Madison—Assembly Bill 1/Senate Bill 1, authored by Representative Terry Katsma (R–Oostburg) and Senator Devin LeMahieu (R–Oostburg), has been passed by both houses of the state legislature and is headed to Governor Scott Walker for approval.
Masters Gallery Foods, Inc., a national supplier of cheese products headquartered in Plymouth, WI, recently announced plans to build a new packaging and distribution facility in nearby Oostburg, WI. Senate Bill 1 enables the Village of Oostburg to create a new tax incremental district at the site where the new 150,000-square-foot facility will be constructed.
“The commitment from Masters Gallery Foods to build right here in Sheboygan County is a huge win for our local economy,” explained Rep. Katsma. “The company looked at taking its expansion out of state, but instead they’re going to reinvest tens of millions of dollars back into Wisconsin where we have the dairy production and the workforce that they need.”
Executives from Masters Gallery Foods estimate that, once the new facility becomes operational in early 2018, approximately 120 new jobs will be created over the first two to three years—and as many as 200 additional new jobs in the long term.
The State Assembly voted on Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 1 with a unanimous bipartisan vote of 97-0; the bill was passed by the State Senate in January by a 33-0 vote.
“Government should not be getting in the way of business growth and job creation,” said Rep. Katsma. “I’m looking forward to working on new ideas with my colleagues to help entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes see Wisconsin as the right place to innovate and invest.”
