Mason City decides what will occupy old Shopko Building
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(ABC 6 News) – Mason City has decided what will occupy the vacant Shopko building.
A Minnesota company — EVCO Holdings Incorporated has agreed to buy the building to be the future home of a manufacturing plant.
The Mason City Council approved the resolution Tuesday evening to be a manufacturing facility for recreational electric vehicles which will create over 100 jobs.
EVCO Holdings, L.L.C. is based in Brooklyn Park, MN and at its future Mason City location, it will create various products such as street rod golf carts and other electric vehicle-based products.
RELATED: Former Mason City Shopko building to house proposed manufacturing project
Mason City Council approved the resolution Tuesday evening to be a manufacturing facility for recreational electric vehicles which will create over 100 jobs.
“I think it’s one of those highest-use cases where you’re talking both a mixture of jobs and diversifying the industry that already exists in the community and also reactivating an area in town that unfortunately due to the vacancy of Shopko has really seen a blighting force with the fact that that building has been vacant,” City Administrator Aaron Burnett said
There were other options for the facility in Indiana and Ohio, but one of the partners in the project and a sister company of EVCO is Pritchard Companies A worldwide transportation company home to north Iowa decided to choose this location in Mason City for many reasons, but the main one being to stay in Iowa.
“We started pushing a ‘what can we do to bring those plants to Iowa and showcase what we have in our backyard with all of the progress that north Iowa is making, what Mason City is making, and what we as a company are making. We centralized our corporate offices in Clear Lake over the last two years and it’s just been a great working relationship,” Pritchard Companies President Joe Pritchard.
The company hopes to bring a very high-tech, focus-driven company to mason city that will bring great quality jobs to north Iowa.
This is not a one hundred percent done deal just yet, there is still more to be done that involves the city council and the state but they are confident this project will make it to the finish line.