Manufacturing Month Shines Light on Major Impact of Local Companies

October is Manufacturing Month in Wisconsin
– and many businesses around the state and Fond du Lac County
are major contributors to the manufacturing industry. Jim Cleveland is Envision
Greater Fond du Lac’s Director of Outreach and Client Services – and he says
you don’t have to look far to see the impact of manufacturing in our community. 

He tells us “manufacturing is extremely
important to our local economy and I think, if you take a look around our area,
you see companies such as Mercury Marine right here in Fond du Lac. Out in the industrial parks,
you’re going to see a lot of buildings out there. And a lot of them are really
churning at big levels right now.”

Cleveland says over 14-percent of job positions in our area are production-related. That number statewide is 11.3 percent , and just under seven-percent across the country. He says those numbers point to one
indisputable fact, and that is that 
Wisconsin is a manufacturing state. We make
stuff here. And we make really, really cool things. Whether it’s an outboard
motor, whether it’s an Ariens snow-thrower, whether it’s a John Deere tractor –
what have you – there’s just a lot of stuff being made in the state.”

Cleveland adds that “since 2009, local manufacturing
throughout our county has invested over one-billion dollars into this area.
Whether it be research and development, investments in plant expansions, real
estate expansions, equipment expansions – one billion dollars. That’s huge.”