The city of West Bend, Wisconsin announced the closing of a deal with Milwaukee Tool, for 22 of the 215 acres in the West Bend Manufacturing Center, for only $1. Of course that comes with a couple of strings, mainly Milwaukee commits to build a new 94,700 sq ft manufacturing facility, valued at a minimum of $10 million dollars.
They say the factory will specifically be used to manufacture hand tools for professional electricians, plumbing and mechanical trades, and utility linemen. They expect the facility to produce 50 full-time jobs in the first 3 years, and 100 by 2025, which is great news for West Bend, and fans of tools made in the USA.
But these are only their initial plans. The 94,000 sq foot facility could eventually expand to 185,000 in the future. To facilitate such growth, Milwaukee has the first right of refusal to purchase an additional 20 acres for future expansion.
This will be Milwaukee’s 6th manufacturing and distribution operation in the nation, following Greenwood, Olive Branch, and Jackson, MS, as well as Mukwonago, Brookfield, and Sun Prairie, WI. Milwaukee also plans to expand with a location in Cookeville, TN as well.
In 2020 alone, Milwaukee will invest over $100 million and create 350 new jobs in the US. In Brookfield, they’ve already grown from 190,000 sq ft and 300 jobs, to 390,000 and over 1,400 jobs. That’s just one location.
There are a total of 330,000 sq ft of space slated to open this year, and with a recently announced 65-acre purchase in Menomonee (Meh nom o nee) Falls, it’s clear Milwaukee Tool is positioned to stay in the heart of Wisconsin for the foreseeable future.
So yeah. Milwaukee is growing, and it’s good to see them growing and creating jobs here in the states.
