Barletta Pontoon Boats yesterday announced that it will break ground on a 184,000-square-foot expansion at its 37-acre campus in Bristol, Tenn. The addition, expected to be complete in spring 2023, will bring the company’s total production space to more than 425,000 square feet.
Barletta said the project will create more than 200 new jobs.
“We established Barletta with the goal to redefine the pontoon segment with boats of unrivaled craftsmanship for boaters throughout North America,” president and founder Bill Fenech said in a statement.
“We have delivered on that objective in partnership with our dealers,” he added. “This expansion exemplifies the continued progress we have achieved with the commitment and dedication of our team and the support of Winnebago Industries.”
(Winnebago is the parent company of Barletta.)
Barletta’s original manufacturing facility houses welding, fabrication, decking operations and space dedicated to warehousing and offices. A second plant was completed in 2021 and contains assembly operations for the Lusso, Corsa and Cabrio pontoon lines. Barletta said both facilities are nearing capacity, and that the expansion “adds future flexibility.”
An official groundbreaking is scheduled for later this summer.
