Business briefs: Transportation issues, Matrix Composites, Rack Room Shoes

Comments wanted for transportation plan

The Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization has prepared a draft Unified Planning Work Program for the upcoming fiscal years 2019 and 2020, which runs July 1 to June 30, 2020.

The UPWP describes and lists the transportation planning activities to be conducted by the SCTPO over the next two years. It includes a proposed budget and identifies the work tasks that will be accomplished using federal transportation planning funds. The draft UPWP is submitted to state and federal agencies for review, along with local agencies involved in transportation. Upon approval, the UPWP becomes the basis for the award of the TPO planning grant funds for the upcoming fiscal years.

Comments are currently being accepted and must be in writing or submitted via e-mail. To submit comments sent to Laura Carter, operations manager at Space Coast TPO, 725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, MS#82

Melbourne, FL 32940 or e-mail laura.carter@brevardfl.gov.

Matrix gets accreditation

Matrix Composites, based in Rockledge, reported that it has been approved for Nadcap accreditation and will appear on the Qualified Manufacturers List (QML) for Composites as a Nadcap accredited company.

Nadcap is a global cooperative accreditation program for aerospace engineering, defense, and related industries. It is an industry-managed approach to conformity assessment that brings together technical experts from both industry and government to establish requirements for accreditation, accredit suppliers and define operational program requirements.

To achieve this accreditation, Matrix undertook an intensive on-site inspection and investigation by the Performance Review Institute). The audit covered all aspects of the process – the machinery, consumables and methods employed, as well as the qualifications and experience of the staff involved in the process.

In addition to the investment to become Nadcap accredited, Matrix Composites says it has made several recent capital investments to further enhance its capabilities and facility capacity. These investments include an additional 12,000 square feet of manufacturing space, level II non-destructive inspection (NDI), five new platen presses, two new coordinate measuring machines, a high-speed 5-axis horizontal mill for machining composite components and addition of a 6’ x 12’ autoclave; all of which will accommodate current and future production growth.

Rack Room Shoes opens in Titusville

Rack Room Shoes. headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, recently opened a 5,000-square-foot store in Titusville in the Titus Landing shopping center.

“We have been fielding questions for years from eager Titusville residents as to when we will open a store here locally,” said Regional Manager Bob Corcoran, citing that many customers would typically take day trips to existing Rack Room Shoes locations in Orlando to complete their family footwear shopping needs. “With the excitement of Titus Landing’s proximity to the Kennedy Space Center, we are very proud to join the team of retailers who offer a robust shopping experience to the community.”

Rack Room Shoes has hired 10 employees, a combination of part-time and full-time team members, to staff the store. Store hours for Rack Room Shoes are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Rack Room Shoes has a variety of ongoing initiatives that are attractive to its core customer, including an added emphasis on the athletic market. The retailer’s Athletic Shop, a shop-in-shop concept offers a robust in-store and online experience around its athletic product, while closely linking with athletic brand partners.

To submit a Business Brief contact Wayne T. Price at 321-242-3658 or wprice@floridatoday.com.