Foxconn sets construction hiring targets

MOUNT PLEASANT, Wis. (AP) — Foxconn Technology Group has set hiring goals for the construction of its manufacturing campus in southeast Wisconsin.

The company’s construction management team wants 60 percent of the project to be done by Wisconsin companies, with 70 percent of the job hours worked by Wisconsin residents, the Kenosha News reported.

International construction company Gilbane has called for 10 percent of the subcontractors to be based in Racine County and 10 percent to be women-, minority- or veteran-owned businesses.

Construction-related companies must register with Gilbane to receive automatic bid alerts and information about upcoming pre-bid and matchmaking sessions, said Mark Maley, a spokesman with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.

Gilbane is known for projects that include Washington’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport Terminal 5 and Houston’s Exxon-Mobil campus.

Foxconn plans to focus on increasing capacity in workforce and business in Wisconsin, while also building a high-quality facility, said Adam Jalen, a representative of Foxconn.

Building the $10 billion manufacturing complex is expected to generate 10,000 construction jobs each of the next four years. The Taiwan-based company plans to manufacture advanced liquid crystal display panels for commercial and consumer uses, including televisions.

Wisconsin’s initial bid to land the company was initially $3 billion but has ballooned to around $4.5 billion. That number mostly consists of costs to state government through tax credits the state granted Foxconn over a 15-year period. Other factors included are utility costs, road improvements and local government grants, according to the State Journal.

Foxconn announced plans to begin construction this spring and hopes to be operational late next year.