Governor Scott Walker joined Johnsonville Sausage officials Tuesday to celebrate the opening of a new Watertown, Wis. facility.
After a fire destroyed the previous facility in 2015, the company purchased a new 63,000 square-foot industrial building. The building, which opened for production May 9, was renovated and expanded to 117,000 square feet, according to Gov. Walker’s office.
“We are pleased Johnsonville Sausage decided to stay here in Watertown and remains dedicated to providing quality products and well-paying jobs to the people of Wisconsin,” Gov. Walker said.
The company was founded in 1945 by Ralph and Alice Stayer, who opened a butcher shop and named it after their hometown – Johnsonville, Wis. Today the company employs around 1,600 people.
Johnsonville Sausage paid its employees during the year that the plant had closed, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
