Earlier we told you that Matthew Pruitt is joining Lewis Machine & Tool and that press release is related to the recent announcement by owner Carl Lewis that they are moving from their longtime home in Milan, Illinois to a new factory in Davenport, Iowa.
Decisions like this aren’t made on a whim. While Illinois gun laws have certainly been on Lewis’ mind, ultimately the planned 2014 move is about space. And, according to a report in Quad Cities Online , it seems that the town of Milan understands their space issue and that the relationship with LMT is fine otherwise.
In 2009, Les Baer moved from Illinois to the Iowa as well but several locations were bidding to have LMT move to their areas. In order to attract businesses such as LMT Economic Development teams will work with local governments to produce incentive packages that include tax abatements, training and moving subsidies, and in some cases facilities as well as others. Companies then look at short and long-term implications of these offers in addition to other factors such as laws and work force projections.
What ties all of this together is the fact that not only is LMT moving to Davenport but that they also hired Matthew Pruitt from the Quad Cities Economic Development Group. He must have impressed them throughout this process.
