New Study shows Mercury Marine has $5.4 Billion Annual Economic Impact on Fond du Lac Community

Apr 17, 2023

According to a new study conducted by Envision Greater Fond du Lac, Mercury Marine (a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), headquartered in Fond du Lac, has a $5.4 billion annual economic impact on the local Fond du Lac community – an increase of almost 10% from just three years ago.

The study shows that Mercury continues to be one of the top employers in the state of Wisconsin, now employing more than 4,200 people at its global headquarters in Fond du Lac, an increase of nearly 15% vs. 2020. Additionally, Mercury has a total job impact of more than 10,500 jobs in the Fond du Lac community, meaning that each job at Mercury Marine supports an additional two and a half full-time positions in Fond du Lac County.

“Mercury Marine’s impact goes well beyond the impressive 4,200 employees, as the impact study shows,” said Sadie Vander Velde, president and CEO of Envision Greater Fond du Lac. “Mercury Marine supports a number of indirect jobs, for example in grocery stores, health care, entertainment and retail. As Mercury continues to grow, it continues to positively impact our economy and improve our quality of life in Fond du Lac.”

The new study also shows that Mercury’s impact on retail activity in the region remains strong, accounting for more than $333 million in community retail sales, a nearly 80% increase since a 2016 economic impact study.

“We are proud to call Fond du Lac our home and be a part of the fabric of Wisconsin business for more than 80 years,” said John Buelow, Mercury Marine president. “We are committed to remaining a catalyst for economic growth and will continue to elevate the impact we have on our community for years to come.”

Last year, Mercury introduced the industry’s first ever V10 Verado® outboard engine, which has already attracted new business, further supporting product and technology investment. Since 2008, Mercury has invested more than $2 billion in research and development, and expansion of its Fond du Lac campus, which includes engineering and manufacturing facilities, and now encompasses more than 3 million square feet. The latest, recently completed manufacturing expansion, will allow the company to further increase production to support increasing demand for its award-winning propulsion systems. As part of its continued commitment to the community, more than 80 percent of the work on the expansion was sourced to Wisconsin-based companies.

You can read more about the study here.

Impact DataSource prepared the above estimates based on information about Mercury Marine to provide an illustration of economic and fiscal impacts resulting from the manufacturer. Impact DataSource prepared this summary using various assumptions and the following sources:

(1) U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Input-Output Modeling System (RIMS II)

(2) U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey 2019, 2021