Brookfield-based
Milwaukee Tool has selected a general contractor to oversee renovations of its future downtown Milwaukee office building.
The contractor has applied for a building permit and Milwaukee Tool says things are on track for the work to begin later this month.
Milwaukee is the latest community to benefit from the rapidly growing tool and equipment manufacturer. It
recently purchased the vacant office building at 501 W. Michigan St., where it could eventually place
up to 2,000 employees.
Golden Valley, Minnesota-based
M.A. Mortenson Company was chosen as general contractor for the downtown Milwaukee project this week, Milwaukee Tool spokesperson Heather McGee said. The construction company has a
local office in Milwaukee.
The project architect is Milwaukee-based
Stephen Perry Smith Architects Inc.
McGee said renovations are slated to begin this month. She declined to provide more details on the construction work. Mortenson recently filed an application with the city to make alterations to the building.
Milwaukee Tool is receiving
up to $20 million in city incentives to finance the expansion.
The city will provide an initial $12.1 million cash grant for building renovations if the company brings at least 1,210 jobs to the city. Another $7.9 million could support a future building expansion, and the company would in turn bring another 790 employees to the downtown office.
BizTimes
recently explored the impact the Milwaukee Tool deal will have on the downtown office market, specifically the Westown neighborhood. It takes more than 370,000 square feet of vacant space off the market, dropping Westown's vacancy from 28% to 21% according to
REDIComps.
The latest BizTimes
cover story detailed how Milwaukee Tool has leaned into innovation to power its immense growth.
Locally, Milwaukee Tool is also developing a
$100 million corporate campus in Menomonee Falls and building a new
$26 million factory in West Bend. Elsewhere, it is building a $60 million, 500,000-square-foot
manufacturing facility in Mississippi.