Tampa Manufacturing Company Selected to Receive Free Technical Services from State’s GrowFL Economic Gardening Program

TAMPA, Fla. – Keytroller, a Tampa-based manufacturer of devices that control access to heavy-equipment machinery, has been selected to receive free technical assistance through the state-funded GrowFL program.

Created in 2009 by the Florida Legislature, GrowFL is part of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute and is based at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

When selecting businesses that will receive assistance from the program, the institute looks for companies that have the potential for success, according to Dr. Tom O’Neal, executive director of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute.

“Keytroller is a great candidate for the program not only because of its continued success, but also its creative and strong leadership,” said Dr. O’Neal, who also is associate vice president for the University of Central Florida’s Office of Research and Commercialization.

Founded by current President Terry Wickman, Keytroller develops a variety of devices that control access to vehicles such as personnel carriers and buses, as well as forklifts, cranes, aerial lifts and other construction equipment. The devices include keypad ignition systems, wireless hour meters, speed controllers, abuse-prevention mechanisms, and high-accuracy scales.

Wickman said his eight-year-old company is relatively new, and with 11 employees, it also is relatively small. But, he said his employees are beginning to “make use of the tools the state is providing” to help improve sales and pave the way for future growth.

“The expertise offered by GrowFL encompasses many facets of running a business and we expect the new sets of eyes and ears at GrowFL to open our eyes and ears so we can focus on parts of our business that need the most help and improvement,” Wickman said. “Since GrowFL looks at different aspects of a business, we expect to find and improve some things we never would have seen without this assistance provided by the state.”

About Keytroller:
Founded on a simple keypad code ignition system, Keytroller now produces 4 series of these devices designed for different applications, capabilities and budgets. The company also develops other devices for heavy equipment and is well-known throughout the industry as a supplier of devices for a variety of uses. Represented by more than 400 equipment dealers in North America, Keytroller has exclusive importers in, Australia and Brazil. Keytroller’s devices, which are designed to fit to any make or model vehicle, are used in such diverse applications as warehouses, manufacturing plants, foundries, power plants, construction sites and mines. For more information, visit www.keytroller.com.

About the Florida Economic Gardening Institute:
The Florida Economic Gardening Institute was created by the 2009 Florida Legislature as the Economic Gardening Technical Assistance Program to stimulate investment in Florida’s economy by providing technical assistance for expanding businesses in the state. Qualified companies must be engaged in the following sectors to receive no-cost technical assistance: Manufacturing; Finance & Insurance Services; Wholesale Trade; Information Industries; Professional, Scientific & Technical Services; Management Services; and, Administrative & Support Services. Additional information is available at www.GrowFL.com.