A Pensacola small business is providing critical equipment for members of the military, while also providing critical jobs to people in the local workforce.
Paradigm Parachute and Defense Inc., a small business owned by a service disabled veteran that was founded in 2019, provides high-quality, precision manufactured, military-style parachute systems. The business was launched by Aaron Nazaruk and Alex Alvarado, two veterans who picked the Pensacola area for their start-up because of Pensacola’s industrial sewing history.
Now, a new grant aimed at helping Northwest Florida businesses grow and innovate will allow Paradigm to double its manufacturing capabilities and create new jobs in Escambia County.
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FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance, in partnership with the University of West Florida, recently helped Paradigm obtain a small business a grant from the Industry Resilience and Diversification Fund. The fund was established by the Florida Legislature, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and UWF to help Northwest Florida businesses grow, innovate and thrive.
The funding will allow Paradigm to increase the company’s manufacturing capacity and create 28 new jobs over the next five years. 
“We’re thankful for the opportunity as a startup manufacturer that does this type of business. It can be difficult to receive the necessary funding conventionally to support this type of growth,” Nazaruk told the News Journal. “We’re pretty excited that the local community and local organizations are willing to step in and help us achieve our goals. All the grant funds are used for job creation and to pay the wages of those jobs created.”
Some of Paradigm’s employees are veterans with rigging experience, sewing backgrounds, and individuals trained or licensed to pack, maintain or repair parachutes.
Others come in with no experience, but Paradigm offers a training program that teaches employees how to sew parachutes.
Nazaruk, CEO of Paradigm, said it can sometimes be difficult for veterans, especially disabled veterans, to find jobs in civilian world, because they often have specific technical skills which can be hard to use outside of the military. He said paradigm helps bridge that gap.
“It’s always good to provide those opportunities — especially being the one hiring,” Nazaruk said of helping veterans learn new skills and trades. “Being able to understand where these types of applicants are coming from, what types of settings they have experience in and what they may be able to excel at, that others might not see on the surface.”
Charity Pottker, a veteran, said she was looking for work, but wanted an environment where there weren’t necessarily a lot of people, office politics and drama.
Pottker took a position as a laser cutter for Paradigm, noting, “This is ideal, because it’s just the laser, and I just cut all night or all day, but I love it.”
Another employee, April Moore was looking for a job and when she came across Paradigm and saw the things they were creating by hand. She though it was interesting and wanted to be a part of it.
Moore is not a veteran and has never sewn before, but now 11 months on the job she is one of the top sewing operators in the company.
“I have learned a lot — and not just from the sewing — all the way down to all of the attachments and everything that we put on the parachute,” Moore said. “So it has definitely 100% helped me. When I started I could not sew at all, and I can sew clothes and everything now.”
FloridaWest CEO Scott Luth worked with Nazaruk and Alvarado to help them find funding to grow their business. 
“Our retail community primarily sells back and forth to existing customers within the community, where a manufacturer like this sells their products and services outside and then brings those dollars into the community,” Luth said. “And so that’s the significance of helping a company like this expand.”
The University of West Florida manages the Industry Resilience and Diversification Fund, a regional economic development program with the goal to distribute $10 million in funding to businesses seeking to create jobs in Northwest Florida.
According to UWF, previous grants have gone to Navy Federal Credit Union for creating 9,144 jobs by 2030 and spurring over $700 million in new capital construction, ST Aerospace for creating 500 jobs and partial funding for a hangar facility at Pensacola International Airport, and International Paper for the addition of 436 jobs.
Nazaruk said he is very thankful for the opportunity to expand because as a startup manufacturer it can be difficult to obtain the necessary funding to support this type of growth without the help of the community.
“It’s been very beneficial and fulfilling to be able to start a company like this and support the community with job creation,” Nazaruk said. “And also at the same time, it’s very personally fulfilling to continue to serve our country and our country’s needs and support the military as well.”
