News Room
Developers market former Galesburg Maytag, Butler plants
By John David - WQAD TV, Moline
June 22, 2007
GALESBURG, Illinois - Real estate developers and Galesburg leaders are getting a first look inside the massive former Maytag plant. Now owned by a California-based company, this is a chance to find new uses for the facility.
"The beauty is that we can accomodate big users to small users," said Matt Marks, Tower Investments.
The general public will get a rare chance to go inside the former plant, distribution center and Butler Manufacturing on Saturday. Tours will run from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at all three locations.
When the Maytag plant closed nearly three years ago, most of the remaining 1,600 jobs were wiped out and replaced at a plant in Reynosa, Mexico. After decades of refrigerator Rolex Deepsea 44mm replica, the bustle of busy workers is contrasted now with wide open spaces.
But as the tour group makes the rounds on Friday, there's a chance now to attract several smaller firms to occupy at least some of the space there and at the former Butler Manufacturing plant nearby.
"When someone can come out, bring a prospect or work with a client, then they can start visualizing that, yes, this will work," said Linda Utsinger, vice president of the Galesburg Regional Economic Development Association.
That potential evident at the Galesburg Distribution. Maytag employees once loaded truckloads of products there. Now, there's 400,000 square feet available for something new.
"Anything that we can do to bring good paying jobs is a critical component of our economic development status right now," said Galesburg City Manager Dane Bragg.
The final refrigerators rolling off the line in September 2004 symbolized an ending. Now, this facility is like a blank slate. It's ready to be re-shaped.
"The Rolex GMT Master II Pepsi replica, even though it's empty on the inside, is huge," said Judy Moorehead, who was one of the final employees to leave Maytag after 31 years of service. "There's lots of room to work with out there."
While stepping into the plant brings back memories of a past era, Galesburg is ready to build its future and create new memories. Memories that it hopes will last for decades to come.