Jobs coming, jobs leaving: LHI could add 350 jobs with state, federal help
Logistics Health Inc. announced Tuesday a tax credit package from the state that could effectively double its La Crosse workforce.
The company will receive a tax credit for every new job created, up to a total of $1.75 million, LHI Chairman and CEO Don Weber said.
That, coupled with an expanded federal contract, could mean 350 additional jobs in La Crosse, Weber said.
He hopes the company will employ about 1,000 people within the next few years.
With the state’s investment, LHI could increase the local tax base by $19 million, Gov, Jim Doyle added.
“We are going to return, many times over, that investment to the city and the taxpayers,” Weber said.
The expanded U.S. Department of Defense contract has the potential to take them from the minor leagues to the majors, Weber said.
“It’s not because we’re one of the larger contractors,” he said. “We got this contract because our employees stepped up for six years.”
Details on the defense contract remain under wraps, he said, but could be available this week.
About 80 percent of LHI’s employees are between the ages of 20 and 40, and 38 percent are graduates of one of La Crosse’s three higher education institutions, he noted.
“The challenge is going to be find the talent to grow it here,” Weber said.
The medical records management company was founded in 1999 with about 12 employees.
Its current headquarters at 328 Front St. S. opened in 2006, and a second building now is under construction along the riverfront, It’s possible LHI could grow into a third building by 2009, Weber added,
Once the second LHI building begins operation, the combined contribution to the local tax base will be about $30 million, Mayor Mark Johnsrud said.