Master Lock first set up shop in Milwaukee in 1921, and the brand has had a footprint in Wisconsin that has continued for more than 100 years. However, it appears that legacy is coming to a rather sudden end.
Things started to change in May 2023, when the company announced plans to shutter Master Lock’s manufacturing operations in Milwaukee by March 2024. The company shifted work to other locations and external suppliers, and some 330 employees lost their jobs. While the company ceased manufacturing operations, it maintained its corporate headquarters in Oak Creek, a Milwaukee suburb.
Now, Master Lock is leaving Wisconsin entirely. On Wednesday, the company’s parent, Fortune Brands Innovations, announced the closure of its Oak Creek headquarters as it consolidates operations in Illinois.
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According to WPR, some 120 people work at the facility and will have the option to keep their jobs—though their positions will be relocated to Deerfield, a Chicago suburb about 60 miles south of Oak Creek.
Fortune Brands says it is consolidating U.S. regional offices into one campus headquarters in Deerfield to “best position the company and its brands for long-term growth.”
Fortune Brands CEO Nicholas Fink says, “Bringing together associates from across all our brands and functions into one state-of-the-art campus will help us to bring innovations and products to life faster, while also making the organization more efficient and aligned.”
The new headquarters will occupy two buildings in Deerfield. According to the company, it picked Illinois for the expansion investment because of incentives offered through the state’s Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) program.
Fortune Brands will receive an EDGE tax credit following an investment that creates at least 400 new full-time jobs and retains the 128 full-time jobs already in Deerfield. The specific investment amounts and square footage requirements were redacted in the EDGE agreement made public.
By the end of 2027, Fortune expects its Deerfield campus to have capacity for more than 1,000 jobs.
Fortune Brands says its U.S. manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, sales offices and international sites will continue operations as usual, including the company’s digital-focused office in San Francisco.
As part of the restructuring, the company is eliminating the role of group president and replacing it with direct reporting lines and closer working relationships between the CEO and Fortune Brands’ commercial leaders. Current Group President Cheri Phyfer will remain in an advisory role through July 1, 2025, before she leaves the company.
Fink adds, “By working as peers across the leadership team and reporting directly to me in one physical location, the leaders of our major businesses and commercial functions will be best positioned to focus on the highest growth opportunities as we look to expand our leadership in brands, innovation and channel.”
As part of the shakeup, Fortune Brands elevated several members to its executive team, including Leigh Avsec, EVP, External Affairs and Chief of Staff; Aaron Bores, EVP, Product Development; Kevin Campbell, President, Moen; Mark-Hans Richer, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer; Rachel Roberts, President, House of Rohl; and David Youn, President, Outdoors.
The Fortune Brands portfolio also includes Moen, House of Rohl, Aqualisa, SpringWell, Therma-Tru, Larson, Fiberon, SentrySafe and Yale Residential.
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