs in the local market,” Nielsen said. “I think this next one is going to be even bigger.” In 2014, Inspection 12, an indie rockpunk band, was putting together its first album in 12 years. But it moved up by six months the release of its single, “Ole You,” in order to be part of the first Amplified volume. SOUNDS CONTINUED ON PAGE A-2
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