Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/1135606
18 | I NSIGH T • J u l y 2 0 19 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m • PLACES continued Powering the economy Manufacturing remains heart of Fond du Lac's growth With one in three Fond du Lac County jobs tied to manufacturing, the industry remains the engine driving Fond du Lac's economy. Mercury Marine, which has invested more than $1.14 billion in expansion and R&D work in the city since 2008, recently completed two projects: a new $10 million noise, vibration and harshness testing facility and a 23,500-square-foot, $9 million addition to its diecasting facility. In addition, in May it broke ground on a $17 million, 30,000-square-foot expansion of its propeller-casting facility. "Mercury Marine keeps growing and their investment in our community is always a good sign," says M. Scott Powell, vice president of economic development for Envision Greater Fond du Lac. "ey are our largest manufacturing employer and so important to the local economy." Mercury Marine is not alone in its growth. Mid-States Aluminum, a supplier of aluminum extrusions, is finishing a $23 million, 36,000-square-foot expansion project. "ey have a new extrusion press line that's more than two football fields long," Powell says. C.D. Smith Construction recently completed a major economic development project in the city: a new $11 million, 50,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in the Ledgeview Business Park, near the intersection of U.S. 151 and Interstate 41. e family-owned company used sustainable materials, including exposed concrete, wood decking and reclaimed materials. e new building also includes B Y M A R Y B E T H M AT Z E K a curtain wall and glass that will allow for daylight harvesting and natural lighting. Motorized roller shades and automatic lighting controls will maintain high energy efficiency. ere's also access to a nearby solar structure from which to draw power. Another big success for the area was attracting Johnstone Supply, which is building a new 25,000-square-foot facility in the Northgate Business Park in North Fond du Lac, Powell says. Johnstone Supply, a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration supply company, hopes to move into the facility next summer. e location will be a division of its Milwaukee office. Johnstone did not wait to get into the market and is leasing space until its facility is built. While the company was lucky to find the space it needed, that's not always the case, Powell says. "One challenge we have is that companies come in and they want to get into space right away," he says. "ey don't have time to waste." at was one reason Envision took the unusual step of working with Keller Inc. of Kaukauna to virtually design two buildings, one 50,000 square feet and one 100,000 square feet, that have everything titled and approved. "ose buildings could be built in just a few months. Of course, the buyers can make them a little different, but they're basically done, and the business just has to give the go-ahead and construction can get going," he says. Powell says developing virtual buildings isn't common, but it provides less risk than building a facility on spec and hoping a business buys or leases it. "Doing this just provides us with another way to market ourselves," he says. West of Fond du Lac on U.S. 151, the trade war with China has put a $150 million project on hold in Waupun. Last year, the city and a developer reached an agreement to build a soybean crushing facility, which would have been the first in Wisconsin. Questions over the profitability of the soybean market — China is the No. 1 buyer of U.S. soybeans, but has scaled back its purchases immensely due to President Trump's tariffs — made it challenging for the project to secure funding, says Kathy Schlieve, director of Waupun's Economic Development Department. With the uncertainty, Schlieve says the city decided to end its development agreement. "ey understand we can't hold the space open for them and pass up on other potential projects for that site," she says. "We hope to see that project come to fruition, but right now they can't get funding because the market is so unsettled. It's a good site with C.D. Smith Construction recently completed its new $11 million, 50,000-square- foot corporate headquarters in Fond du Lac's Ledgeview Business Park. "One challenge we have is that companies come in and they want to get into space right away. ey don't have time to waste." – M. Scott Powell, vice president of economic development, Envision Greater Fond du Lac