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Carver Pump seeks city backing for $10–11 million expansion, council raises no objection
Summary
Carver Pump presented plans for a roughly $10–11 million, 21,000-square-foot expansion and asked the Muscatine City Council for support on Tax Increment Financing (TIF); council members expressed support and raised no formal objection.
Carver Pump executives asked the Muscatine City Council on March 13 to back a proposed $10–11 million expansion and associated Tax Increment Financing support to add about 21,000 square feet to its Park Avenue facility.
The company said the addition would create a new test lab, expand final processes for assembly, testing and painting, and make room for machining and other manufacturing work. “I'm Andy Carver. I'm the president and CEO of Carver Pump,” Andy Carver told the council, and he described the company’s history and its contracts with the U.S. Navy, Military Sealift Command and the Coast Guard.
Why it matters: Carver Pump manufactures engineered-to-order pumps for critical applications, including naval vessels and power plants, and officials said demand and backlog have grown. The expansion proponents told council members it could enable the company to meet larger Navy contracts and increase production capacity and jobs.
Company leaders described the workforce and technical needs. “We do everything from start to finish that's involved in making a pump,” Mike Moyer, engineering manager, said. Megan Randall, the company’s human resources manager, described training and recruitment: machinists complete an 18-month Eastern Iowa Community College program plus additional on-the-job training, and the company has run a “grow our own” program to replace retiring skilled workers. Kevin Custis, manufacturing engineering manager, said state-of-the-art machining and testing are required to meet tight tolerances.
Carver said the expansion could add roughly 15 employees over five years under a baseline plan and possibly more depending on demand. Andy Carver said the company has sought Navy supplier development funding and is assembling a coalition of support. He described an “original proposed starting date” that has already passed and said the company is “ready to rock as soon as we can get some of the funding.”
Council response and next steps: After the presentation, the mayor asked whether there was any objection to continuing consideration of the TIF request; no council member objected. The council did not record a formal roll-call vote during the meeting; staff and Carver Pump representatives said they would follow up on funding conversations with the Navy and other partners.
The presentation concluded with council gratitude for Carver Pump’s local workforce and pilot training programs and with the company’s assurance it will continue outreach as funding details develop.
