MARINETTE, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) – President Trump made his first visit to Wisconsin Thursday since holding a rally in Milwaukee in January.

The commander-in-chief toured Fincantieri Marinette Marine to tout job creation and how his administration is helping to expand the shipyard.

• READ: A Look Inside President Trump's Visit to Wisconsin Thursday

President Trump visited Marinette Thursday with a positive economic message. He said that at one time things for the shipyard looked bleak and uncertain, but the fortunes of the company turned around in April when they were offered a contract from the U.S. Navy.

“They're magnificent crafts with tremendous firepower, all built in Wisconsin, so we're very happy about that,” President Trump said.

After a brief tour, the president went outside to a crowd of employees and touted his administration's actions to help expand the shipyard.
 

In April, Fincantieri Marinette Marine was awarded a nearly $800 million contract to build a first-of-its-kind guided-missile ship for the Navy.

The contract includes the possibility for nine additional ships and could be worth up to $5.5 billion if all options are exercised. 

“It's one of the biggest contracts you've seen in the state,” President Trump said. “An estimated 15,000 additional new jobs will be created through the Wisconsin supply chain. You notice that's not a supply chain going through China and going through other countries. It's called Wisconsin, isn't that nice?”

Thursday marked the first time a sitting president has visited the shipbuilder.
 

Tyler Cahill, who has a management role at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, grew up in Marinette.

“It's huge for the Marinette area,” Cahill said. “I mean if you're traveling north of Green Bay that's the only way anybody ever hears about Marinette.”

Cahill said when he graduated in 2006 it was hard to find jobs, but after serving in the Navy, the shipyard gave him a reason to move back home.

“I coach kids hockey, we have a brand new beautiful rec center that got built here in Marinette, new hospital, a lot of my friends are moving back to the area opening brand new businesses, so there's starting to be a lot more for people to move to the area for,” Cahill said.
 

Cahill got to share that message on stage alongside the president—something he'll never forget.

“I could still be just a little starstruck by it, but we're all probably going to come back and work tomorrow, tie on our work boots and just keep going back to work,” Cahill said. “I mean we've got ships to build.”