Catalyst Exhibits, a marketing company that specializes in the design, development, fabrication and management of exhibits and displays for tradeshows and expos, will move to a 144,000 square foot building in Pleasant Prairie from its current facility in Crystal Lake, Ill.
Catalyst Exhibits has 88 employees and expects to hire about 25 new workers over the next two years as it expands. The company will invest about $2.5 million in building upgrades and new equipment in preparation for the move, it said.
“We anticipate our business growing and the economy growing and we’re excited to do it here in Wisconsin,” said Tim Roberts, CEO of Catalyst. “We’re positioned well for the future and look forward to becoming a productive corporate citizen for the State of Wisconsin and Kenosha County.”
The company received a $500,000 loan from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce to assist in the move. The Kenosha Area Business Alliance is providing the company with a $1.25 million low-interest loan, which will help pay for building renovations and new equipment.
“There’s a great team in Wisconsin and particularly Kenosha County right now – Governor Walker and his administration, the Department of Commerce, the Village of Pleasant Prairie and Kenosha County – working together to set the table and create the environment and confirm that Wisconsin is open for business,” said KABA president Todd Battle. “Then we rely on entrepreneurs and innovators like Tim and his team at Catalyst to make investments, grow companies, and create economic activity and jobs.”
KABA’s revolving loan program was capitalized in the 1980s. The fund has grown to more than $28 million today and is an important economic development tool. Over the last three years, KABA has invested approximately $15 million in Kenosha County economic development projects.
