Contact: Mike Wagner, (608) 458-4040
MADISON – Partnerships between local and state economic developers and Alliant Energy attracted new businesses to Wisconsin and encouraged existing businesses to expand their operations.
Those collaborations led to 10 projects in 2020 that brought $326.4 million in new capital investment and created nearly 730 new jobs in communities within Alliant Energy’s Wisconsin service area. These capital investments ripple throughout the local economy as workers seek housing, shop in local stores, eat in local restaurants, and pay sales and property taxes.
“Serving our customers goes beyond providing electric or natural gas service,” said Coleman Peiffer, Alliant Energy’s senior economic and community development manager in Wisconsin. “When we help growing businesses see what our Wisconsin cities have to offer, we play a vital role in inspiring the economic growth that makes their community stronger.”
In Sheboygan, Alliant Energy’s grid investments will help Johnsonville expand its cooking innovations and produce more of its fully cooked sausage products. Construction on the 200,000-square-foot facility is expected to start this year. It will add 75 well-paying jobs in the community. The same grid improvements will also supply electricity to surrounding employers and the community.
“Alliant Energy goes above and beyond what is expected of a typical utility company. They helped not just with the Johnsonville expansion, but with all aspects of structuring our economic development projects beyond just providing standard information on power and gas,” said Eric Stavriotis, executive vice president for real estate advisory and transaction services at CBRE. “They were key to our success in helping Johnsonville select this location.”
Fostering economic growth is just one reason why Alliant Energy has been named a Top Utility in Economic Development for the last two years. The annual list recognized the company for its strong commitment to community development, job creation and partnerships with institutions of higher learning in the territories the company serves. Alliant Energy is the only Wisconsin utility to make the list for the last two years.
One partnership earned Alliant Energy a Gold Award from the International Development Council. The company collaborated with Beloit College to create The Powerhouse. This project transformed a retired coal-burning facility into a riverfront gateway to downtown Beloit. The seven-story complex includes a conference center, a theater, coffee shop, competition-style swimming pool and field turf for football, softball, baseball, lacrosse and soccer.
To learn more about Alliant Energy’s work to grow businesses in Wisconsin and Iowa go to alliantenergy.com/
