DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Wisconsin-based company says it will build a $34 million wind turbine tower factory in Keokuk and hire 350 people.
The announcement Wednesday by Governor Chet Culver is a major boost to southeast Iowa, which has seen high unemployment rates in recent years with the loss of manufacturing jobs. The workers are expected to earn an average of $23.50 an hour making the towers that stand 260 feet tall and weigh about 80 tons.
Hendricks Holding Co. Inc. bought Danish wind turbine tower maker Roug A/S early this year and that company, under the name Hendricks Industries, will build the 347,000-square foot Keokuk factory.
