THIS EMPTY BUILDING, KNOWN AS THE S & H BUILDING IN MAQUOKETA'S INDUSTRIAL PARK, WILL COME TO LIFE SOON AS THE HOME OF A NEW INDUSTRY FOR MAQUOKETA. LAST YEAR, IT WAS GIVEN TO JACKSON COUNTY BY THE OWNER AND THE COUNTY IS SELLING IT TO A WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN FIRM. HUSCO
INTERNATIONAL, A GLOBAL FIRM BASED IN WAUKESHA, ANNOUNCED TODAY AT A PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE MAQUOKETA CITY HALL THAT THEY WILL EXPAND
THEIR OPERATION IN THE TIMBER CITY INDUSTRAIL PARK, IN THE VACANT ABOVE 55,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING. THEY SPECIALIZE IN BUILDING HYDRAULIC AND ELECTRO HYDRAULIC CONTROLS, FOR MANY CUSTOMERS WORLD WIDE AND JOHN DEERE IS ONE OF THEIR MAJOR CUSTOMERS. THEY WILL COMPLETELY RE-DO
THE INTERIOR AND IN ABOUT 3 YEARS, ADD AN ADDITION TO IT. THEY HOPE TO
BE IN OPERATION THIS FALL WITH A START UP WORKFORCE OF AROUND 70 PEOPLE
AND IN ABOUT 36 MONTHS, EXPECT TO BE UP TO BETWEEN 200 AND 250 EMPLOYEES. MOST WILL BE HIRED LOCALLY, AS THEY PLAN TO BRING IN ONLY A FEW PEOPLE FROM OTHER PLANTS. ALL INDACATIONS ARE THAT THIS WILL
BE A VERY GOOD INDUSTRY FOR MAQUOKETA AND WILL BE PAYING GOOD WAGES.
GETTING THEM TO LOCATE HERE WAS A J OINT EFFORT BY THE CITY OF MAQUOKETA AND JACKSON COUNTY. HUSCO IS A PRIVATELY HELD CORPORATION AND THE MAQUOKETA PLANT (THEY ALSO HAVE ONE IN WHITEWATER, WISCONSIN
IN ADDITION TO WAUKESHA AND TWO OR THREE FOREIGN PLANTS) WILL HOUSE NEW PRODUCT LINES BEING INTRODUCED BY THE COMPANY IN 2008. THEIR CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER SAID HUSCO DECIDED TO LOCATE IN MAQUOKETA BECAUSE THEY WERE CONVINCED WORKER SKILLS AND TECHNICAL
TRAINING CAPABILITIES ARE SUPERIOR TO THOSE OF OTHER LOCATIONS THEY REVIEWED. A BIG ECONOMIC BOOST FOR MAQUOKETA TODAY. I WILL PROBABLY HAVE MORE INFORMATION NEXT WEEK ABOUT THE NEW INDUSTRY.
HAPPY EASTER.
DENNIS VOY