City of Neenah : Neenah company announces major expansion

Custom Marine will double manufacturing capability and add 30 new employees

NEENAH, March 8, 2006– Officials from the City of Neenah announced a deal today with Custom Marine, Inc. (CMI) – a subsidiary of CompX Marine Inc. – that will allow the company to relocate its facility, remain in Neenah, and double its manufacturing capabilities, creating more than 30 new jobs.

“This is great news not only for the City of Neenah, but for the entire New North region,” said Neenah Mayor George Scherck.  “We are excited that Custom Marine has made the commitment to stay here.”

“The people in Northeast Wisconsin know what it takes for a business to be successful,” said CMI’s founder and president Joe Zelinski. “The City of Neenah and the officials from New North, Inc. made this happen for the region. We’re excited to remain a part of the community, and we look forward to doing business here for a long time.”

The $5 million project will more than double Custom Marine’s manufacturing facility to 95,000 square feet, allowing them to add more than 30 full-time employees within the first two years of operation. Employee salaries range from $10 to $30 per hour.

“We’ll be looking for a variety of skilled welders, machinists, engineers, and technicians, as well as maintenance and administrative staff,” Zelinski said. “We know the work force is here and we’re eager to get moving with the project.  Our Wisconsin workforce is one of the best in the country, and some of our most important customers are located in the New North.”

In addition to selling custom stainless steel exhaust systems to performance boat builders and a variety of mufflers and exhaust components to industrial manufacturers around the country, Mercury Marine and Mercury Racing of Fond du Lac – as well as Scag Power Equipment in Mayville and Ingersoll Equipment Company in Winneconne – are some of Custom Marine’s larger customers.

Working together, We Energies and the City of Neenah were able to identify Custom Marine’s, infrastructure needs and address their concerns in order to make possible the move from their current First Street location to a new industrial site at the junction of Hwy 41 and CTH G.  The Mayor’s Office has proposed for City Council approval a $250,000 infrastructure upgrade, through the use of Tax Incremental Financing, to facilitate this high-value manufacturing project.

“The hard work of local officials and the top notch efforts of the economic development professionals from our region, like Bob Buckingham in Neenah, are extremely helpful in putting together deals like this,” said Jerry Murphy, executive director of the New North, Inc.  “Whether it’s working with Alta Resources to facilitate their expansion and create nearly 300 new jobs, or working with Custom Marine to double the size of their facility and add more than 30 new jobs, the economic development teams in the New North know how to get the job done.”

New North, Inc. is a regional collaboration effort focused on promoting regional cooperation and economic development in an 18-county region in Northeast Wisconsin.  The 18 counties included in the New North are Outagamie, Winnebago, Calumet, Waupaca, Brown, Shawano, Oconto, Marinette, Door, Kewaunee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Florence, Menominee, and Waushara.

To find out more information about the New North, Inc., please visit our website at http://www.thenewnorth.com.  For information on Custom Marine, please visit their website at http://www.custommarine.com or their parent company CompX at http://www.compxnet.com.  Information on development opportunities in the City of Neenah can be found at http://www.ci.neenah.wi.us.