When Gainesville comes up in conversation, the talk most often turns to big-time college sports and world-class medicine. While it’s true that the Greater Gainesville region is well-known for these, and the largest concentration of freshwater springs in the nation, the region is growing as a home to smart manufacturing, from small startups to global industry giants.
Three manufacturers—Exactech, A&M Manufacturing and Pressure Technology, Inc.—exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit in Gainesville. The largest homegrown manufacturer is Exactech, a global medical device company that develops and markets joint replacement implants, surgical instruments and smart technologies that help surgeons worldwide make their patients more mobile.
Exactech was founded in 1985 by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bill Petty, his wife Betty and biomedical engineer Dr. Gary Miller. That small startup has grown to more than 900 worldwide employees, its products are distributed in more than 30 countries and the company reported revenues of more than $300 million in 2022. About 600 employees are located in Gainesville, with 200 of those designated as manufacturing.
One of the company’s newest innovations is the “Active Intelligence” platform of technologies that helps surgeons engage with patients and peers, solve challenges with predictive tools and optimize the way they perform joint replacement surgery.
“Exactech’s deep roots in Gainesville have provided opportunities for us to welcome incredible local talent, partner with the University of Florida in developing future trailblazers in orthopedic manufacturing and lean on world-class thought leaders here in our own backyard,” said President & Interim CEO Darin Johnson.
Persistence pays in business and that is very evident for A&M Manufacturing, which builds fiberglass-hulled pontoon boats and 15-, 18- and 22-foot day sailers on its 200,000-square-foot boat manufacturing facility in the City of Alachua, just north of Gainesville. The facility was home to Hunter Marine, which in its heyday had 400+ manufacturing employees. But the recession of 2008 took its toll, production ceased and the facility was abandoned.
A&M came onboard in 2021 and is bringing the operation back step-by-step with 60 employees today and a goal of ramping up to 300 by 2027.
The newest local SMM is Pressure Technology, Inc., which provides hot isostatic pressing services (HIPping) to the aerospace, medical, ceramics, electronics, precision casting, powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing industries, among others. The HIP process uses heat and pressure to eliminate flaws like internal porosity in metals.
Founded in Pennsylvania, PTI chose the City of Alachua for its third national location, building a new 12,000-square-foot facility. Plans include doubling the size of this facility and adding 15 jobs in 2024.
The Greater Gainesville Chamber serves as the economic development engine for the region, leading the effort to make this community a global hub for talent, innovation and opportunity. Partners are critical to this effort, and the Chamber’s relationships with Gainesville’s superior educational assets help the region’s current and future manufacturers build on success.
The pipeline begins in the K-12 school systems where specialized programming in STEM skill-building begins in the elementary schools and progresses through the middle and high schools, where magnet programs provide industry certifications and hands-on training.
The region’s number-one ranked college, Santa Fe College, not only provides wide-ranging degrees in manufacturing engineering, engineering machining, construction and skilled trades but also oversees apprenticeship programs for students of any age to earn while they learn.
The top-five public University of Florida is home to the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, one of the largest and most dynamic engineering programs in the country. The College of Engineering is also the cornerstone of UF’s most ambitious 21st century research, education and economic development vision—the AI University Initiative.
Spurred by the launch of HiPerGator, the 8th most powerful system in higher education and 22nd most powerful in the world, UF is integrating AI in its curriculum across disciplines to make it a core competency for students. Faculty from the UF Colleges of Engineering and Education are also working together to extend that competency to K-12 students, developing one of the first-in-the- nation’s educational program to prepare youth for the growing demand for an AI-enabled workforce.
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