(Spirit Lake)—A 51,000 square foot expansion of Brown Med’s manufacturing facility in Spirit Lake is getting a boost through a federal agency. It was announced this (Thurs.) morning Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative has been awarded a one million dollar loan through the USDA Rural Development to assist in the project.
Ivan Brown, President and CEO of Brown Med, tells KUOO news the expansion will gradually allow the company to expand its workforce in Spirit Lake…(click here for comment.) “Of course our growth has always been based upon sales as most companies growth is based. So we’ll grow incrementally over the years. We expect to have the new 51,000 square feet filled up in 10 years though, so. Our plan is to have a couple of hundred employees in the plant working one shift.”
Brown sites a couple of factors behind the company’s grow that resulted in the need to expand its operations…(click here for comment.) “Well certainly the recovering economy has been very helpful, though we are still a little sluggish in Europe. We expect that to turn around soon, though, and growth to occur in Europe like it is in the United States. The aging demographics of the world population is very favorable to Brown Med because of the products we manufacture. So we see the future as very bright.”
Brown adds the expansion of the Spirit Lake facility represents a significant investment in the community…(click here for comment.) “It’s about $2.5 million dollars in total and we are receiving help from Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative, Cornbelt Power, Northwest Iowa Planning and Development Commission, Iowa Great Lakes Development Board, Northwest Bank and Small Business Administration are all involved in this project with us. So it’s a real collaborative process much like it was in 1997 when we moved to Spirit Lake.”
Construction on the expansion is currently underway. Brown says they hope to have the project completed sometime this coming September, weather permitting.
Site of the Brown Med expansion, south of its existing plant.
