Gunwerks will soon be on the move again—and for a good reason. The Wyoming rifle maker needs more plant space so it can better meet demand for its products. That means the company will also be growing its employment rolls by 75, bringing its total employment to 112.
The custom long-range gun manufacturer is working with the state and the economic development corporation to garner some economic incentives to help with the $6 million expansion project.
“The nuts and bolts of it is we don’t have enough property to expand,” Forward Cody CEO James Klessens recently told the city council about the current facility near the Cody airport that his company leases to Gunwerks. The new site will be a 5-acre spot near the Shoshone River, and plans call for a 36,000-square-foot plant, with room for later expansions. The agreement calls for Forward Cody to offer Gunwerks a rent-with-the-option to buy terms.
The Wyoming Business Council will be meeting in early September to act on the loan and grant applications. Presuming the requests are approved, the new facility would open around November 2019.
When Gunwerks moved to Cody two years ago, it promised 13 jobs. The company currently employs 37.
