The news of Western Smokehouse Partners moving in to part of the old Maytag plant — valued at around $50 million when jobs and other things are factored in — wasn’t something the Knox County Area Partnership for Economic Development had a huge hand in.
But its CEO Ken Springer, tells Galesburg’s Evening News on WGIL news like this is how other businesses and manufacturers start to come here.
“When we talk to site consultants, when we talk to corporate real estate people, that’s one of the first things they ask, ‘What’s happened recently?'” said Springer. “If you go to the KCAP website, we have targeted industries that we have listed out there. Under each of those targeted industries are examples of companies that are kind of thriving in this region.”
Springer says if you think the proposed expansion isn’t big news, or good news for Galesburg, think again. He says it’s just the type of thing a community like Galesburg really can use.
And it’s good news that Eric Hanson, Galesburg City Manager, says the community needs, especially relating to the Maytag plant. He says the site has been a centerpiece of Galesburg for years, both before and after the 2004 plant closure — whether the public wanted it to be or not.
“For me, and I think probably by extension for Doug (Hankes, Chief Product Officer, Western Smokehouse Partners) as well, he grew up here as well…to finally see another use (of the Maytag plant), to finally see investment in manufacturing going back in that space on Monmouth Boulevard, I think is very gratifying.”
It was 22 years ago next week that the announcement was made that Maytag would be closing its Galesburg refrigerator plant.
The plant property was purchased by Phoenix Investors in 2019, when it wasn’t in that great of shape.
“Very few industrial real estate companies are like Phoenix, where Phoenix comes in and they invest in their property,” said Springer. “They put money into them. They help finish them off. They fix latent issues, and they get them up to the point where they are competitive buildings again.”
One part of the plant is already in use by an agriculture company, and Springer said another part was walled off for another potential tenant, which will be Western Smokehouse Partners.
The use of the former Maytag plant isn’t even the only expansion they’ve had just in Galesburg. They’re currently, Hanson says, in a multi-million dollar expansion of the Thrushwood Farms facility on Galesburg’s west side.
All in all, both Hanson and Springer agree that anyone suggesting this isn’t good news for Galesburg — or good news yet, as some on social media indicated — are likely mistaken. Hanson says he’s already worked on a number of projects like this for Galesburg since he took over as City Manager earlier this year. But, none are like the expansion of Western Smokehouse Partners.
“This one is right at the top in terms of what it means to get it to the finish line, what it took to get it to the finish line, and to see this investment coming to this community,” said Hanson. “I’m pleased, and I’m most pleased for Galesburg and for the company, and for us to be sitting here today talking about job creation rather than job reduction.”
Hanson says it means it’s finally time to stop looking in the rear view mirror, and instead start using the windshield.
(Contributing: Jay Redfern)
