Yacht manufacturer to create 140 jobs with Tampa HQ

TAMPA — Yacht manufacturer Bertram LLC will establish its international headquarters in Tampa and create 140 jobs in the region.

Bertram selected Florida for its headquarters over North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, a statement says. The 140 jobs come with a $35 million capital investment in the Tampa community.

The Tampa office will house the company's offices, production, tooling storage, yacht services, maintenance and part sales, the statement says. Bertram CEO Peter Truslow says it will be a destination for Bertram yacht owners. “Our new headquarters will attract yacht owners, their associates and crew members from around the world to Tampa to monitor progress on the construction of their new vessels and have them serviced and maintained,” he says.

Florida, with more than 18,600 manufacturing companies, is already among the top 10 states in the country for manufacturing, the statement says. There are more than 321,000 manufacturing employees statewide.

Bertram joins Ashley Furniture, Johnson & Johnson and TransferWise as a part of a list of companies that have recently chosen Tampa for a headquarters. Bringing Bertram to the region was the result of a partnership between Enterprise Florida, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. Hillsborough County and The City of Tampa.