Maytag, Galesburg’s largest employer at one time, has been gone for more than a decade, leaving the former facility sitting stagnant ever since.
But today, it was announced that the 50 acre property will see some new life, even if it isn’t the job creator it once was.
BNSF Logistics is leasing the space to store and ship wind turbine blades.
Knox County Area Partnership for Economic Development Executive Director Ken Springer tells WGIL the company will largely use the outdoor space for storage.
“Most of that is under concrete which is very good for outdoor storage because it gives it a nice flat surface in order to put these things on,” Springer says. “They’ve leased the entire property and we should be seeing turbine blades showing up as early as this week.”
Springer says it won’t be a huge job creator, bringing three to five security and maintenance positions.
“I think on the positive side, it’s putting this property back into some kind of productive use,” Springer says. “It’s no longer just going to sit there looking like an empty building, so, at a minimum it’s going to improve the aesthetics of the area and you know — a couple of jobs.”
The facility is located at 1801 Monmouth Blvd.
