Waukesha OKs Gaco Western expansion

Aug. 23, 2012

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By Laurel Walker of the Journal Sentinel

Aug. 23, 2012 0

Waukesha - The Waukesha Plan Commission has given final approval to plans for an expansion of Gaco Western's Waukesha plant that will double its size and could add 18 employees.

The firm, which employs about 60 people in Waukesha County and produces waterproofing and insulating coatings, plans to add about 85,025 square feet to its Waukesha facility at 1245 Chapman Drive.

The expansion will provide additional laboratory space needed for the company's focus on technology and new formulations. It will also allow for the consolidation of manufacturing, warehousing and distribution in Wisconsin into one facility and provide for a more efficient and higher-volume manufacturing area.

Eric Zimmerman, vice president of operations and general manager in Waukesha, said Gaco owns its Waukesha plant and leases warehouse space nearby.

The new jobs will range from warehouse positions to senior research chemist, the company said.

Expansion is still dependent on final city approval of a tax incremental financing plan still in the works. The firm is seeking $650,000 in financial assistance, which would be repaid in taxes on the higher property value. Common Council approval will eventually be needed for the financial incentives.

In addition to the Waukesha facility, Gaco Western has corporate headquarters in Seattle, Wash., and a national sales office in Orchard Park, NY, according to its website.

About Laurel Walker

Laurel Walker covered local, school and county government for 20 years -- the last half of that at the Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel -- before she was named Waukesha County columnist in 1997. Today she writes about the people, places and events around metropolitan Milwaukee with a broad suburban focus. She was the youngest of nine children raised on a central Wisconsin farm before leaving the nest for journalism studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a masters degree at the University of Oregon. She has spent the last half of her life in Waukesha County, where she and her husband raised two sons. Though she has a fondness for life in Waukesha, she eagerly partakes in the culture of the big city to the east and the recreation of the forests to the west. With sons in the arts, she has a special fondness for symphonic music concerts and art museums. She finds peace in a good book at a Northwoods getaway weekend, adventure in family visits to the east and west coasts, and satisfaction in a column well-written that reaches readers.