Oshkosh Corp. gets $8M from WEDC for new HQ

State income tax credits follow Foxconn deal

OSHKOSH - Oshkosh Corp. will get $8 million in state income tax credits from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., state leaders confirmed.

The credits will support the defense contractor’s new global headquarters at the site of the former Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course and the expansion of its defense segment, which makes military vehicles for the U.S. Department of Defense, Gov. Scott Walker announced Thursday.

“We congratulate Oshkosh Corporation on its expansion and continued growth, and thank the company for its ongoing commitment to Wisconsin,” Walker said in a statement. “Oshkosh Corporation is the latest major employer to expand operations in the state because of the positive business climate and dedicated workforce.”

The announcement comes less than two months after Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn broke ground on a new facility in Mount Pleasant. The state offered Foxconn billions of dollars in incentives to build in Wisconsin.

In 2010, WEDC awarded Oshkosh Corp. $35 million in performancebased tax credits for an $87 million project expected to create about 1,000 new jobs and result in $1 billion in purchases from Wisconsin supplies, said Mark Maley, a spokesman for the agency.

Officials amended that contract in 2015, when the company’s capital investment and increased to $137 million and $2 billion, respectively, Maley said. That plus the newly announced tax credits bring the total amount of the credits to $55 million through 2020.

“This is the second time we’ve amended (the contract) because they keep growing,” Maley told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin reporter Thursday.

In addition to state tax credits for the company, the city of Oshkosh also will get $787,500 in Transportation Economic Assistance funding from the state Department of Transportation, according to the governor’s office.

The city will use that funding to

extend North Koeller and North Westfield streets and improve the intersection of Oshkosh Avenue and North Westfield, according to the state. Construction is set to begin this month, with an estimated completion date of September 2019. Improvements include new pavement, curb and gutter, storm sewer, street lights and sidewalks.

The company, which employs 6,500 workers in Wisconsin, broke ground in June on what it says will be its new 190,000-square-foot global headquarters.

Oshkosh Corp. President and CEO Wilson Jones said in a statement the company’s “business units are positioned for success” and thanked the state for its support.

“We couldn’t be more excited for the future,” Jones said.

The company has said it expects to retain 450 jobs in the Oshkosh area and could potentially create as many as 200 more over an unspecified period of time as a result of the new headquarters, according to city documents.

As part of an existing deal with the company, the city will contribute some $12 million in tax incentives and infrastructure costs to the truckmaker’s multimillion-dollar headquarters overlooking the Fox River. Oshkosh Corp. purchased 32 acres of the 108-acre public golf course for $3.2 million after a tense debate last fall.

In addition, the city created two tax incremental financing districts to help spur economic growth in the area. One of the districts comprises the headquarters site, and the other comprises a stretch of Oshkosh Avenue.