Contacts: Laura Smith, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162
Tony Hozeny, Department of Commerce, 608-267-9661
Company to Construct New Engineering Center of Excellence in Marinette; Retain Hundreds of Jobs
MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle announced today that Tyco Fire Suppression & Building Products (TFS&BP), a division of Tyco International, will receive $837,000 in tax credits from the Department of Commerce to help the company locate its engineering headquarters in Marinette. The new Center of Excellence will allow Tyco to retain engineering expertise in Marinette while providing additional capacity for future growth.
“My number one priority this year is helping our businesses create jobs and giving our workers the opportunities to get those jobs,” Governor Doyle said. “I’m pleased we could provide this assistance to help Tyco construct a new engineering headquarters in Marinette and retain hundreds of jobs for hardworking Wisconsin families.”
“Our investment in the new Center of Excellence will enable Tyco to solidify its leadership role in the fire protection industry, while providing world-class facilities for product design engineering, testing laboratories, and research & development,” said Jay Thomas, Vice President of Engineering for TFS&BP.
Tyco is investing $10 million to construct a new Center of Excellence in Marinette that will house the company’s engineering headquarters. The project will also include renovation and expansion of existing testing laboratories, training and marketing facilities. The new center will house product design engineering, research and testing laboratories, product management, marketing communications, and product training personnel. It will also be used as an enhanced training facility, called the Ansul Fire School, which will provide basic firefighting techniques for its customers.
Tyco Fire Suppression & Building Products provides fire protection products, such as fire extinguishers and fire detection systems, sold under the ANSUL and PYRO-CHEM brand names. In 1990, Tyco acquired Ansul Fire Protection, now Tyco Fire Suppression & Building Products, which has had an active presence in the Marinette community since 1912.
Since taking office in 2003, Governor Doyle has worked aggressively to create and retain jobs in Wisconsin. Because of Governor Doyle’s leadership, Wisconsin now has some of the most powerful economic development tools in the country. The Governor’s efforts have helped Wisconsin companies expand and create thousands of new jobs in communities throughout the state. The Governor has also worked to improve Wisconsin’s tax ranking and business climate. Today, Wisconsin ranks 30th in business taxes – well below the national average.
Governor Doyle has also laid out plans to continue building the state’s economy and create jobs, including passing the CORE Jobs Act to strengthen successful programs for manufacturing, research and development, and worker training; creating the Wisconsin Green to Gold Fund to help manufacturers reduce energy costs and create and retain jobs; and passing the Clean Energy Jobs Act to create more than 16,000 jobs in the emerging clean energy economy.
