| BROOKFIELD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEWS MAY 2016 |
|
|
|
| 
"Located in the heart of Southeastern Wisconsin, the City of Brookfield is a community of choice for families and businesses and a premier sustainable place to live, work, shop, and play." City of Brookfield 2035 Vision |
|
Milwaukee Tool begins Headquarters Expansion
MILWAUKEE TOOL, formerly known as Milwaukee Electric Tool Company, has begun construction of a major addition to their corporate headquarters campus in Brookfield. A groundbreaking ceremony on April 11th signaled the start of a four story, 206,000 square foot office building, which will be physically connected to the existing one story headquarters' building. Governor Walker, Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow, Mayor Steve Ponto, and Gale Klappa, Co-Chair of M 7, joined Steve Richman, President of MILWAUKEE TOOL in kicking off the project.
The expanded headquarters will provide for the retention of approximately 800 jobs in the current facilities and the creation of 300 - 500 additional jobs over the next 3 - 5 years. The majority of these new positions will be focused around engineering and marketing, and average annual wages are projected at $75,000.
Rendering provided by: Stephen Perry Smith Architects
MILWAUKEE TOOL was founded in 1924, and moved to its current Brookfield location in 1965. Over the last 10 years the company has redeveloped 190,000 square feet of former manufacturing space to accommodate research and development, product development, proto-typing, packaging design, marketing, sales, training facilities, and administrative offices. MILWAUKEE TOOL has grown employment at its Brookfield campus from just over 300 jobs in 2011 to almost 800 this year. The company has purchased a 3.5 acre site across Lisbon Road from the current facilities for green space, parking, and potential longer term expansion. The modern, "tech" looking office building design was reviewed and recommended by the Brookfield Plan Commission on May 9th.
Rendering provided by: Stephen Perry Smith Architects
The City of Brookfield approved Tax Increment Financing District (TIF) #6 and will provide $6 million in TIF assistance to project costs estimated at over $33 million. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will be creating an enterprise zone for the site, and refundable tax credits will be provided that will be earned based on the actual number of jobs created, and their wages. Up to $18 million in tax credits will be available.
"MILWAUKEE TOOL has had its headquarters in Brookfield since 1965, and has transformed former manufacturing space into best in class office and R&D space", said Mayor Steve Ponto. "We are pleased to work with MILWAUKEE TOOL and the other partners in this project to continue their tremendous growth at this campus. We expect that they will grow to be our largest employer in the next few years, and we are talking about high quality, family-supporting jobs."
Milwaukee 7 (M-7) is the lead agency for economic development efforts in the seven county Milwaukee region. M-7 worked with the City and WEDC on previous expansion at MILWAUKEE TOOL, and was instrumental in putting this project together as well. The strong support of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation was also critical to the project.
MILWAUKEE TOOL was assisted by Barry Chavin, of NAI/MLG Commercial as a real estate consultant. Wangard will be Milwaukee Tools' lead development and construction management consultant. Stephen Perry Smith Architects designed the modern, tech oriented office addition. Hunzinger Construction of Brookfield, will be the general contractor for the project. Construction is expected to take approximately one year, with occupancy in summer of 2017.
|
|
The Woodworker's Gym Opens in 124th St. Commerce District
A new shared facility for amateur and professional woodworkers has opened at 3220 N. 126th Street, just north of Burleigh, in the 124th Commerce District. The new business was created, and is run by Dan Meissner, an engineer with 20 years of experience at both General Motors and Harley- Davidson. Dan is an avid woodworker himself, and had studied similar shared use woodworking facilities in San Francisco, Dallas, Philadelphia and elsewhere. There are about 15 such facilities around the country.
The Woodworker's Gym is outfitted with $80,000 worth of professional-grade equipment from Milwaukee Tool, Powermatic, JET, Grizzly and Kreg. The specialized woodworking tools include a five-horsepower, industrial grade cabinet saw from SawStop that stops and retracts the blade within five milliseconds, if the blade is accidentally touched during operation. "The demonstration they always use is a hot dog," Meissner said of the SawStop. "They run a hot dog into the blade, and you look at the hot dog, and there's about an eighth of an inch nick though the skin."
Photo by: Dan Meissner
The Woodworker's Gym offers a variety of classes and memberships for use of the facilities. Saws, routers, sanders, drill presses, mortising machines, a jointer, planer, and central dust collection system provide for all range of wood working projects in a clean, well-lit shop with ample bench and floor area for larger projects. The shop lends itself to those who don't have the space or access to specialized equipment for their projects at home. It also provides for a shared experience, where wood workers can learn from others who have had more experience in more complicated furniture or other projects.
More information is available at www.TheWoodworkersGym.com
|
|
|
|
|
Wisconsin Firearms Training Center opens in 124th Commerce District
Wisconsin Firearms Training Center completed renovations to their new home at 12730 W. Burleigh in the 124th Commerce District, and held a grand opening in March. WFTC's new facilities are on a stretch of Burleigh, just west of 124th Street, that has seen acquisition and/or renovation of facilities for Exhibit Systems, Impact Networking, and Stark Paving in the last few years.
Wisconsin Firearms Training Center is a National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) Five Star indoor sport shooting and training center. Owner Dennis Barthenheier saw the need for quality training in firearm's handling and safety, after Wisconsin passed concealed carry legislation. WFTC serves local law enforcement, military personnel, and the general public.
City, County and Chamber officials assist WFTC in their ribbon cutting
Two 75 foot indoor ranges offer Meggitt carrier systems designed for law enforcement and military training. The ranges are supervised at all times by a trained Range Safety Officer (RSO). A state-of-the-art air filtration system exceeds OSHA, NIOSH and EPA standards. Air is completely cycled through the ranges once every 60 seconds.
The facilities include an education and training center, a pro shop, and visitor viewing area. The ribbon cutting and open house in early March saw hundreds of people from throughout the area tour the facilities.
|
|
Your Questions, Comments & Requests are Welcome
If you need any information for your business or for someone considering a business opportunity in Brookfield, contact:
Tim Casey
Economic Development Administrator
City of Brookfield
2000 N. Calhoun Road
Brookfield, WI 53005-5095
262-796-6694
[email protected] |
|
Subscription Information
Please share this newsletter with your company's owner, general manager and business executives. You are also welcome to forward this news to your peers doing business in Brookfield. To forward this eNewsletter, refer to the link below. Click the "Unsubscribe" link at the top of the page or the "SafeUnsubscribe" link at the bottom of the page if you do not wish to receive our newsletter. |
Brookfield Economic Development
The City of Brookfield Economic Development Administrator is Tim Casey. Economic Development Committee members include: Nate Cunniff, BMO Harris Bank; Bob Reddin, Alderman, City of Brookfield; Glen Allgaier, School District of Elmbrook; David Krutz, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP; Scott Oleson, Brookfield Square Shopping Center; Joe Weitzer, Waukesha County Technical College & Brookfield Chamber of Commerce; Brian Shecterle, Culver's Restaurant & Shecterle Commercial Properties LLC.
The Economic Development Committee generally meets on the first Monday of every month (excluding July). For meeting agendas and minutes, please visit http://www.ci.brookfield.wi.us/archive.asp
|
|
|
