Clow Valve $75 million expansion breaks ground
Clow Valve Expansion (left to right):
∙ Amber Rodgers, project manager Business Development, Iowa Economic Development Authority
∙ Mark Willett, Mark Willett, vice president and general manager of Clow Valve
∙ C. Phillip McWane, chairman of McWane, Inc.
∙ Kevin Bense, group president, McWane Waterworks and executive vice president of McWane, Inc.
∙ Dave Krutzfeldt, Mayor, City of Oskaloosa
∙ Amal Eltahir, Oskaloosa city manager
∙ Tom Flaherty, Mahaska County economic development director
∙ Dean Markle, Metal Casting Facility plant manager
OSKALOOSA, Iowa (August 14, 2023) ─ Clow Valve, among the McWane Inc. family of companies, began the construction to expand its iron foundry. This $75 million investment will add 36,000 square feet to its footprint.
The Oskaloosa City Council unanimously approved the project in February for their Iowa Economic Development Authority High Quality Jobs Program application. The program assists qualifying businesses to offset some of the costs incurred to locate, expand or modernize an Iowa facility.
As a primary employer in the Oskaloosa community, Clow Valve will retain 439 jobs in the area in the next five years with the expansion. The company has an annual payroll of over $34 million and a yearly economic impact of $157 million. By replacing manufacturing equipment upwards of 45 years old, the plant will nearly double production output.
“For more than a century, products critical to our nation’s infrastructure have been produced in Oskaloosa,” Mark Willett, vice president and general manager of Clow Valve, said. “The tax credits approved by the Iowa Economic Development Authority toward updating our foundry underscore the future of our operation. We have made significant capital investments in recent years and remain committed to supporting the local community through philanthropic outreach and volunteerism. We proudly call Oskaloosa home and look forward to building upon our legacy of manufacturing high-quality, American-made waterworks valves and fire hydrants.”
