Contacts:
Tony Hozeny, Department of Commerce, 608-267-9661
Ethnie Groves, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2156
David Finch, Johnsonville Sausage, 920-459-6536
Award Will Help Company Create About
140 New Jobs, Retain Almost 650 Jobs
SHEBOYGAN FALLS – Governor Jim Doyle announced today that
Johnsonville Sausage, LLC will receive $250,000 in Technology Zone tax
credits, helping the company create and retain jobs and make a major
investment in its workplace. The Governor made the announcement at the
company’s Sheboygan Falls plant.
“As Governor, I have made economic development a top
priority of my Administration. Through my ‘Grow Wisconsin’ plan, we have
worked to foster the growth of businesses statewide, create high-wage,
high-end jobs for our citizens, and build a strong economy from the ground
up,” Governor Doyle said. “Our hard work is starting to pay off. In the
past 12 months, we’ve created more jobs than any of our Midwestern
neighbors.”
“Our strategy of focusing on upgrading our industries and
competing at the high end is making an impact, but we still have much more
work to do,” Governor Doyle said. “Today, we are taking the next steps
forward in our efforts to grow our economy by helping Johnsonville Sausage
create and keep jobs here in Wisconsin and expand and upgrade its facilities
to keep up with company growth and market demands.”
Johnsonville Sausage, LLC is investing $43 million to
construct and equip a new manufacturing facility and new corporate
headquarters in Johnsonville. The project will create 136 new positions and
help to retain approximately 642 current positions.
“We are very excited about this opportunity. Because of our
rapid growth, Johnsonville is now the leading brand of sausage in America,”
said David Finch, Group Vice President. “We are making significant
investments in our company’s future and in the lives of our members here in
Sheboygan County and Wisconsin.”
The recent Wisconsin Economic Outlook report shows that
Wisconsin’s economy is heading in the right direction. The report found
significant improvement for virtually all of Wisconsin’s metropolitan areas,
and projected continued improvement in Wisconsin’s manufacturing sector,
which has lost more than 84,000 manufacturing jobs in the last four years.
It also found that the Sheboygan area is expected to have the fastest
employment growth of any metropolitan area in the state.
“More importantly, Wisconsin’s Economic Outlook report found
that the Sheboygan area will lead Wisconsin in personal income growth,”
Governor Doyle said. “Through Grow Wisconsin, we are not only working to
create more jobs in Wisconsin, but more family supporting jobs – because we
want to raise income levels for our citizens as well.”
Wisconsin’s Technology Zone program is an economic
development initiative that helps stimulate the growth of businesses that
are locating or expanding in one of eight technology zones statewide. Under
the program, tax credits are made available to businesses that are
commercializing technology or using advanced manufacturing techniques to
retain or create jobs in Wisconsin.
Johnsonville Sausage, LLC is the nation’s leading
manufacturer of fresh sausage products, including bratwurst, Italian
Sausage, smoked and cooked links, and fresh breakfast sausage links. The
company has products available in 39 countries and five locations in
Wisconsin.
Johnsonville Sausage, LLC is part of the NEWREP Technology
Zone, which provides incentives for high-tech growth in machine
manufacturing, food/kindred processing, information technology, and
paper/printing related, among others. The zone includes the counties of
Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Fond du Lac, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette,
Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Waushara, and
Winnebago.
For more information about Wisconsin’s Technology Zone
program, contact Amy Cumblad at the Department of Commerce at 608/266-2688.
