Waukesha manufacturer Innio is rolling out plans to invest $300 million to expand its facility and says it will add 500 jobs in the years to come.
The company says it wants to expand its footprint to help keep up with what it calls the "rapidly growing data center" business. Innio says it will need assembly and production workers as well as engineering and machining positions.
Innio is expanding production of its natural gas-powered engines to help companies with their energy and power needs.
Watch: Waukesha manufacturer plans $300M expansion, will create 500 jobs to meet data center demand
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation WEDC will kick in $6 million in state income tax credits if Innio meets investment and job requirements.
Waukesha resident Marc Trautman made a career out of labor. He's retired now, but he sees nothing but opportunity for the next generation.
"I would take a job like that in a heartbeat. I think it's a good opportunity," Trautman said.
"I think it's not only good for Waukesha, but the community. Knowing how Innio is, it seems like a stable company, and that's what people need nowadays is stability for a job," Trautman said.
Amanda Payne with the Waukesha County Business Alliance sees a major opportunity with Innio's announcement — in a county that already prides itself on manufacturing.
"Waukesha County alone is home to about 1000 manufacturing companies, and there are almost 40,000 manufacturing employees in Waukesha County. So certainly a strong point for us in the economy," Payne said.
The Alliance actively meets with students yearly to talk with the next generation of workers about careers — and Innio's expansion plans add to that effort.
"We want them to know about opportunities in manufacturing, in construction, hands-on opportunities and opportunities in health care. So making sure that kids get introduced to a really wide range of opportunities early on so that they can make those decisions," Payne said.
The Waukesha facility has generated significant headlines in the past about American jobs. TMJ4 was there in 2014 when President Obama talked about federal job training programs to improve the nation's job readiness.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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