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RCM's Job Creation To Be Even More Than First Expected

    A closed section of Golden Gem Drive in Umatilla this week is the latest sign that RCM Utilities move to Umatilla is gaining steam, with word coming that the arrival of what will be Umatilla’s largest employer is going to be even larger than originally expected.
    RCM, founded by Umatilla resident Chris Creech eight years ago, has grown to around 100 employees today.  The firm has purchased an estimated 25 acres from the City of Umatilla at the town’s former wastewater plant to build its new location, with hopes of the firm relocating to Umatilla from Eustis by the end of the year.  At that time, a new facility featuring over 100,000 square feet under roof will built at the location.
    Officials with RCM said on Monday that the project is currently on schedule. 
    A section of Golden Gem Drive has been closed this week, as RCM runs two water lines under the street to serve a required fire hydrant as well as the rest of the facility.  The facility’s pressure pipe system has been mostly installed, with April set to bring stormwater work. Concrete is expected to be poured in May, with the project set to go ‘vertical’ in July. A December completion date is still the target.
    Project supervisor Allen Bates III offered a tour of the site on Monday, where piles of dirt form the rough wall perimeter of the new building.  Bates stated local firms are being solicited to do as much of the work as possible, and Umatilla’s United Southern Bank is RCM’s finance partner.  It’s all part of RCM’s desire to be a completely local firm, all while providing underground utility services to an ever-growing customer base.
    In fact, it was reported on Monday that the firm has plans to double its workforce after the construction project is complete.  If fully realized, RCM will boast 200 jobs, impressive in its own right but also a boon to the city, which is under a state-mandate to create 300 jobs in the coming decade at its former wastewater site after the State of Florida provided nearly $5 million in grant funds to kickstart the conversion of the site to an industrial park.
    The multi-million construction project is the largest single commercial development of its type inside the city limits of Umatilla, and fulfills a large goal of the city to see more jobs come to town as the area also experiences historical growth in its resident population.