Contacts:
Tony Hozeny, Department of Commerce, 608-267-9661
Jessica Erickson, Governor’s Office, 608-261-2156
Award Will Assist Company as it Creates 129 New Jobs in
Central Wisconsin
WAUSAU – Governor Jim Doyle announced today that Eastbay,
Inc. of Wausau will receive $250,000 in Technology Zone tax credits, helping
the company create and retain jobs and make a major investment in its
workplace.
“Fostering the growth of technology businesses statewide is
absolutely essential to a strong, healthy Wisconsin economy. And through my
Grow Wisconsin initiative, we are working hard to grow our technology base
by supporting regional cooperation and enhancing our Technology Zone
program,” Governor Doyle said. “I am pleased that we are able to provide
these credits to Eastbay, assisting the company as it creates family
supporting jobs and makes a new investment in Central Wisconsin.”
The award will help Eastbay, Inc. retain 624 jobs at its
call center and distribution center, create 129 jobs, and move forward with
a $11.1 million investment in high-tech equipment.
“To accommodate our expected continued year over year
growth, we recently doubled the size of our distribution center and
modernized the facility,” said Dick Johnson, president of Eastbay, Inc.
“This investment places Footlocker.com/Eastbay at the cutting edge of
distribution center technology. We expect that this continued growth will
lead to the creation of additional job opportunities in the central
Wisconsin area.”
Wisconsin’s Technology Zone program is a new economic
development initiative that helps stimulate the growth of businesses in
Wisconsin’s high-technology sectors. Under the program, tax credits are
made available to high tech businesses locating or expanding in one of eight
technology zones statewide.
Last November, Governor Doyle signed legislation that
enhances the Technology Zone program by fixing a flaw in the program that
prevented companies that organized their corporate structure as a limited
liability company or a partnership – which includes many small businesses
and start-up companies – from competing equally for the available credits.
“This new law makes these tax credits more accessible to
more small companies statewide and to technology companies in the start-up
phase when financial assistance is most critical,” Governor Doyle said.
“Most importantly, it will encourage job creation and capital investment in
the technology sector.”
Established in 1980 to meet the performance needs of area
athletes, Eastbay, Inc., has grown into a world supplier of quality athletic
footwear, apparel, and equipment. In 1997, Footlocker, Inc., purchased
Eastbay, Inc. Footlocker.com/Eastbay currently manages the catalog,
Internet, and fulfillment business for the National Basketball Association
(NBA) and National Football League (NFL).
Eastbay, Inc. is within the North Central Advantage
Technology Zone, which provides incentives for high-tech growth in
manufacturing, papermaking and printing, health care, agriculture and food
processing, and finance and insurance clusters, among others. The zone
includes the counties of Adams, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida,
Portage, Vilas, and Wood.
Since 2000, the Department of Commerce has provided more
than $21.2 million in loans and grants to 148 Marathon County projects that
retained 2,921 jobs, created 624 jobs, and leveraged $62.8 million in new
investment.
For more information about Wisconsin’s Technology Zone
program, contact Amy Cumblad at the Department of Commerce at (608)
266-2688.
