Riverside Machine & Engineering Inc., a company that specializes in precision machining and aluminum vacuum furnace brazing, is expanding its operations in western Wisconsin. The firm, which has run out of room at its landlocked Chippewa Falls facility, is relocating to Eau Claire, where it will embark on the $5.7 million expansion project and create 20 jobs.

The firm will purchase and renovate a 159,000-square-foot building in the Gateway Industrial Park on the west side of Eau Claire, which had been occupied by Hutchinson Technology Inc. Riverside is expected to move to the new facility this summer.

“We’re pleased this family-owned business has decided to stay and grow in western Wisconsin,” said Governor Scott Walker. “This is yet another sign of the continued strength of the manufacturing sector not just in that region, but throughout Wisconsin.”

Because of increased customer demand, Riverside needs to expand its manufacturing operations and does not have the capacity to do so at its existing Chippewa Falls facility, Wisconsin Economic Development said.

“On behalf of the City Council, I am pleased to welcome Riverside Machine and Engineering to Eau Claire. As a new employer in the city, it is very exciting to anticipate the promise of new jobs,” said Kerry Kincaid, President of the Eau Claire City Council. “The city is ready and willing to make our relationship with Riverside a lasting and positive one.”

As an incentive, the company received a $1 million loan from Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, which is contingent upon Riverside creating 20 jobs over the next three years, retaining 71 existing positions, and maintaining those jobs until at least 2019. Riverside Machine & Engineering has been providing precision machining and aluminum vacuum furnace brazing for more than 25 years. In 1996, it was acquired by Minnesota-based Metal Craft, which was founded in 1978 by Jack Mowry. The company serves the defense, aerospace, electronics, and health care industry.