OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Ground was broken at the site of the future Oshkosh Corporation Monday.
“Our heart has always been here, and I’m glad that it all worked out,” said Oshkosh Corporation President, Wilson Jones.
With shovels in hand, the new four-story, 190,000 square foot building is underway.
Jones says it won’t just be the employees that benefit from the new building.
“We’re building it for some growth, capacity to grow,” he said. “But we’re also building it, as basically an institution that our corporation can benefit from.”
That includes the Oshkosh community.
The first floor of the building will consist of a room for the community.
“The first floor is going to be community focused,” Wilson continued. “We’re going to have a large conference space that can seat up to 300 people.”
The plans also include a jogging trail nearby. To build the new headquarters, the city council had to decide to do away with the existing golf course.
It comes after several concerns were raised on the decision to do away with Lakeshore Golf Course.
“The whole idea was, do we want to have that presence in the community (Oshkosh Corporation)? And I think the answer was resounding, a yes,” said Mark Rohloff, Oshkosh City Manager.
In an effort to keep the corporation in Oshkosh, the city approved selling a portion of the property to the company.
The deal to sell the lakeshore property for $35 million was voted on by the common council last November.
“The city and the leadership of the city, the city council, recognized and realized the need and value of retaining a fortune 500 company,” explained Rohloff.
As for what’s next, Rohloff says there will be plans to build on the remaining golf course land.
“The community is really going to have ownership in what ultimately becomes part of the rest of the lakeshore site,” he said.
The new building is expected to be completed next fall.
