Whirlpool Corporation broke ground today on a $65 million expansion at its Ottawa, OH operations facility that will transform the plant into one of the company’s premium refrigeration hubs for North America. The investment includes a 163,000 SF expansion and other renovations to accommodate production of high-end and built-in refrigerators and the creation of 100+ new jobs in Ottawa.
Ottawa’s Plant Leader, Kurtis Kroplin, said he’s excited about what the newest investment means for the future of its operations and said the company will continue to build upon the strong and sustainable foundation that has already been established in Ottawa. “This is truly a result of the Ottawa team consistently delivering outstanding results, consistently working every day to build the best appliances for our consumers,” Kroplin said before recognizing team members and introducing those actively working on the expansion project. “Our team is doing a phenomenal job.”
State and local leaders joined Whirlpool for the groundbreaking including JobsOhio, Regional Growth Partnership, Putnam County CIC Economic Development and the Village of Ottawa, along with elected officials who spoke about strengthening trade remedy laws and other legislation impacting businesses.
Dana Saucier, Vice President and Head of Economic Development at JobsOhio described economic development as “fierce competition” and said although you may hear the most about new attraction projects, some of best wins are those that help a company with a long history in Ohio, that have been part of the economy, and that have contributed to local communities for decades. He described the Whirlpool expansion as another example of Ohio’s competitive edge that shows the bright future of high-tech manufacturing in the state.
“As we understand it, one of the reasons the Ottawa facility was ultimately selected for the premium refrigeration line was the confidence company leadership had in the ability for our region to retain and attract a highly skilled workforce,” said Ottawa Mayor Dean Meyer. “We couldn’t be any prouder of this statement. Our people are our biggest asset and the high-quality jobs that Whirlpool provides have a huge impact on the community and the region.”
Expansion of the Ottawa facility’s existing footprint will begin this summer and construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
Whirlpool has five manufacturing facilities employing 10,000 people in the state. The company has operated in Ottawa for 13 years and has nearly 600 employees who produce parts for Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Amana, Maytag and JennAir products. Recruiting has already started for some of the new positions at the Ottawa facility. View today’s livestream on Facebook.
