Forest City, Iowa – Rural Development Partners invested $15 million in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) to help Ariens Company revitalize an abandoned facility, bringing 350 new quality jobs to the Fayetteville, Tennessee community along with catalytic economic and workforce development opportunities for the region. Other NMTC partners include Legacy Economic Growth Fund ($12MM), Waveland Community Development ($10MM), MuniStrategies ($13.5MM), and Wells Fargo Community Development ($5MM).
“We were excited from day one to be involved in this project with AriensCo. The large number of jobs that are expected to be created will provide opportunities for many at a previously shuttered facility. AriensCo has an impressive track-record of giving back to the community and I look forward to what that means for Fayetteville and the surrounding area,” – Rural Development Partners CEO Dan Helgeson.
AriensCo’s expansion to Tennessee is in response to a sharp increase in demand that has outpaced the company’s current production capacity in rural Wisconsin. The project entails revitalization of an outdated building into a 600,000 SF state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, serving as AriensCo’s hub for its Gravely brand of commercial outdoor power equipment. This project will position the company geographically closer to its customers, dealer partners, and material suppliers in the Southeast, producing positive catalytic impacts for Fayetteville and the surrounding region. NMTCs will help offset the increased costs of construction and equipment, allowing AriensCo to accelerate plans for future capital investments in the community.
“This was a win-win-win partnership for the Fayetteville community, for Rural Development Partners and for AriensCo,” said AriensCo Chief Financial Officer James Young. “We are proud to have a longstanding tradition of supporting rural America. We have been in Brillion, Wisconsin, a farming community of about 3,300 people, for nearly 90 years. We’re a privately owned, family company that has grown up in small town America and we’re proud to partner with another small town by providing a great place to build a career.”
AriensCo is actively hiring in Fayetteville as it looks to ramp up production in May. Visit ariensco.com/careers for details.
About AriensCo
Based in Brillion, Wisconsin, AriensCo is a privately owned manufacturer of outdoor power equipment for both consumer and commercial markets. Established in 1933, the company manufactures equipment under the Ariens®, Gravely®, RapidCare, Countax®, Westwood® and AS-Motor® brand names. It also established AriensCo Hospitality in 2020 with two luxury event venues, Stone Prairie and Round Lake Farms. It added the Ariens Nordic Center December 2022. These venues are part of the mission to create reasons to visit the Brillion community. Find us on the web: ariensco.com and AriensCo.com/rapidcare.
Rural Development Partners
Rural Development Partners utilizes the NMTC Program to help organizations throughout the nation relocate and expand their operations in underserved rural communities. RDP investments help create jobs, economic growth, training opportunities, and food security for Rural America by partnering with organizations that take action to invest in and support their local communities. From 2004 through 2022, RDP has won eleven NMTC awards from the U.S. Treasury totaling $701.7 million. To learn more about RDP or the NMTC program, visit our website or social media platforms at FaceBook, LinkedIn, or YouTube. See how RDP and NMTCs are revitalizing rural communities nationwide.