In April 2020, The Verge reported that Foxconn’s Wisconsin “innovation centers” remained empty or inactive a year after the company disputed an earlier report and promised a response. That finding was about properties in Eau Claire, Green Bay, Madison and Milwaukee—not proof that every Foxconn site in Wisconsin was vacant. The separate Mount Pleasant project was moving ahead, but at a far smaller scale than the $10 billion LCD factory originally promised.
What “still empty” meant in the 2020 report
The April 12, 2020 story was a follow-up to The Verge’s 2019 reporting on Foxconn’s promised Wisconsin innovation centers. In 2019, Foxconn executive Alan Yeung disputed the account, saying, “I can assure you it will not be empty and they’re not empty right now,” and promised a correction or statement. The Verge reported a year later that the promised response had not arrived.
The follow-up described little or no substantive activity at the centers: Eau Claire had no visible activity, Green Bay had no building progress, and Madison and Milwaukee also showed little substantive activity. The evidence concerned those innovation-center properties, not every Foxconn facility in the state. The word “factories” in the headline is shorthand; the centers were distinct from the manufacturing campus planned for Mount Pleasant.
What was happening at Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant was a separate project. Foxconn’s 2017 Wisconsin plan envisioned a $10 billion electronics and LCD manufacturing operation expected to employ 13,000 people. The Verge’s 2020 account said the main Mount Pleasant factory was moving forward, but on a much smaller scale than the original Generation 10.5 LCD-plant vision.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →#1 Best Overall
- HP Pro 3500 Microtower PC Cooling Fan
- P/N: PVA092G12M
- DC 12V / 0.24A
- 3-Wire / 3-Pin Connector
That distinction matters: the innovation centers’ lack of activity did not establish that the Mount Pleasant site was empty, while progress at Mount Pleasant did not mean the state had received the project as originally promised.
How the promised project compares with reported results
| Measure | Original plan or later figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Expected Wisconsin jobs in the original plan | 13,000 | WEDC/project records, as reported by Wisconsin Public Radio in 2026 |
| Wisconsin jobs | More than 1,200 by the end of 2024 | Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation figures, as reported by Wisconsin Public Radio in 2026 |
| Wisconsin investment | More than $700 million by the end of 2024 | Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation figures, as reported by Wisconsin Public Radio in 2026 |
| Foxconn’s own employment and investment statement | More than 1,000 employees, at least 42% employment growth since 2020, and about US$1 billion invested | Hon Hai Technology Group statement, May 10, 2024 |
| Later Racine County investment announcement | $569 million and 1,374 jobs over four years | Foxconn and WEDC announcement, November 26, 2025 |
The figures come from different sources and dates. Foxconn’s May 2024 statement described the company’s own totals; the later WEDC figures cited by WPR cover results through the end of 2024. They should not be treated as identical measurements. Both accounts are far below the original 13,000-job expectation, even as they document substantial activity beyond what the 2020 report found at the innovation centers.
Rank #2
- Foxconn PVA080G12Q 3/4 PIN Connector
- 80x80x25mm 12V 0.65A PWM Coolinng Fan
- 3-PIN / 4-PIN Compatible Connector (White or Brown)
Why Foxconn made tax payments to Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant’s development agreement included a minimum assessed-value guarantee of $1.4 billion. When the property’s assessed value fell below that threshold, Foxconn owed the village make-up payments. WPR reported on January 5, 2026, that the company paid $14.3 million for tax year 2023 and $15 million for tax year 2024—nearly $30 million across the two years.
Those payments are a contractual mechanism tied to the gap between assessed value and the agreed minimum; they are not evidence that the original factory plan was delivered. Mount Pleasant communications director Sean Ryan told WPR that the payments showed Foxconn was satisfying its financial commitments under the village’s development agreements.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Rank #3
- Extension Bays 2.5" Internal Bays :1 Front Panel Ports Card Reader : SD/SDHC/MS/MS Pro/MMC Back Panel Ports.
- HDMI :1 VGA :1 x D-sub Power Supply Power Supply :65W, 19V, 3.42A AC Adapter
What changed after the “one year later” story
The 2020 report captured a moment when the innovation-center properties were still inactive or stalled and Foxconn had not issued the promised correction. Later figures show that the broader Wisconsin operation did not remain frozen at that point: Foxconn reported more than 1,000 Wisconsin employees in 2024, and WEDC figures cited by WPR put jobs above 1,200 by year-end.
The company and WEDC announced a further $569 million Racine County investment and 1,374 jobs over four years on November 26, 2025, with up to $16 million in additional performance-based incentives. The announcement shifts the newer phase of the story toward data servers and AI infrastructure rather than the original large LCD-panel factory. It is a forward-looking commitment, distinct from jobs and investment already reported as achieved.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Foxconn DC Brushless CPU Fan
- Model: PVA080G12Q
- DC 12V 0.65A
- 3 wire
- 3-pin Connector
Rank #4
- Core 2 Duo E4x00 with Dual Core technology (Conroe) up to E4400
- Pentium E2000 series (Conroe) up to E2160
- Pentium D 9xx with Dual Core technology (Presler) up to 960; Pentium 4 6x1 series (Cedar Mill) up to 661
- Celeron 4xx series (Conroe) up to 440; Celeron D 3xx series (Cedar Mill) up to 365; Celeron D 3xx series (Prescott) up to 355
- Bare Motherboard, no accessories included.
What the record supports—and what it does not
- The April 2020 “still empty” finding applied chiefly to the promised innovation centers in Eau Claire, Green Bay, Madison and Milwaukee.
- It did not establish that every Foxconn building in Wisconsin was empty, and it should not be read as a description of the company’s entire operation today.
- The original Mount Pleasant plan was dramatically larger than the manufacturing operation described in 2020; later job and investment figures show real activity, but remain well below the initial employment expectation.
- The 2025 Racine County announcement describes planned investment and hiring over four years, not completed results.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
