Birdon America’s headquarters in the Southeast and a new Tier 2 shipbuilding facility in Pensacola, Fla., moved one step closer to reality June 22 when the board of directors of Triumph Gulf Coast approved the term sheet for a $76 million grant for the project.
Triumph Gulf Coast is the nonprofit corporation established to oversee the expenditure of 75% of funds recovered for economic damages to the state of Florida that resulted from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.
The total project cost is $275 million, with funds anticipated from Triumph Gulf Coast, the Florida Job Growth Fund ($14 million), the U.S. Department of Commerce ($33 million), and Birdon ($152 million). Birdon America and the city of Pensacola plan to build a 4,000-square-foot facility at the Port of Pensacola that will create 2,000 jobs, 1,437 of which will carry an average salary of $68,000 and 563 of which will pay an average of $112,000. Besides serving as a headquarters for Birdon America’s operations in the South, the shipbuilding facility will build mid-sized (Tier 2) vessels and U.S. military modules for Tier 1 shipyards constructing ships and submarines for the military.
According to the term sheet for the grant agreement, funds are expected to be expended between 2026 and 2030. The project represents the largest single job creation project in the city of Pensacola’s history.
“I am grateful to the team at the city who worked tirelessly to get us to this point,” said Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves. “Today, we are one step closer to bringing this transformational project to life at our port. We’re focused on building Pensacola’s future, and triumph’s investment helps us do just that.”
According to the city of Pensacola, Reeves hopes to achieve official approval of the grant agreement later this summer, with lease terms between the city and Birdon to follow. The city of Pensacola will retain ownership of the facility, with Birdon America signing a long-term ground lease.
“We are grateful to the city of Pensacola, Mayor D.C. Reeves, Triumph Gulf Coast, the state of Florida, and the many partners who have worked diligently to advance this transformational opportunity,” said Tony Ardito, president of Birdon America.
Birdon, an Australian company, was founded in 1977. The company expanded to the United States in 2009. The company also has operations in Europe and Asia.
