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Posted November 20, 2015

Milwaukee Tool plans to expand Wisconsin headquarters

Milwaukee Tool announced that it is working on a proposed major expansion of its Brookfield, Wis., headquarters.


The project would lead to the retention of approximately 800 jobs in the current facilities and the creation of roughly 500 additional jobs in a planned 200,000 square foot office expansion at the Milwaukee Tool headquarters campus.

Milwaukee Tool moved to Brookfield in 1965, and over the last 10 years 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. The company has grown employment at its Brookfield campus from just over 300 jobs in 2011 to almost 800 this year. Milwaukee Tool would purchase a 3.5 acre site across Lisbon Road from the current facilities for green space, parking, and potential longer term expansion. A 200,000 square foot, four story office building would be built on the campus, adjoined to the current main facility.

Milwaukee Tool estimates that 300 new jobs would be added in the next three years, and 500 in the next five years. The majority of these new positions will be focused around engineering and marketing.

The City of Brookfield is proposing a Tax Increment Financing District (TIF) which would provide $6 million in TIF assistance to project costs estimated at over $33 million.

The company has applied to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation for assistance to the project. WEDC representatives have met with company officials and local partners to discuss this opportunity. Milwaukee Tool is exploring other options for the needed office space to facilitate its continued growth, but would prefer to keep all of its product research, design, and development within the campus.

“While we are currently exploring all opportunities and locations to fulfill our expansion needs, we would prefer to keep all of our product research, design, and development within the Brookfield campus,” said Ty Staviski, CFO for Milwaukee Tool. “This would be the best case scenario for business continuity and synergies across the board.”

“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 Brookfield Mayor Steve Ponto. “We are prepared 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.”

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