Military boot manufacturer to launch operations in Lares, creating up to 300 jobs
By THE STAR STAFF
A new military footwear manufacturer is set to begin operations in Lares, with plans to generate up to 300 full‑time jobs over the next three years and establish a second facility in San Sebastián dedicated to handling raw materials.
The project, led by PR Footwear, will receive up to $2.4 million in government incentives through the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC).
DDEC Secretary Carlos Ríos Pierluisi said the expansion underscores Puerto Rico’s continued strategic value in defense‑related manufacturing.
“As the textiles, uniforms and defense equipment sector shows clear signs of growth, our role at DDEC is to attract new investment and generate jobs,” he said.
PR Footwear is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Belleville Boot Company, a U.S. manufacturer founded in 1904 that has supplied combat boots to the Armed Forces since World War I. The Lares and San Sebastián facilities will mark the company’s first manufacturing operations in Puerto Rico.
The company will occupy two Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO) properties in Lares totaling 71,238 square feet, along with two adjacent lots measuring 1,434 square meters. In San Sebastián, PR Footwear will lease a 23,862‑square‑foot industrial building for material handling. Combined, the company will lease 95,101 square feet at an annual rent of approximately $260,282 under a 10‑year contract with preferential renewal options.
Gov. Jenniffer González Colón welcomed the investment, noting Puerto Rico’s long history in military textile production.
“We are pleased that PR Footwear LLC, a subsidiary of Belleville Shoe MFG Co., the oldest and leading manufacturer of boots for the U.S. Armed Forces, has chosen to expand its operations in Puerto Rico,” she said.
Of the incentives granted, up to $750,000 will support job creation tied to the 300‑position target. Another $1.37 million will cover 30% of costs associated with acquiring, transporting, installing and validating machinery and equipment. The company may also receive up to $300,000 for infrastructure improvements. All incentives will be issued through Puerto Rico’s Incentives Code.
The Lares properties were previously occupied by Eagle Industries del Caribe, which operated there for more than two decades. PRIDCO Executive Director Roberto Lefranc Fortuño said the agency began marketing the facilities after the company ceased operations.
“Together with PRIDCO, the new tenant will carry out improvements and repairs to adapt the property to the new boot manufacturing lines,” he said.
Ríos Pierluisi highlighted additional recent defense‑sector investments, including Bethel Protective Systems in Barceloneta, Brightforce Industries in Morovis and Mayagüez, and Pentaq Manufacturing in Sabana Grande, which recently secured a federal contract exceeding $41 million.
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