Photo by Erin Bloodgood
Garan Chivinski
Garan Chivinski
Garan Chivinski describes himself as a transplant to Milwaukee, as though he were an outsider looking in with fresh eyes. Originally from New York, he moved to Milwaukee in 2009 amid the worst of the economic crisis, and at a time when disinvestment in urban neighborhoods was particularly devastating.
Now the human resources manager at Ingeteam USA, he works closely with employees at the Menomonee Valley factory which manufactures generators for wind turbines, solar and energy storage inverters, and electric vehicle chargers. His time at Ingeteam over the last two years is a stark contrast to his early career in Milwaukee and has given him a newfound hope for the future.
Soon after moving to Milwaukee, Chivinski found a job at the Milwaukee County Jail. “Every single day in the jail, over five-and-a-half years, I saw only the ugliness [of the city],” he said. The struggles he was witnessing were due in part to the deindustrialization Milwaukee experienced 50-plus years ago.
The city has a long history of being a major manufacturing hub and in the mid 1900s, companies like A.O. Smith, American Motors, and others allowed working-class people to flourish. But when those companies moved their factories out of the city, work dried up and neighborhoods fell apart.
Renewable Energy
Photo by Erin Bloodgood
Ingeteam wind turbine generators
Ingeteam wind turbine generators
The deindustrialization that happened in the mid 20th century is still having long-lasting effects on our city—and it has hit communities of color the hardest. But manufacturing is making its comeback to the city, and this time, it’s in renewable energy.
Ingeteam, a global company based in Spain, opened their only U.S. location in the Menomonee Valley in 2008, building on the revitalization of the surrounding area. Since then, they have created more than 100 new jobs and plan to expand that number this year.
“We’re making sure different communities are equally part of a new kind of prosperity, but this time in clean energy – a new manufacturing golden age,” said Chivinski.
At this location, the company is planning to offer job training and apprenticeship programs so that new people can enter the workforce. They also exemplify what a successful union shop can look like, as all their workers are part of the union IBEW Local 2150 (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers).
In August, Pres. Joe Biden visited the facility to highlight the union workers and the renewable energy products they are manufacturing here in the United States. Last year, Pres. Biden and Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which created incentives for companies like Ingeteam to produce these products here. But Chivinski pointed out the company has been ahead of the curve: “For the past 10 years, they have been quietly turning out the only wind turbine generators being built in the whole country.”
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According to Chivinski, Milwaukee has reached the new frontier. Right now, we have a new chance to build on the city’s growth with a new wave of clean energy manufacturing that will bring good paying jobs to the neighborhoods that were hit hardest when big manufacturers left in the 20th century. “Milwaukee is a scrappy and exquisitely capable place,” he said.
Learn more about the Ingeteam at ingeteam.com.
