A Wisconsin-based power generator company is hiring hundreds of new people to keep up with skyrocketing demand. Generac CEO Aaron Jagdfeld made the announcement at a news conference at the company’s Whitewater plant with Gov. Scott Walker in attendance.
Generac’s plan is to add up to 400 jobs at its plants in Eagle, Waukesha and Whitewater along with an additional 50-60 jobs at its Magnum Products company in Berlin. That subsidiary makes portable light towers.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports a company spokeswoman said the company is not getting any help from the government to expand.
“This is all privately financed,” Heather Shannon Gaedtke told the paper. “Sales have skyrocketed.”
The company reported earlier this month that its third-quarter profit had gone up more than 60% (from 34 cents per share at this time last year to 55 cents a share now). Sales jumped from $160.7 million last year to $239.3 million this year, according to the Milwaukee paper.
The goal is to hire all the new employees-from plant workers to management employees-within the next few months. With that in mind, the company is holding a job fair tomorrow (Wednesday), from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., at its Waukesha headquarters (S45 W29290 Highway 59).
In a statement of his own, Walker said: “I want to thank Generac for their commitment to Wisconsin and for growing their business here. They will hire hundreds of new workers in family-supporting jobs in both engineering and manufacturing. This is great news for Wisconsin families.”
Exact salary figures were not released by the company at its news conference.
NATIONWIDE EMERGENCY ALERT
On Wednesday, Wisconsin’s radio and television stations will participate in the country’s first-ever emergency alert. Listeners and viewers will hear “This is a test,” before approximately 30 seconds of tone.
These tests of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) are common in specific states around the country, but have never before been tested together.
As the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs reports:
“The national-level EAS is a public alert and warning system that enables the President of the United States to address the American public during extreme emergencies. Similar to local EAS tests that are conducted frequently, the nationwide test will involve broadcast radio and television stations, cable television, satellite radio and television services and wireline providers across all states and territories.
“Although EAS is frequently used by our state and local governments to send weather alerts and other emergency information, there has never been a national activation of the system,” said Wisconsin Emergency Management Administrator Brian Satula. “EAS messages were sent out 23 times in the last two years by local and state government agencies in Wisconsin to communicate vital emergency information. Last February, EAS messages were used to warn people about treacherous road conditions during the Groundhog Day Blizzard.”
The test will take place at 1:00 p.m. here in Wisconsin.
NO TRAINING REQUIRED
A legislative committee has removed a provision requiring four hours of training for applicants who want to carry concealed weapons in Wisconsin.
As the Associated Press reports:
“The rule mandating the successful completion of at least four hours of training was put in place by Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s Department of Justice in advance of the law taking effect last week.
Van Hollen testified Monday in support of the rule, saying it was necessary since the Legislature had said only that training was required but didn’t say how much. He said four hours was the industry standard and not having a minimum requirement would make it impossible for the DOJ to verify that applicants had completed any training.
He also said that given that more than 20,000 people have submitted applications to get permits already, the public has not found the requirement to be too onerous.But Republicans who control the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules ignored Van Hollen’s concerns and voted to suspend the rule effective immediately.
The committee also removed a requirement that applicants have a signed statement from the instructor verifying that the course had been successfully completed.”
The National Rifle Association had complained that the four-hour training requirement was arbitrary and too strict.
Wisconsin became the 49th state in the country to allow its residents to carry concealed weapons last week. Illinois remains the only state where the practice remains illegal.
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