James River Equipment gets Heartland rebate

By Staff

Nearly two years after breaking ground at its new facility, James River Equipment of Madison has been awarded an $11,573 electric rebate as part of Heartland Consumers Power District's Growth Incentive Program.

Heartland General Manager Mike McDowell recently visited the full-service John Deere dealership to present the rebate to JRE General Manager Rodger Menn.

James River Equipment qualified for Heartland's program with the completion of its $3.7 million facility in the Lakeview Industrial Park in 2010. In its first five months at the new location, the company hired 10 full-time employees, drawing recruits from across the region and country, including Utah and Colorado. The 55,000-square-foot facility is all electric, generating approximately $7,000 a month in new electric revenue for the city of Madison. James River has also seen a 30 percent increase in sales and a 54 percent increase in service -- something Menn calls "unheard of."

"This has worked out very well -- better than expected," he said. "We're very pleased and have zero regrets [on the move]. Everything Madison has done for our company has been way above and beyond."

Also present for the presentation were Madison City Commissioner Karen Lembcke, Lake Area Improvement Corporation board president Dustin Williams, LAIC board member Mark Stoller and Russ Olson, Heartland manager of community and economic development.

"It is a beautiful facility, and it has been an economic boost for Madison," said Lembcke. "We are absolutely thrilled to have their business here."

James River Equipment is one of 10 businesses in the 184-acre Industrial Park. The dealership, owned by James River since 2005, has been serving Madison for more than 50 years.

Heartland's Growth Incentive Program is designed to help stimulate development within customer communities by rewarding qualifying companies with a rebate on their retail electric power bills for three years.

©Madison Daily Leader 2010