PORT ORANGE — A Hungarian manufacturer of outdoor fitness equipment plans to break ground here this spring on a manufacturing plant/distribution center that will become its base of operations for the United States.
“It’s going to happen this year, Q2,” wrote Piros Pazaurek, the honorary consul of Hungary for Central Florida, in answering when the Hungarian company BeStrong expects to begin construction of its future plant at the Eastport Industrial Park in Port Orange.
Pazaurek has been involved in efforts to assist BeStrong owner Zoltan Katona in finding a location for his planned U.S. facility. She confirmed that it will be both a manufacturing plant and distribution center. She added that no economic incentives were involved in Katona’s decision to select Port Orange as the site.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal was unable to speak with Katona.
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Volusia County property records show that an entity doing business as “BeStrong USA Inc.” paid $178,000 in September for the 2.7-acre vacant lot at 4440 Eastport Park Way in Port Orange.
The company in the deed of sale listed its post office address as 601 Innovation Way, Daytona Beach, which is the location of the Volusia County-funded UCF Business Incubator at Daytona Beach International Airport where Pazaurek maintains an office under the name Hungarian Hub.
Mike Springer, a spokesman for the City of Port Orange, said representatives of BeStrong held a “pre-application meeting” this past fall to discuss the construction of a 13,000 to 15,000-square-foot warehouse building on a property known as “Lot 4” at the Eastport Industrial Park.
“At this time, the city has not received an official site plan or building permit for this project,” Springer confirmed on Jan. 5. “The city anticipates receiving (applications for) permits for the project later this spring.”
Team Volusia Economic Development Corp. CEO Keith Norden in a news release said his group, which recruits companies to Volusia County, worked for nearly three years to convince Katona to locate his U.S. base of operations here. “We are excited to welcome this Hungary-based manufacturer of outdoor exercise and recreational equipment to Port Orange.”
According to the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency, BeStrong was founded in 2000 and has grown to become of the largest manufacturers of fitness parks and sports equipment in Hungary.
Katona, in the news release issued by Team Volusia, stated that it has been a “long-term goal” of his to add a base of operations in the United States. “At the beginning, we considered establishing in Miami, but after deeper research and help from the Hungarian Foreign Mission, we started to look further and found a home in Volusia County,” he said. “We appreciated the welcoming business environment and the professional help from Team Volusia EDC, the UCF Business Incubation Program, as well as the strong Hungarian community in the area.”
BeStrong plans to invest $5 million to build and equip its Port Orange facility, according to Team Volusia. The plant is expected to create 20 manufacturing jobs.
“The City looks forward to working with BeStrong on developing its first location in the United States and seeing it become a national leader in outdoor sports equipment manufacturing,” stated Wayne Clark, Port Orange city manager, in the news release.
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