Locally-Sourced Calibration Services to Benefit Area Law Enforcement Agencies
One Okaloosa EDC announced today that Precision Measurement Inc. (PMI), a Fort Walton Beach-based Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that supports local and global industry partners with accredited calibrations and testing services, has recently initiated a new five-year growth strategy to expand services while bringing new quality jobs to Okaloosa County. PMI was established in Okaloosa in 2005 and has experienced considerable growth since that time, growing on average 20% annually.
Emerging customer opportunities – including calibration requirements for county and state law enforcement vehicles and equipment – led to initial discussions with Okaloosa County Commission Chairman Paul Mixon and Nathan Sparks, Executive Director, One Okaloosa EDC. Through these discussions, PMI was made aware of the University of West Florida (UWF) Industry Resilience and Diversification Fund (IRDF) grant program. One Okaloosa EDC assisted PMI with submitting an IRDF grant application to support the company’s continued growth. UWF has now notified PMI of their approval for a reimbursement-based grant in the amount of $509,000.
“We are extremely grateful for One Okaloosa EDC’s assistance and UWF’s consideration and award of this IRDF Grant. It significantly enhances PMI’s ability to immediately pursue opportunites for growth, while at the same time, providing vital services for our communities in and around Okaloosa County,” said David Haines, President, Precision Measurement, Inc.
The IRDF grant will support the acquisition of new equipment and the recruitment of new technicians required to support the company’s expansion of services. Earlier this year, PMI learned that the Tallahassee-based entity that had previously been providing calibration services to local law enforcement agencies would no longer be providing these services. Quickly responding to this critical need, PMI has already acquired the necessary equipment and technical certifications to perform services on vehicle speedometers, radar, laser, and police band radios. Thanks to PMI’s investment and the UWF IRDF grant support, these mandatory certifications will be performed locally by newly-hired technicians using newly procured state-of-the-art equipment and tooling.
“Public safety is a top priority in Okaloosa County and we support any effort to provide our law enforcement agencies with the necessary tools they need to serve our residents,” said Okaloosa County Board Chairman Paul Mixon. “I am thankful and proud that PMI and One Okaloosa EDC have partnered to take advantage of this opportunity to not only serve the public safety needs of our community, but to grow our local economy and support our veterans.”
This rapid expansion of services will immediately generate four new full-time positions in Okaloosa County with average salaries of $60,000 annually. Looking to the future, the expanded growth and staffing is expected to require the need for larger facilities. In fact, the company is already exploring potential future Okaloosa County development sites to support their continued growth.
In addition to law enforcement-focused calibration and testing services. PMI is actively working to expand its calibration and testing services to include FAA required semianual certification of aircraft avionics and the servicing of hospital medical equipment – other sectors where the company sees tremendous potential.
About One Okaloosa EDC
Founded in 1989 as the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County, One Okaloosa EDC (“One Okaloosa”) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit, public-private partnership serving Okaloosa County, Florida and its nine municipalities (Cinco Bayou, Crestview, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Laurel Hill, Mary Esther, Niceville, Shalimar and Valparaiso). As the community’s lead economic development organization, One Okaloosa is committed to fostering economic diversification through comprehensive strategies and initiatives. In addition to its public partners, One Okaloosa enjoys broad support from more than 150 leading private sector businesses representing a wide range of industry sectors.
About Precision Measurement, Inc.
Precision Measurment, Inc. (PMI), based in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, provides calibration and test services across a wide spectrum of diverse industries, but with a core customer base in the aerospace/defense industry. PMI provides calibration services for customer equipment utilized in a variety of applications including manufacturing, testing, aviation / aviation ground support, automotive, emergency / medical services, and law enforcement. PMI is an ISO/IEC 17025 Accredited Company and is a Certified Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Businees (SDVOSB). In addition to providing high precision in-laboratory calibration and test services, PMI provides a highly regarded on-site calibration and testing service capability. The full spectrum of PMI’s services makes the company one of the most uniquely diverse accredited calibration laboratories not only in the State of Florida, but also in the entire United States.