After a quiet period since the news first broke in June, Wisconsin Battery Co. CEO Jeff Greene said his plans of opening a battery plant in Fennimore are back on track. About six months ago, Greene announced plans to start a lease at the former Family Dollar building on U.S. 61 on the north side of Fennimore in July and possibly later also move in to the building next door, the former World of Variety hardware store. The entrepreneur said funding delays have changed his plans. In January, Greene is expecting to round out a drive for $12 million in private investments through Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.’s Qualified New Business Venture Program. This, combined with $40 million in industrial revenue bonds, will kickstart the enterprise.
One benefit that came from the delay was the ability to use the approximately 200,000-square-foot former Energizer facility in Fennimore. Originally unable to reach a deal for that facility and temporarily pivoting to the old Family Dollar building, Greene said he is now expecting to start a lease-purchase agreement with the former Energizer building’s new owners in February for the site of his new plant.
