Waterloo Industries Plans to Build 300,00-square-foot Muskogee Plant

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Jan 24, 1995

MUSKOGEE _ A manufacturing company announced Monday it will build a facility in Muskogee, creating about 500 jobs in the area.

Waterloo Industries President John Trebel made the announcement, along with Gov. Frank Keating and Muskogee Mayor Kathy Hewitt.

The 73-year-old company sells tool storage products in the United States and more than 40 other countries. Its headquarters are in Waterloo, Iowa, with manufacturing plants in Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas.

Hewitt said Muskogee residents will vote next month on a one-cent city sales tax for ten months as an incentive for Waterloo.

The 300,000-square-foot plant should be in production by early 1996.

Oklahoma Department of Commerce officials boasted the state's Quality Jobs program can take some credit for Waterloo's selection of Muskogee.

Muskogee was selected for the new plant 10 months after Waterloo's parent company, American Brands Inc., first contacted the Commerce Department. Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri were also considered for the plant site.

Waterloo selected a 40-acre building site in the Muskogee Industrial Park.