“Increased consumer demand and elevated retail activity have resulted in the need for us to expand our motorhome manufacturing capacity,” said Winnebago Chairman, CEO and President Randy Potts. “We were pleased to locate a facility that will meet our immediate needs for additional sub-assembly space, and which is also essentially move-in ready. The new facility is also within 100 miles of Forest City, which will enable cost-efficient transportation of component parts to our main campus.”
The new Waverly facility will be used for wire loom assembly activities for the Company’s motorhomes, and this operation will be relocated from the Forest City campus over the coming months. Located in Waverly’s SW Business Park, the building was constructed in 1995. A purchase agreement was entered into in late February and due diligence is proceeding. Assuming no issues are found, it is hoped that the closing can happen within the next 45-60 days. An investment of $1.5 – $2M is anticipated over the next few quarters to purchase the building and for start-up expenses.
As announced in November 2013, Winnebago expanded manufacturing for the Company’s Winnebago Touring Coach (Class B) motorhomes to a new Lake Mills Assembly Facility. The Company celebrated the completion of the first Travato rolling off the line in March of 2014.
16 thoughts on “Winnebago purchases Waverly building for manufacturing expansion”
The north end should be first in line for the new hockey rink and hotel. The north end has waited long enough for re-vitalization.
City Hall forgot about the North End, again. They were supposed to force the demo of the buildings at the 1400 block of North Federal, and there they still sit. Too dumb to multi-task while they dream of a hotel and people ice skating in the mall.
Didn’t Winnebago just leave Hampton a few years ago? Makes me wonder why Waverly is such a good fit then if its farther away from their home base.
Get real. It’s not that Winnebago can’t find workers. They just can’t find any that will work for 12 bucks an hour.
Amen Grizz! Pay them and they will come!
The new place coming to Clear Lake (McKesson) is paying their workers (3 hours away) $22 bucks an hour. They will bring those jobs to Clear Lake for under $15 bucks an hour? Are the people in this area not worthy of the $22? The multi billion dollar company probably cannot afford it huh?
I heard about that. The CL jobs won’t pay nearly what they have been bragging about – for the most part. Still almost double what Mason City thinks is a great wage, though.
They can’t find anybody that wants to work around here.
Waverly. I know for a fact that they looked at the old Curries building on 9th street. I wonder what turned them off on Mason City. Does anyone suppose the Chamber of Commerce stopped the deal. They wouldn’t want someone like Winnebago because they couldn’t control them.
There are a lot of out of work people in Mason City, but it seems they don’t want to work, looks like the unemployed people that live here would rather live off the government doal. Winnebago has already reached out to Mason City and has a bus that runs them to work and back for those that can’t drive and they can’t even fill that bus. I think the Waverly move is a good one for Winnebago, they will draw workers from Waterloo and the New Hampton area.
I just wonder where all the employee’s are going to come from to fill the jobs at the new distribution center in Clear Lake. There will probably be a lot of new people moving to the area. I wonder what city they will decide to live in? Mason City better get some lipstick out if they want to improve on the new resident base.
I was in Clear Lake today. A stark contrast to MC. The businesses, buildings, everything is much cleaner and better-kept. People were busy working on docks, painting, trimming, working. Not so much here in MC. I did, however, see a man next to the railroad tracks along Highway 122, stumbling and falling down, appeared to be drunk. Police officer was standing over him.
Highway 65 on the North end of Mason City is just horrid. Something needs to be done. And I’m not talking about the houses, I mean the buildings. It is so bad. They are crumbling, vandalized, and filthy. These owners need to be held accountable and need to be forced by the city to either fix them, clean them up, or tear them down.
The far North End looks like Iraq I see on the news. All that tough talk from the council months back, remember? They said clean up those buildings or else… and there they remain, same as always. Council’s got arenas on their minds now, see, and can’t multi-task.
The city was pretty quick to try to force an old man out of his home for it being unkempt. They need to force these owners to clean up their properties.
Russ Hardy owns the ones that are falling down. He has no interest in doing anything with them. He is just waiting for the city to buy them from him.