Family-owned business with 1,500 employees in Midwest to open local facility, add jobs

Posted on February 6, 2017

Ozinga will open its first facility in Florida with a concrete supply plant in Miami.

The Chicago-based company, which was founded 89 years ago and remains family owned, built a concrete mixing plant on the 3.8-acre site at 2165 N.W. 17th Avenue. President Marty Ozinga said it will hire 30 people there initially.

Ozinga will open a cement mixing plant at 2165 NW 17th Avenue in Miami.

Ozinga will open a cement mixing plant at 2165 NW 17th Avenue in Miami. Source: OZINGA

The new jobs will include drivers, plant operators, mechanics, dispatchers and managers. It hired Jose F. Diaz Jr. as VP and general manager of the Ozinga Florida plant.

The plant mixes sands, stone, cement and water into concrete.

“We are a fourth-generation family business and we pretty much have our area in Chicago-land covered and as we look to the next generation we looked to a new growth area that will be good for us,” Ozinga said. “We are very optimistic about the local economy.”

South Florida construction starts increased 3 percent to $10.9 billion in 2016, according to Dodge Data & Analytics.

Ozinga said the company hasn’t taken any orders in South Florida yet, but it has received strong interest from customers. The plant should be operation in a few weeks.

Carlos Carrillo, executive director of the South Florida Chamber of the Associated General Contractors, called Ozinga’s move to Miami a fantastic vote of confidence for Miami’s construction economy. People are concerned that the condo market might implode, but there are a variety of other construction projects taking place besides high rise development, he said.

“The arrival of Ozinga in the city of Miami highlights the growth we’re experiencing in the area,” said Miami Commissioner Wifredo “Willy” Gort. “The investment in the facility and the jobs it will create will serve as a catalyst for economic growth as well as a positive sign for South Florida’s economy.”

Ozinga employees more than 1,500 people in the Midwest.