Matthew Harrison, the CEO of the Greater Grenada Partnership, had a client with him Thursday, who is pondering the location of a manufacturing facility in the area.
That client was likely impressed with what he saw as a member of the more than 150 on hand to see Milwaukee Tool unveil its new manufacturing facility, which is expected to bring more than 800 jobs to the eight-county area.
The location of Grenada along Interstate-55, about halfway between Jackson and Memphis, has become a hot spot for projects as Ice Industries recently announced a $4 million expansion of its facility, which primarily serves the automotive, HVACR, appliance and off-highway markets as a one-stop stamping, welding and painting center.
Executives from Milwaukee Tool and dignitaries from throughout the state participated in the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday at what will become the new site of the estimated 563,000 square foot facility that will make and assemble Milwaukee Tool products.
“Anytime you have a really good manufacturing presence with a brand name that people will recognize, it just says that the community is open for business. It also says the state is open for business. That’s a positive image for us and for manufacturing,” Harrison said.
Manufacturing is the most extensive form of employment in and around Grenada, with up to 35% of the workforce employed in at least one area of the industry.
“Per capita, Grenada is probably the most significant manufacturing community on Interstate 55 in Mississippi,” Harrison said. “The amount of manufacturing here is about double the state average. We are still doing some research on that but right now … the amount of people working in manufacturing is staggering.”
The cluster of manufacturing in the workforce retail hub consists of the counties of Grenada, Tallahatchie, Calhoun, Webster, Yalobusha, Carroll and Leflore.
Harrison now has manufacturing suitors knocking on his door consistently. He said he leads up to three site visits a week for people interested in locating in and around the Grenada area.
The new Milwaukee Tool facility building will be a visual statement for those driving the I-55 corridor, much like that of Nissan in Madison County and Continental Tire in Hinds County.
“You are not going to miss that facility,” Harrison said. “That’s great for Grenada, and that’s great for the state. All the traffic and the interstate traffic between Memphis and Jackson and people coming into the state to do business, whether it is industrial clients, prospects or consultants or it is just people doing business between the communities.”
Kevin Horan, State Rep. District 34, said he was surprised when he first saw the facility design.
“I was just blown away,” he said. “We are looking forward to having Milwaukee as part of the Grenada community, and we will continue to support their growth efforts.”
Without having ever opened the doors for business, the trickle-down impact of the Milwaukee Tool project has taken shape.
Technically, the groundbreaking has officially been underway for about a month and a half as far as actually moving dirt, and there was a lot of dirt. It’s an 80-acre site with much to be accomplished in the next 18-24 months.
“The larger groups will come in when we start pouring concrete. That’s when we will start seeing more of an impact just from the construction phase alone,” Harrison said. “The estimated number of construction workers and contractors is close to 1,500 people working for up to two years. To get this facility finalized is a huge economic boom unto itself.”
The new Grenada facility will be a link in the chain of the company’s other locations throughout Mississippi. Milwaukee Tool currently has manufacturing, distribution and assembly facilities in Greenwood, Jackson, Olive Branch and Clinton, having invested more than $209M in expansion in the state over the last five years.
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“The State of Mississippi continues to be a valued partner for us as we grow and seek out the very best talent. We look forward to working with Grenada County to provide its residents a best-in-class work environment,” Scott Griswold, President of Power Tool Accessories at Milwaukee Tool, said in a statement.
The new facility is expected to open in mid-2023. Milwaukee Tool is currently hiring for machine operators, technicians, warehousing/inventory, shipping/receiving, engineering and management roles at www.milwaukeetool.jobs.
Ross Reily can be reached by email at [email protected] or at 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.
