State loan will help Allen Edmonds expand in Port Washington

Gov. Jim Doyle today announced $1.5 million in state assistance for Port Washington-based Allen Edmonds Shoe Corp. to expand and create up to 200 jobs.
The state is providing a $1.5 million Community Development Block Grant Economic Development (CDBG-ED) loan to Allen Edmonds to invest in its $3 million expansion project, which will create up to 200 jobs. The project will also retain 220 jobs at the company’s plant in Port Washington.
The company’s expansion project will increase production at the Port Washington manufacturing plant. The growth will include expansions of the warehouse and the handsewn and recraft lines, a new custom line, and upgrades to the existing plant and machinery and equipment, along with training new and existing employees on new production and distribution processes.
Paul Graangard, chief executive officer of Allen Edmonds, said the company is receiving a forgivable loan from the state. If Allen Edmonds hires 100 new workers, the loan will be partially forgiven, and if it hires 200 new employees, the loan does not need to repaid, Graangard said. The company expects to have hired 50 new workers by December, he said.
“In Wisconsin, one of our great strengths is high quality manufacturing,” Doyle said. “We have the best workers in the world and in Wisconsin we have a higher percentage of our workers in manufacturing than any other state. The success of Allen Edmonds Shoe Corp. is a real testament to Wisconsin’s dedication to quality, and I am really proud the state is a strong partner in Allen Edmonds’ efforts to expand its operations here in Wisconsin.”