Fitlife Foods Expands with New Culinary Center Operations in Plant City


May 11, 2015



TAMPA, Fla. / Fitlife Foods, the leading Southeastern independent retailer of healthy, fresh-prepared meals, has announced that it will expand its Culinary Center operations as part of a brand new 100,000 square foot facility in Central Florida Development’s County Line Commerce Center in Plant City. The expansion is expected to generate over 100+ jobs and several million dollars in capital investment in eastern Hillsborough County over the next two years. The jobs will fill a variety of roles in food production, administration, transportation, and operations.
 
“Plant City offers us the perfect combination of a central location and a quality workforce to fuel Fitlife Foods’ next stage of growth,” said David Osterweil, founder and chief executive officer of Fitlife Foods. “We’re excited to build our state-of-the-art Culinary Center in the County Line Commerce Center, and to have our culinary and operations teams working together under one roof.  We’ll have plenty of room to grow and look forward to hiring the local talent we’ll need to support us as we expand.”
 
The Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and CareerSource Tampa Bay will assist Fitlife Foods with workforce recruiting, screening, and on-the-job training services as well as sales tax exemptions on machinery and equipment for manufacturing companies.
 
Osterweil founded Fitlife Foods in Tampa in 2011 to help customers do more in their lives with high-quality, healthy prepared meals for busy, on-the-go, fitness-minded consumers. Osterweil took the guesswork out of the nutritional content to maximize his customer’s energy by balancing low glycemic, high fiber carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fat, and serving it in the right portion sizes.
 
The Fitlife team responded to their customers’ needs by offering selections for gluten-free, low-carb and paleo diets while helping thousands of customers lose weight with small, medium and large meal options and wellness coaching in Fitlife’s Project U program.
 
The full list of ingredients and calorie count of each item are visible on all packages – to help customers plan their total daily calorie consumption.  Finally, Osterweil wanted to break down the notion that healthy food does not have to equal tofu and sprouts. Fitlife’s menu includes such fan favorites as: Chicken Enchilada, BBQ Beef with Mac n’ Cheese, Miso Salmon, Chicken Tacos and more. There are over 60+ breakfast, meals and snacks in Fitlife’s refrigerated coolers. Fitlife Foods currently operates seven retail locations and six kiosk spots across Tampa Bay and has plans for development into a number of markets in the Southeast over the next several months.
 
“With our investment in the utility extension along County Line Road and new commercial and industrial buildings like County Line Commerce Center going up in Plant City, we are seeing significant interest from high-growth companies like Fitlife Foods to locate and expand here,” said Plant City Mayor Rick Lott. “These two developments have created unprecedented opportunities for manufacturing, distribution, and logistics operations in particular to secure a prime location in the heart of central Florida’s booming I-4 corridor.”
 
Fitlife Foods joins a growing list of companies headquartered in Hillsborough County that have recently made the decision to expand their workforce here, including Cognizant, Xcelience, ReliaQuest, BluePearl Veterinary Partners, Tribridge and Laser Spine Institute.
 
“Fitlife Foods offers a great example of how successful entrepreneurial companies identify a market need, create a better solution to meet it, and build a loyal following by listening and responding to their customers,” said Dr. Ronald Vaughn, Chair of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and President of the University of Tampa. “Tampa’s startup community is flourishing, and the success of home-grown companies like Fitlife Foods is further proof that Hillsborough County offers the talent and business support that entrepreneurial organizations need to thrive.”
 
Individuals interested in open job opportunities may refer to the company’s website atwww.eatfitlifefoods.com.
 
About Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation:
The Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation is the lead economic development agency for Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace. Established in 2009 as a partnership between the public sector and private corporate investors, the EDC works to develop and sustain a thriving local economy through the attraction, retention and expansion of high wage jobs and capital investment within targeted industry sectors.  The EDC provides customized, confidential relocation services to domestic and international companies interested in growing within Hillsborough County and helps existing businesses access the tools and resources they need to succeed, now and in the future.
The EDC exists because of the generous support of nearly 100 corporations, the Board of County Commissioners of Hillsborough County, and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace. To learn more, visit tampabayedc.com.
 
About Fitlife Foods:
Founded in 2011 by David Osterweil, Fitlife Foods provides fresh, craveable, chef-prepared meals. As a lifestyle brand, Fitlife Foods is known for helping people save time and gain energy for their active, performance-based schedule. Fitlife Foods offers more than 60 fresh, grab-and-go, made-from-scratch meal options that are available in small, medium and large sizes. The Fitlife Foods team embodies high energy, fun and hard work, and our culture inspires you in your busy life. Whether you’re a busy executive, stay-at-home parent, professional athlete, or fitness enthusiast, a day with Fitlife will enhance your outcome and motivate you to continue being your awesome self. For more information, please visit: www.eatfitlifefoods.com.

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