Contacts: Laura Smith, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162
Tony Hozeny, Department of Commerce, 608-267-9661
Company Will Create 79 New Jobs Over the Next Three Years
MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle announced today that the Town of Ledgeview in Brown County will receive a $339,000 grant from the Department of Commerce to extend water and sanitary services for BelGioioso Cheese, Inc. to support the company’s expansion. The company plans to create 79 new jobs over the next three years.
“My number one priority this year is helping our businesses create jobs and giving our workers the opportunities to get those jobs,” Governor Doyle said. “My administration is committed to helping communities with their efforts to support new economic development opportunities. I am pleased we could assist the Town of Ledgeview in helping a local business expand and create new jobs for hardworking families in Wisconsin.”
“BelGioioso is proud to continue to grow our operations and create jobs here in Wisconsin,” said Mark Schleitwiler, Vice President of BelGioioso Cheese, Inc. “BelGioioso is making a major investment in the future of our company, and we are grateful for the support of the Governor, the Department of Commerce and the Town of Ledgeview in these efforts.”
“I am thankful for the opportunity to have Ledgeview be a part of such a wonderful project,” said Jeff Van Straten, Ledgeview Town Chair. “We are fortunate to have the commitment from Governor Doyle’s Administration and from BelGioioso Cheese, Inc. to make this exciting project come to light, which is helping our economy move forward and is helping to create needed jobs.”
“This is a perfect example of how we can partner with businesses to spur growth and create jobs. I am pleased that our efforts are paying off,” said Representative Ted Zigmunt (D-Francis Creek).
BelGioioso Cheese provides over 25 varieties of Italian specialty cheese to food service and retail customers. The company is constructing a 210,000-sq. ft. building that will become its office, packaging, and distribution center. BelGioioso Cheese will create 79 full time positions over the next three years at plants in Ledgeview, Denmark, Freedom, Glenmore, and Sherwood, Wisconsin. The total project cost is over $15 million.
The Town of Ledgeview will use the grant to extend water and sanitary services to the company’s new building and the adjacent properties.
The grant is from the Department of Commerce’s Community Development Block Grant-Public Facilities and Economic Development (CDBG-PFED) program. CDBG-PFED grants play an important role in helping communities finance a wide range of projects designed to enhance the economic vitality of the community through the provision of community buildings, the expansion of tax base, job creation, and increased private investment in Wisconsin.
Since taking office in 2003, Governor Doyle has worked aggressively to create and retain jobs in Wisconsin. Because of Governor Doyle’s leadership, Wisconsin now has some of the most powerful economic development tools in the country – from new tax credits to help manufacturers create and retain jobs, to new tools to help investors create start-ups, to new incentives to spur research and development. As a result of these tax credits, numerous companies have expanded or moved operations from other states to Wisconsin – including Republic Airways in Milwaukee, Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac, and Oshkosh Corporation – creating thousands of new jobs in communities throughout the state.
Governor Doyle has laid out plans to continue building the state’s economy and create jobs, including passing the CORE Jobs Act to build on the Governor’s successful economic development tax credits and strengthen programs for manufacturing, research and development, and worker training. The Governor has also called for passing the Clean Energy Jobs Act to create 16,000 jobs in the emerging clean energy economy and is establishing the Wisconsin Green to Gold Fund to help manufacturers reduce energy costs and create and retain jobs.
The Governor has also worked to improve Wisconsin’s tax ranking and business climate. Today, Wisconsin ranks 30th in business taxes – well below the national average.
