Contacts:
Tony Hozeny, Department of Commerce, 608-267-9661
Ethnie Groves, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2156
Patti Andresen-Shew, Alliance Laundry Systems,
920-748-1626
State Provides Alliance Laundry With $1 Million Loan to Help It Reenter the
Consumer Market; Company Expects to Create Several Hundred New Jobs Over the
Next 3 Years
RIPON – Governor Jim Doyle today joined with officials from
Alliance Laundry Systems, LLC of Ripon to mark the company’s reentry into
the U.S. consumer laundry equipment market with the launch of the Speed
Queen washer and dryer line. The Governor said the company’s investment in
its manufacturing plant was facilitated in part by a $1 million Community
Development Block Grant loan from the state Department of Commerce to help
the company purchase equipment for its new product line.
“This is a new beginning for a great Wisconsin company, and
another sign that our economic development efforts are paying off,” Governor
Doyle said. “We have worked hard to create a better business climate for
our manufacturers, from my no tax-increase budget to helping manufacturers
meet the rising costs of energy. As a result, Wisconsin’s manufacturing
industry is doing better than any of Midwestern neighbors, and this news is
just another example of that.”
“We are excited to be re-entering the U.S. consumer market,”
said Tom L’Esperance, CEO of Alliance Laundry Systems, LLC. “As a leading
manufacturer of commercial laundry equipment, we plan to bring that same
commercial reliability and quality to the home.”
With the launch of the new product line, the company is
expected to create several hundred new jobs over the next three years.
Along with the $1 million loan from the Department of Commerce, the
Department of Workforce Development is also providing Alliance Laundry
Systems with a $250,000 grant over the next three years to assist the
company with recruitment, assessment, and skill training of its workers in
conjunction with its local partner the Fox Valley Workforce Development
Board.
As part of the product launch, Tom L’ Esperance and Governor
Doyle presented one of the company’s first new, consumer washer and dryer
sets to the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh.
Alliance Laundry Systems, LLC was founded in 1908 and was
one of the first United States manufacturers of laundry equipment. The
company is currently an industry leader in the manufacturing of commercial
laundry equipment. The re-launch of Speed Queen marks Alliance Laundry
System’s return to manufacturing for the consumer market in the United
States.
