You know there's about to be good news announced when the politicians show up and hold an event. That was the scene last week in a production building at
Marinette Marine, the largest single employer in the Marinette-Menominee area.
The reason the politicians showed up became clear as soon as the announcement started to the gathered company workers. The U.S. Navy decided to have new Littoral Combat Ships constructed at the site with the initial order standing at 10. The Navy has indicated in the past that it may require up to 55 of the ships in the coming years.
The only delay is waiting for congressional approval, which is expected in the next six weeks.
The order for 10 ships will mean an increase of employment to 2,000 people at Marinette Marine, or about double the current workforce. Hiring at the facility is expected to hit next year and continue through 2013. The average wage at Marinette Marine is around $45,000, and the company's president, Richard McCreary, says the contract is expected to generate more than $500 million in economic activity annually in the area.
"For the Marinette and Menominee area, it would revitalize the economy here," McCreary says.
U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) was on hand along with Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Senator Carl Levin (D-MI).
"This purchase of ships will create thousands of critical jobs in the Marinette-Menominee area and will help spur economic growth in our local communities throughout the Upper Peninsula," Stupak says.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Richard McCreary, Marinette Marine
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