WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (WSAU) — “The prize is a holy grail, it’s a unicorn, a diamond in the rough, whatever analogy you would like to use, because they don’t come around very often, or ever.”
That’s how Mayor Zach Vruwink described the announced plans for a 110,000 square feet, $80 million aluminum recycling plant for the City of Wisconsin Rapids on Wednesday.
Toronto-based Matalco selected the location in the Rapids East Commerce Center over sites in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and even other Wisconsin communities for several reasons; including access to utilities and the Center’s “shovel-ready” designation by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s Certified Site program.
“We were looking for shovel-ready, it gives us the flexibility to start almost immediately,” said Matalco Vice President of Real Estate Todd Kerr. Others with the company cited access to adequate natural gas and electricity and the proximity of rail transportation as reasons for choosing Wisconsin Rapids.
Another wild card was the nearby Mid-State Technical College campus, which Vruwink says will play a role in filling some 80 jobs for Matalco in both skilled and non-skilled labor. “Having access to apprenticeships and a workforce that I believe is ready to go to work and might be receptive to getting additional skills through training with Mid-State set us apart.”
Jobs provided by the plant will range from office work such as accounting and human resources to floor positions such as shipping and receiving and forklift operators. Other positions that the plant will employ will require very specific skill sets, according to Vice President of Corporate Development Robert Roscetti.
“We have a position that called a Metallurgist, who gets involved with our customers to make sure that whatever alloys they are looking for are blended to their specifications,” he said. Roscetti added that several electrical engineers will be hired along with a full-time general manager for the plant.
Matalco plans to take in 6000-series aluminum scraps at the facility, melt them down, then ship out a tubular structure known as a “billet” to customers who then create new products. Kerr says much of the alumium sent out by the company ends up being used in the transportation industry for things like truck rims. Other applications include window and door frames and some furniture products.
One of the companies that utilize the billets shipped out by Matalco is Crystal Finishings of Schofield and Mosinee.
Kerr and Roscetti described the process as a “closed-loop” system with virtually no wasted product. “Even what we discard as waste, goes into the system again. We are a very green business,” said Kerr.
Construction on the plant will begin as soon as the weather allows this spring and is expected to last 18 months. Kerr says the process will be completed in stages, with the buildings being constructed around the machines. “It’s almost staged construction.”
Special construction crews from around the globe will be flown into Wisconsin Rapids to complete the machines. Matalco does plan to work with local companies for structural steel and other aspects of the facility’s operations such as preventive maintenance. Local trucking companies will also be utilized for over the road services.
In addition to the shops and trucking companies, Mayor Vruwink is hoping the facility will provide a lift to the Wisconsin Rapids housing industry, which was a concern for Matalco from the start. “We know much of our housing stock was at capacity, therefore we need to add new capacity to the market. That’s where our downtown triangle project, as well as other apartment buildings and complexes, are so critical to responding to the housing needs of businesses like Matalco.”
Both officials with Matalco and Mayor Vruwink agree that the plant could be just the start of the recycling industry in Wisconsin Rapids. “[We] have available land in the vicinity to the project that the city still owns and is developable, as well as other business parks in the region. These guys will have plenty of space to grow their operation or have others grow with them.”
Vruwink adds that discussions on the project began more than a year ago through the WEDC. The city didn’t know the identity of the interested company until specific site plans and incentives were discussed. Before Wednesday’s announcement, the plan had been known by the code name “Project Aluminum” among the Mayor and his staff.
