Construction begins on Skowhegan factory expansion that New Balance says will add 200 new jobs

Ground broke Monday on a 120,000 square-foot addition to the New Balance factory in Skowhegan.

The $65 million project will add 200 jobs, nearly doubling the workforce at the factory.

"We know that it's going to take a combined effort to fill these new jobs. And the town of Skowhegan is committed to making Skowhegan a great place to live, work and visit," town manager Christine Almand said at Monday's groundbreaking ceremony.

She said a new downtown transportation initiative, river park and elementary school and early childhood center — which New Balance on Monday pledged to contribute $250,000 to — are among the projects that she believes will attract people to live and work in Skowhegan.

Many of the Skowhegan factory's 250 employees were in attendance at Monday's groundbreaking ceremony, which included both of Maine's US senators, Gov. Janet Mills and others.

Sen. Angus King, an independent, said projects like these are sign of what he sees as a rebound in American manufacturing.

"This was a decision made by the management and the ownership to have confidence in the future of American manufacturing, to have confidence in the future of the state of Maine, to have confidence in all of you," he said.

The single-story addition will double New Balance's space in Skowhegan and sit next to the company's existing, five-story building.

Construction on the New Balance factory addition is expected to be complete by next August, said John Campbell, vice president for corporate services. The space should be operational by the end of 2024.

Once the new space is up and running, the Skowhegan factory will double its production capacity and make about 1.3 million pairs of shoes a year, Campbell added.

About 780 people are employed at New Balance's Maine factories in Skowhegan, Norway and Norridgewock.