CEO of the Year: Mike Knapek leads Yaskawa America’s $180 million headquarters campus investment
In November, Yaskawa America closed on its final property purchase for what will become a $180 million investment in its new North American headquarters campus in Franklin.
The project, which was announced in June this year, will relocate Yaskawa America’s headquarters from Waukegan, Illinois and consolidate its southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois operations into a sprawling campus surrounding its existing Franklin manufacturing site. A subsidiary of Japan-based Yaskawa Electric Corp., Yaskawa America manufactures industrial AC and HVAC inverter drives and motion control and robotics automation systems.
The development of the headquarters campus will bring 700 jobs to the state and will eventually employ over 1,000 people at the site.
Leading the charge is Yaskawa America’s chairman and CEO Mike Knapek, a Milwaukee native who has been involved with the company for nearly 40 years and has served as CEO for almost 10.
“This (project) is really not necessarily for me, but more for the long-term future of Yaskawa America,” Knapek said.
