Global manufacturer Enerpac Tool Group has officially made its move from Menomonee Falls to downtown Milwaukee.
Enerpac began working out of its new headquarters office at the end of March and held a grand opening event on Tuesday.
“We’re thrilled to be right here in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, in a space that reflects the historical and industrial feeling of our company, but also has all the modern amenities for our team to enjoy and for them to be productive and innovative as we serve our customers around the world further,” said Paul Sternlieb, Enerpac’s chief executive officer. “I think this move reflects the next stage of growth for our company.”
Sternlieb said the new, more prominent headquarters will help Enerpac grow its business, employee base and presence in the community.
Enerpac is occupying about 50,000 square feet in what’s now known as the Enerpac Center. Located at 648 N. Plankinton Ave., the building was previously known as the ASQ Center.
The building was at one time occupied by a Gimbels department store, and later by a Marshall Field’s store. It was redeveloped into a mixed-use office, hotel and retail building in 2001 by Wauwatosa-based Irgens. It is now owned by Minneapolis-based Hempel Real Estate.
Enerpac’s fourth floor office is shaped as a horseshoe with two separate wings connected by a narrower section.
The two wings are connected by the “history hall,” which chronicles the company’s story, starting in 1910 when Enerpac’s preceding company, American Grinder, was founded a few blocks away in downtown Milwaukee.
“We’ve had a ton of twists and turns,” Global communications director William Wendorff said walking through the hall.
Throughout the space, which was designed to have an industrial look, are displays of Enerpac’s industrial tool products, including cylinders, lifting and moving tools and cutting tools, among others.
Enerpac’s previous headquarters was located in an 81,503-square-foot office building built in 2011 at N86 W12500 Westbrook Crossing in Menomonee Falls. The company announced in February of 2024 that it would move to downtown Milwaukee.
One of the primary improvements in the new space is a larger innovation lab, where Enerpac develops new products.
“In Menomonee Falls, we found a corner of the basement that had some ping pong tables and some crusty boxes and tax filings, and pushed those aside,” said David Proeber, director of design and innovation. “(Our innovation function) has grown significantly since then. This new space is 3,000 square feet bigger than what we had.”
Enerpac is joining a growing number of companies that have moved or added office space in or near downtown Milwaukee in recent years, including Milwaukee Tool, Rite-Hite, Twin Disc, Regal Rexnord and Veolia.
“There’s a lot of new vibrant things are happening west of the river in downtown Milwaukee,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “You guys are here adding to the vibrancy.”
“This has been a long time in the making, over two years of planning and an incredible amount of hard work from so many people,” Sternlieb said.
Enerpac worked with commercial real estate brokerage CBRE to find the space, construction company Kraus-Anderson on the buildout and Creative Business Interiors on interior design.
