Mercury Marine, the world's leading manufacturer of recreational marine propulsion engines, announced September 1 that it will be keeping jobs in Oshkosh, Wis., when it opens a new manufacturing and warehouse facility there in early 2007.
Ground was broken this week on the approximately 100,000-square-foot facility, being built on a 10-acre site on the northwest corner of Oakwood Road and Atlas Avenue. Chamco, the Oshkosh industrial development corporation, will be constructing the building for Mercury, under its nationally recognized Industrial Building Program.
The company will transfer approximately 15 jobs to the site from its existing manufacturing facility along the Fox River on Marion Road and from an exhibits design and warehouse facility in Fond du Lac.
"We're very excited Mercury decided to relocate its Oshkosh manufacturing operations in the city's Southwest Industrial Park," said Jackson Kinney, City of Oshkosh director of community development. "Not only does it keep jobs in the community, but gives Mercury the flexibility to grow its business in the future."
Following over a year of negotiations, the City of Oshkosh Redevelopment Authority acquired one of Mercury's existing Marion Road plants in late March 2006. The plant, which occupies approximately six acres of land on the Fox River, is part of the city's Marion Road/Pearl Avenue Redevelopment Area.
"Mercury Remanufacturing is proud to call Oshkosh home," said Ray Atchinson, general manager of Mercury's Remanufacturing business, based in Oshkosh. "In 1999, we set out to create the remanufacturing business to renew and remanufacture Mercury engines for our customers. We've been very successful here and look to continue to grow our business in a new, larger facility."
Mercury's new facility will be approximately 40,000 square feet larger than its existing facility, according to Doug Pearson, executive director of Chamco.
"We are pleased to work so closely in partnership with the City of Oshkosh and a client of the quality of Mercury Marine to retain an important industry in our community and enhance their future growth in Oshkosh," he said. By building a larger facility, Mercury will be able to combine operations from two different facilities into one.
"Mercury has been a very good partner during this process," Kinney stated. "While the company did not initiate the sale of their property, they recognized the community's desire to redevelop the waterfront and worked closely with us to make the land available. We believe the future benefits from redeveloping the waterfront will bring greater prosperity to Oshkosh and its citizens."
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