WASHINGTON (SPECTRUM NEWS) — More than 1,000 jobs are headed to Northeast Wisconsin after the US Navy announced a big government contract has been awarded to a Marinette manufacturer.
“Building America’s future fleet” is more than just a tagline visible throughout the shipyard of Fincantieri Marinette Marine.
It’s also foreshadowing to yet another big job it will soon take on.
“Northeast Wisconsin is going to be building the ship that will be the foundation of the future Naval fleet and that’s something we should all be proud of,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Green Bay.
The Navy picked the local manufacturer to take on the project designing and building the service's new frigate and potentially nine more worth up to $5.5 billion.
“Think about this as a small surface combatant,” said Rep. Gallagher. “It’s that smaller ship that can go places where bigger destroyer and certainly an aircraft carrier can’t go.”
The good news for the state comes after state legislators sent a letter to Pres. Donald Trump in March asking him to push the deal to Marinette.
54 members of the legislature wrote his leadership and attention to this opportunity is vital and could secure thousands of jobs in the state.
“It not only means that that shipyard is going to stay alive for another 20 years, we’re going to have 5,600 additional jobs all things considered in the shipyard and beyond,” said Rep. Gallagher. “It provides that light at the end of the tunnel and my hope is that we look back on this moment as a moment that we start to turn the corner when it comes to coronavirus and I think it should give all us confidence that the enduring or underlying strength of our economy in Northeast Wisconsin was just to say that humble, hard work ethic that everyone has is still there.”