The Post-Crescent (Appleton, WI) articles from April 2006

The Post-Crescent (Appleton, WI) archives from April 2006

The Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wis., Maureen Wallenfang column.
April 28, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 28--SMALL TOWN REELS IN BIG RETAIL: It appears the tiny Town of Buchanan has snared the lion's share of this year's retail buzz. This town of just 6,730 people -- on 18.4 square miles that is mostly...

Get mileage out of your car's mileage.
April 27, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 27--APPLETON -- Yia Xiong of Appleton just changed the air filter on his 1994 automobile, a job that costs about $11 at a maintenance shop. "The air filter really helps a lot," he said. "With it being clogged...

The Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wis., Inc. Innovator column.
April 26, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 26--KELLY STELOW Title: Operations manager for IntelliCAM Custom Products Corp., a maker of signs used in architectural settings and on custom equipment Job description: She's owner Trevor Welson's...

Some seniors returning to work force need retraining.
April 26, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 26--Sandi Simons' situation, in many respects, predicts the future. At the age of 60, the Neenah resident couldn't entertain thoughts of sliding into a comfortable retirement in a couple of years. ...

The Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wis., business Q&A column.(Discussion)
April 26, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 26--CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON ACURA DEALERSHIP IN GRAND CHUTE: QUESTION: What is the building under construction next to Appleton Powersports on Northland Avenue and Casaloma Drive? Q: Any updates on...

Banta on pace to meet record.
April 26, 2006... Apr. 26--MENASHA -- Banta Corp. Tuesday reported first-quarter earnings of $13.7 million on continuing operations, a figure nearly equal to the record pace in the first quarter of 2005. "Our first-quarter results came in as we expected,...

Kimberly-Clark's new products to hit stores in June.
April 25, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 25--Kimberly-Clark Corp. on Monday unveiled two new products the company hopes will help parents potty train their children will hit store shelves in June. The Pull-Ups Training Pants with Cool Alert have a...

Businesses brighten up, save on energy costs.
April 25, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 25--A Neenah retailer said new lighting has been illuminating in several ways. "I say we're doing business in high definition," said Brian Webb, an owner of Kruegers True Value, 999 Winneconne Ave. "It's...

Plenty of older workers on the job.
April 23, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 23--The question is familiar -- retire or keep on working? Only this time, the conversation isn't about Brett Favre. It's the question a large number of seniors ask themselves when they get to the...

Cheap wheels the way to go.
April 22, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 22--Sawyer Brown won't have to spend much time or money at the gas pump this summer. Brown, a Little Chute High School senior, uses a mo-ped to get around town. "It gets 60 miles to the gallon," said...

Pierce debuts expanded truck plant.
April 21, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 21--GRAND CHUTE -- Pierce Manufacturing opened its $18.5 million expanded plant to guest tours Thursday as workers continued to turn out custom fire apparatus and components. The 130,000-square-foot addition to...

The Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wis., Maureen Wallenfang column.
April 21, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 21--PLATO'S CLOSET DRESSED UP FOR OPENING: When you hear the name Plato's Closet, perhaps the immortal Animal House cry "Toga, toga" comes to mind. Plato's Closet however, is really far more of a denim...

Con artists target seniors.
April 20, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 20--Telemarketers don't get too far with Rodger Eckhardt. The Waupaca retiree doesn't let strange callers finish their pitch, let alone divulge any personal financial information to them. "I can't remember...

The Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wis., Buzz Mailbag column.
April 19, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 19--QUESTION: If Best Buy takes the Media Play building, what happens to Laser Quest? My son is an avid Laser Quest player, at age 7, and would be heartbroken if they closed up shop. ANSWER: Laser...

Pierce set to unveil $18.5M expansion.
April 19, 2006... Apr. 19--GRAND CHUTE -- Pierce Manufacturing Thursday will showcase a 125,000-square-foot expansion that more than doubles the size of its production plant at 3100 N. McCarthy Road. A ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. will formally dedicate the...

Last-minute wait isn't as long now.
April 18, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 18--APPLETON -- It's not like it once was, with painfully long processions of taxpayers at the post office and lines of cars snaking around the building. In fact, post office lines were comparatively...

Staying in touch a changing picture.
April 18, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 18--John Bykowski, president and chief executive officer of Appleton-based Secura Insurance, still uses an old-fashioned technique for staying close to the action at corporate headquarters. He rubs shoulders...

Appleton, Wis., jeweler finds needed niche.
April 15, 2006... Byline: Kristin Stankewicz Apr. 15--APPLETON -- Tucked behind an unassuming facade at 220 E. Wisconsin Ave. is Knights Jewelry, a family-owned business that has found success in the retail jewelry world. Owners and brothers Mark and...

Air Wisconsin transitions to leaner times.
April 14, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 14--GREENVILLE -- The last flight of an Air Wisconsin Bae 146 airplane from Outagamie County Regional Airport already has occurred. The airline, however, will maintain a leaner operation here. Air Wisconsin,...

Best Buy may take Media Play's spot.
April 14, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 14--Deal or no deal? Best Buy might move into the former Media Play store. Its execs have the building in their sights, but haven't pulled the trigger just yet. What is certain is they're...

Timely bill paying not hard.
April 13, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 13--Lee Murphy has a simple system for making sure household bills are paid on time. He writes the due date on the envelope the day the bills come in the mail. Then he arranges them in a file on the desk in his...

The Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wis., business Q&A column.
April 12, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 12--Pam Seidl Title: Director of marketing/communications at the Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau How long in this position: Three years Background: Age 37, originally from Wausau, now...

The Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wis., Buzz Mailbag column.
April 12, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 12--Q: All of a sudden I see La Quinta signs by the highway. What's going on? A: The La Quinta signs went up Friday, rechristening two hotels on the northeast block of College Avenue and U.S. 41 in...

Agents: Examine policies before storm season strikes.
April 11, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 11--When a severe storm walloped the Field of Scenes outdoor drive-in theater in Freedom last summer, it was not a pretty picture. Owners Tim and Brenda Vande Wettering think a "mini tornado" ripped the steel...

Workers who are negative hurt business.
April 11, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 11--You would think having too much on your plate at work would be cause for grumbling and grousing to no end. And yet just the opposite tends to act as a breeding ground for discontent, said one human...

The Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wis., Maureen Wallenfang column.
April 7, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 7--LOS COMPADRES SHUFFLES DECK AGAIN: The Becerra family behind the Los Compadres restaurant empire never sits still. As soon as they've finished one new venture, they begin another. "The plan is to...

Rattlers prices mix of ups, downs.
April 6, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 6--GRAND CHUTE -- Jerry Fisher isn't going to let a boost in ticket prices keep him away from Wisconsin Timber Rattlers games this season. "Not at all," said Fisher of Appleton. "I think it's a bargain....

Kimberly-Clark to begin cuts in Town of Menasha.
April 6, 2006... Byline: MaryBeth Matzek Apr. 6--TOWN OF MENASHA -- Kimberly-Clark Corp. is meeting with union officials to discuss a layoff of 130 workers in June at its Lakeview Diaper Plant. The company is cutting the jobs as part of a plan...

Filing for a tax extension easy.
April 6, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 6--The deadline for this year's tax returns -- April 17 -- is less than two weeks away. Don't think you'll be able to get everything in order before then? Uncle Sam has an answer for you: File for an extension....

Banta tapping Hispanic market.
April 4, 2006... Apr. 4--MENASHA -- Banta Corp. and Geoscape International are teaming up to help direct marketers to tap into the fast-growing Hispanic market. Banta and Miami-based Geoscape announced the deal Monday in New York City at the DMA Directo...

Festival Foods selects 441 site.
April 2, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 2--BUCHANAN -- A $6 million Festival Foods grocery store will open here in November near the intersection of College Avenue and State 441. It will be the chain's first Fox Cities store. The grocer made...

Hispanic-owned businesses up 24 percent in Wisconsin.
April 2, 2006... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Apr. 2--The Becerra brothers, Miguel and Jose, worked at Anchor Foods and the Neenah Foundry when they first came to the Fox Cities almost a decade ago. As more of their relatives arrived from Mexico, they...

Soldiers return from overseas to good jobs they left behind.
April 2, 2006... Byline: Pete Bach Apr. 2--Before heading out on a 15-month deployment to Iraq, Wisconsin National Guard Specialist John Good knew his job would be waiting for him when he got back. Good works in the home entertainment center at...