JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — One of Jacksonville’s oldest businesses is committing to hiring dozens of local employees as part of a large-scale manufacturing expansion.
Swisher stopped manufacturing cigars in Jacksonville back in 2019, but now, with the growing popularity of nicotine and caffeine pouches, the company is relaunching manufacturing on the city’s Eastside.
The $135 million manufacturing expansion is expected to generate 240 full-time jobs, and the company has announced at least 60 of those positions will be filled by Eastside residents.
The local hiring preference is for neighbors living within two miles of the factory, which includes the neighborhoods of Oakland, Campbell’s Addition, Phoenix and Long Branch.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Travis Williams, Lift Jax President & CEO, said the commitment came about as part of a collaborative effort between his organization and Swisher.
“The Eastside is a mixed-income neighborhood now. You’ve got professionals that live there, but you do have a higher percentage of residents that do live below the poverty line. And so, for us it’s all about proximity and how do we bring as much opportunity as proximent as possible,” said Williams.
Chris Howard, Swisher Executive Vice President of External Affairs, noted Swisher is always looking for ways to strengthen the local community.
The positions opening up for Eastside residents come with salaries between $60,000 to $80,000 a year on average.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
“It’s great for them. Quality of life is fantastic and to know you can stay in your hometown and have a job at a family-owned company that cares about its people,” Howard said.
And Howard argued the benefit of hiring local goes both ways.
“We get more stability and a good environment by having a network of folks that are from the area,” Howard said.
Williams said he believes the commitment to hire local will pay dividends for generations to come.
“This will change the trajectory potentially for families who live in the Eastside for a long time,” Williams said. “It makes people feel like where I live is a benefit. I hit the lottery by living in this neighborhood.”
Swisher is already starting to fill the positions and hopes to be fully staffed up by the end of the year.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
