Local businessman Collier Merrill championed the cause and helped American Magic through Pensacola, Escambia County, and Florida politics. He told the crowd sitting the shell of Warehouse 10 at the port, “We had no playbook. We knew that there’s going to be a boat here, and we’re going to do some other stuff.”
The migration to Pensacola began with a phone call from Dr. Jim Andrews calling then-Mayor Ashton Hayward and the mayor convincing Hutchinson to visit Pensacola. The Pensacola Yacht Club’s Tom Pace talked with Merrill, who immediately saw the potential of having American Magic in Pensacola.
Merrill helped secure early funding from the TDC and the Escambia County Commission. Mayor D.C. Reeves got a $8.5 million grant from Triumph Gulf Coast and another $5 million for the state.
Merrill, County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh, Mayor Reeves and Hutchinson thanked a long list of people who helped make the lease signing possible.
Hutchinson said, “I represent 195 people on our team and their families, and so it is truly awesome to be here today. When you look around, you see the day that Pensacola has delivered. It’s almost like Mother Nature knew something good was going on.”
“When completed the building you’re in right now, that will be a 60,000-plus sq.ft. Center for Maritime Excellence,” Mayor Reeves said. “This is Warehouse #10, and it will now be in just a few minutes, a home of American Magic for at least the next decade. It’ll stand in plain view as a symbol of what our city’s prosperity can be, as well as the central compass of what’s in store in Pensacola.”
As he invited Hutchinson to come to the podium, the mayor added, “We are honored to welcome them with open arms as permanent Pensacolians who will live, work, and play right here. Welcome to the Sailing Capital of the United States of America.”