Central McGowan Preparing for Large Expansion To Automation Line

ST. CLOUD -- A longtime St. Cloud company is preparing for a major expansion to their facility.

Central McGowan has been in business for 70 years and over the next two years will be expanding their warehouse, loading dock and Automation & Robotics Center.

CEO Joe Francis says the business has always been about adding value for their customers and this upgrade in technology will boost overall efficiency.

We saw the need to be more advanced technologically in helping our customers making their facilities and production lines more efficient. So what better way to do that then to invest in ourselves to help bring a different set of value to the end customer.

Earlier this year the business remodeled their offices and sales floor, and are currently finishing up their laboratory and training room enhancements.

Francis says St. Cloud has always been their main facility and they wanted to continue to grow where it all began.

St. Cloud is our home base, it always will be. We do serve other communities, but St. Cloud is where we host the majority of our employees and where we like to give back. I'm born and raised here and I don't see a need for us to go anywhere else.

Francis says the expansion will nearly double their automation floor as well as create more job opportunities within the company.

Central McGowan plans to begin the warehouse expansion this summer and the automation expansion is slated to begin sometime in 2020.

The business is located at 123 Roosevelt Road in St. Cloud.