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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Pontoon Boat Manufacturer, Brunswick Fort Wayne Operations, Expands To New Fort Wayne, Indiana, Facility

06/14/2013
Brunswick Fort Wayne Operations, producer of Harris FloteBote and Cypress Cay Pontoons, plans to expand into a new, production facility, a 360,000-square foot manufacturing campus, at 1111 N. Hadley Road in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Brunswick Fort Wayne Operations, which currently employs 261 full-time workers, anticipates hiring an additional 200 employees by 2016. The new facility is being retrofitted and remodeled with plans to begin production at the Hadley Road location in August 2013. As production resumes, this will mean that Harris FloteBote, which was founded in Fort Wayne, will have been manufactured for more than 50 years in this region.

Brunswick’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dusty McCoy, said it was important for the firm to remain in Fort Wayne, because of the skilled and talented workforce the operations already have in place. “The pontoon boat market has seen double-digit percentage growth in recent years and the two brands produced here are growing faster than the market,” McCoy stated. “It’s a credit to our hard-working employees, dedicated dealers, and the strong supplier base that we have in place here.”

Gov. Mike Pence said, “This is a great day in the life of this community. Seeing this great facility is a testament to this company and to its leadership, nationally and locally. The investment we see here today is a credit to the people who work for this company—to the people of this region. Thank you for believing in the people of Indiana. Thank you for investing in Northeastern Indiana.”

Brunswick Fort Wayne Operations had considered other locations, but the decision to stay in Northern Indiana and invest $1.2 million to expand its operations was due in part to the support the company received from Allen County, the City of Fort Wayne, and the State of Indiana, the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance said.

Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry told company officials, “you made a commitment to the city of Fort Wayne years ago and you stayed. And when you ran out of space on State Blvd., you could have gone anywhere. You didn’t have to stay in Fort Wayne, but you chose to. That’s a stroke of genius. Growing your business speaks volumes.”

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