Sept 10, 2019

Pursuit Boats, manufacturer of luxury sport fishing and cruising boats, broke ground for the first phase of an expansion that will ultimately bring their campus footprint to 100 acres of land with 773,000 square feet of manufacturing and support space and increase their local employment to 600. The expansion will enable Pursuit to increase production in order to meet the growing market demands.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held at the company’s 213,000 square-foot facility in Fort Pierce, Florida. The three-phase expansion will add an additional 569,430 square feet of manufacturing space with three manufacturing and support operations complexes. The expansion’s first phase will add a 182,115-square-foot facility.

“Pursuit Boats has been manufacturing our award-winning, luxury fishing boats in Fort Pierce since 1983. After 37 years here, we are a multi-generational employer. We, and our 400 current employees, are thrilled to be able to stay and expand here at home, something we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said Pursuit Boats President Bruce Thompson.

The Pursuit series of fishing boats was introduced in 1977 in Holland, Michigan. Demand for the popular boats led to the construction of a 75,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Fort Pierce in 1983. Pursuit expanded several times over the years and, in 2018, the company was acquired by Malibu Boats. “Malibu’s investment and market demand led to an imperative need for expansion of our manufacturing operations,” said Thompson.

“Manufacturing has been and will continue to be at the core of our business development efforts,” said St. Lucie County Administrator Howard Tipton. “Anytime you have a great company like Pursuit looking to expand, we know we have to earn the opportunity for them to expand here. I’m proud of the way our economic development team came together to provide Pursuit exactly what they were looking for, exactly when they needed it.”

Pursuit’s site plan encompasses a 111.42-acre site and a 42-acre scrub jay habitat area, of which 32 acres will be donated to the county as a preserve area for threatened and endangered species. Pursuit has also extended support for county acquisition of an additional 10 acres south of the development through the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program.

“Our environmental preservation partnership with St. Lucie County will help match our legacy on the water with our environmental stewardship on the land,” said Thompson.
For more than half a century, Pursuit Boats has been building high­ quality, luxury offshore fishing boats using distinct engineering and production processes championed by the Pursuit family of employees. Pursuit is the recent recipient of a prestigious 2018 NMMA Innovation Award and has earned the NMMA CSI award since its inception. Along with its premium factory authorized dealers, Pursuit offers Offshore, Center Console, Sport and Dual Console models from 23 to 40 feet in length. Pursuit Boats are manufactured in a state-of-the-art 250,0 00 square foot facility in Fort Pierce, Florida. For more information, please visit www.pursuitboats.com.

Based in Loudon, Tennessee, Malibu Boats, Inc. [MBLJLJ) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a diverse range of recreational powerboats, including performance sport, sterndrive and outboard boats. Malibu Boats Inc. is the commanding market leader in the performance sport boat category through its Malibu and Axis Wake Research boat brands, the leader in the 20′ – 40′ segment of the sterndrive boat category through its Cobalt brand and in a leading position in the offshore fishing boat market with its Pursuit brand. A pre- eminent innovator in the powerboat industry, Malibu Boats, Inc. designs products that appeal to an expanding range of recreational boaters, fisherman and water sports enthusiasts whose passion for boating is a key component of their active lifestyles. For more information, visit www.malibuboats.com, www.axiswake.com, www.cobaltboats.com , or www.pursuitboats.com .