Contact: Joshua Morby (608) 343-4100
Efforts will help Waupaca Foundry maintain one facility and grow another
Marinette – The Northeastern Wisconsin Regional Economic Development Partnership today applauded the announcement from Governor Doyle that the State of Wisconsin will provide nearly $2 million for Waupaca Foundry to upgrade its facilities in Marinette and Waupaca.
These significant economic development projects in Marinette and Waupaca are important for the entire region, said Bob DeKoch, co-chair of the Partnership. We applaud the Governor and the Legislators who worked together to make this happen.
Waupaca Foundry is one of the largest independent foundries in the nation and a major employer in the region. Founded in 1955, the company is headquartered in Waupaca.
As business leaders and community members in Northeast Wisconsin, were always looking for opportunities to grow the region, said DeKoch. While attracting new businesses is a priority, weve realized the key to success is to build on what we already have as a region and grow our existing companies, securing the great family wage paying jobs that make our region what it is. Todays news does just that.
In addition to securing more than 700 jobs in Marinette and 1,600 jobs in Waupaca, todays announcement means that Waupaca Foundry will be able to create an additional 60 jobs at the facility in Waupaca.
This is great news for the foundry, great news for the region and great news for the state, said DeKoch.
Bob DeKoch, along with Kathi Seifert (the other co-chair,) have been working with dozens of business and community leaders from around the region for more than a year to build The Northeastern Wisconsin Regional Economic Development Partnership. They have developed a plan to promote the region and strategies to align economic development efforts, create jobs and attract talent.
The partnership represents a strong collaboration between 18 counties business leaders, economic development groups, civic groups and educational institutions that have come together behind the common goals of job growth and economic vitality for the region.
The basic idea is that the power of the 18 counties in this region working together is far greater than one county or even one business alone, said Seifert. We are working together to align the efforts of 18 Northeastern Wisconsin counties to become regionally, nationally and globally recognized and competitive for job growth and expansion, while maintaining our superior quality of life.
Counties represented in the partnership include Outagamie, Winnebago, Calumet, Waupaca, Brown, Shawano, Oconto, Marinette, Door, Kewaunee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Florence, Menominee and Waushara.
