Milwaukee-based ER Wagner Manufacturing Co. Inc. purchased a 31.7-acre site in Menomonee Falls for $1.5 million, according to state records.
The company is considering plans to move its operations to a new facility that would be built on the site, located at W130 N8691 Old Orchard Road. The property was sold to E.R. Wagner by Milwaukee-based Rite Hite Holding Corp.
In July, E.R. Wagner president and chief executive officer Lew Schildkraut said the company has no specific plans or timelines for moving its operations. It could take a year to make the decision to move, and then another two years to build and move.
The company’s proposed Menomonee Falls building would consist of 135,000 square feet of manufacturing space, plus 22,000 square feet of office space.
Schildkraut said the company has been looking at the site for the last 18 to 24 months. He said it is attractive because it is near the Highway 41/45 corridor and it is centrally located for its employees. He said 40 percent of employees live in Milwaukee and 60 percent reside outside of Milwaukee from as far away as West Bend, Hustisford, and Illinois.
As the site is eight miles away from its current location, he said employees will not have to lose their jobs or relocate.
ER Wagner has been located in Milwaukee for 115 years. Schildkraut said the potential move from its location at 4611 N. 32nd St. in Milwaukee has more to do with the company’s current facilities. The company occupies three adjacent buildings on the property that total 160,000 square feet, and they carry challenges like disintegrating floors due to their age.
