The Post-Crescent (Appleton, WI) articles from June 2005

The Post-Crescent (Appleton, WI) archives from June 2005

Technicians blame spyware for increase in infected computers.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 30--An opportunistic intruder known as spyware has been infecting computers with increasing regularity. And some of the problems are real doozies to fix, said Carl Hogue, director of marketing for Milwaukee...

Cold-blooded competition drives market.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 29--TOWN OF MENASHA -- The ice-making crew at Hometown, 2040 American Drive, was doing anything but chilling out the other day. Temperatures inside the plant hovered around 20 degrees. Outside, the mercury was...

Menasha to sell division for $82M.
June 29, 2005... Jun. 29--NEENAH -- Menasha Corp. announced Monday an agreement to sell Poly Hi Solidur Inc., its ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene business, to Quadrant AG for about $82 million. The deal includes the assumption of $3 million of...

Health providers share results.
June 24, 2005... Jun. 24--Wisconsin residents now have a new way to compare health care measures. On Thursday, the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality released its first version of a comparison measure combining quality processes and outcome...

Experts advise on getting the best auto insurance rate, ways to keep costs down.
June 24, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 24--Tony Arneson of Neenah knew it was time to review his auto insurance when he wanted to add his 16-year-old daughter Karly to his policy three weeks ago. His insurer shocked him with an $1,000 increase in...

Birdwatching industry grows as more enthusiasts spend cash on their hobby.
June 22, 2005... Jun. 22--Ronald Hartlund won't utter a peep if you tell him his yard is for the birds. The 61-year-old Kimberly resident has spent the last three decades trying to make it that way, adding hedges and trees for cover and outdoor ponds....

Dairy bottles niche market.
June 21, 2005... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Jun. 21--Finding a store that sold milk in glass bottles was important to new Fox Cities resident Laurie Colon. "We were driving by the Lamers Dairy and I stopped in and saw they had milk in glass," said...

Class plants seeds for success.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 20--Robert Acevedo runs an established printing shop in New London, but he enrolled in this summer's E-Seed training class to keep abreast on new technology, as any entrepreneur should. "Things are changing in...

Layoffs resume at Stora Enso.
June 19, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 19--KIMBERLY -- Layoff notices were mailed Friday to 40 hourly workers as the Stora Enso North America paper mill in Kimberly continues to streamline operations. The permanent layoffs, which will take effect...

Boat sales show slight upturn in southeast Wisconsin.
June 16, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 16--Sales are on even keel at Ed's Boat Sales, 2545 S. Oneida St., Appleton. "We've done just over $3 million in total sales so far and we're about exactly where we were last year," said John Stafford,...

EBay allows anyone to unload unwanted items for a profit.
June 16, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 16--Dean Arndt tells the story of one of his recent success stories selling goods on eBay. His client was a woman who had purchased a mounted toy knight at a Fox Valley antique mall for $43. He listed the...

Thilmany, Cellu Tissue to merge.
June 16, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 16--The new owner of Thilmany in Kaukauna is deepening its relationship with the Fox Valley paper industry. Kohlberg & Co. Wednesday announced plans to merge with Cellu Tissue Holdings, parent company of Cellu...

Your escape plan may snarl schedules.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Kristin Brantmeier Jun. 14--For some Fox Cities workers, a summer vacation is a much-anticipated treat. But for employers, figuring out a vacation schedule that keeps employees happy -- yet maintains smooth business...

More Americans cope with debt, seek rescue from bankruptcy.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 13--Janet Veum agonized for months over whether she should file for bankruptcy, even letting the first of two filings lapse as she tried to extricate herself from a business-related financial tailspin. But as...

College students race to lock in loan rates.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 13--APPLETON -- College students have a chance to earn more than credits as they wrap up this school year. With the all-time lowest interest rate on student loans set to rise July 1, they can earn back real...

Technology firm keeps an unlikely home.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 13--WAUPACA -- This small city might seem like an unlikely headquarters for a school that bills itself as a "boot camp" for information technology professionals. Until you meet company founder Jeffrey Kenton....

J restaurant changing name, menu.
June 10, 2005... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Jun. 10--You can retire the ties. The J restaurant will cease operation June 19. Three days later, the building at 501 W. Water St., Appleton, will reopen as Fratellos Riverfront Restaurant, a more casual,...

Shopping with a conscience.
June 10, 2005... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Jun. 10--The "renew, reuse, recycle" mantra is gaining a new verb: restore. Two major Appleton eastside stores will be up and running shortly, with lots of the stock donated, some of it refurbished, and all...

Small businesses honored by chamber of commerce.
June 9, 2005... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Jun. 9--APPLETON -- In keeping with the true hometown flavor of the Fox Cities, three of four businesses garnering honors at the Small Business of the Year Awards luncheon Wednesday are family-owned and...

Get a workout but don't get ripped off, experts say.
June 9, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 9--Rhonda Hoier makes regular use of a fitness center, or at least she did until Athletica North, 138 E. Northland Ave., Appleton, closed May 31. The center refused to refund the $699 the Appleton woman paid...

Lawsuits target sale of School Specialty.
June 9, 2005... Jun. 9--GREENVILLE -- Two civil lawsuits are looking to halt the sale of School Specialty Inc. The Greenville company announced plans last week to be sold for $1.5 billion to Bain Capital Partners, a Boston-based equity firm. School...

School Specialty sales top $1B.
June 8, 2005... Byline: Hildebrand, Lisa Jun. 8--GREENVILLE -- School Specialty, which announced last week it was being sold to a Boston-based equity firm, topped the $1 billion mark in revenues during fiscal 2005, company officials said Tuesday. ...

Jack's Maintenance keeps shine on evolving business for 53 years.
June 8, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 8--TOWN OF MENASHA -- Even after more than half a century in business, Jack's Maintenance Service still does windows. But those windows aren't found on private homes any more. Jack's cleans at a multitude of...

Class gives students inside look at being a chief executive.
June 7, 2005... Byline: Marybeth Matzek Jun. 7--It's an interesting thought -- can you learn to be a chief executive officer? A group of graduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is finding out. For the past three weeks, 30...

Wisconsin-based Thrivent Financial Services donates $500,000 in chairman's name.
June 7, 2005... Byline: Marybeth Matzek Jun. 7--APPLETON -- Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is honoring John Gilbert's service to the community and the company with a $500,000 gift to the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. The...

Appleton, Wis., financial services firm to give $288,000 to charities.
June 7, 2005... Byline: Marybeth Matzek Jun. 7--APPLETON -- Affordable housing, children's health issues and a cooking school designed to teach healthier eating habits will benefit in the coming year, thanks to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. The...

Appleton bar adds monkey business.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Jun. 3--You have to know where you're going, when to go to and how to dress if you want to check out The Monkey Bar. It's the new tiny, Art Deco/tropical bar upstairs from the Deja Vu Martini Lounge, 519 W....

Health savings accounts not for all.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Jun. 2--Ask insurance professionals and they'll tell you health savings accounts make good sense for healthy people. "They're for healthier families who are going to fund their own risk," said Stephen Marta, a sales...

Thilmany name returns to town.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Jun. 2--KAUKAUNA -- The mill that started 122 years ago as Thilmany Pulp & Paper Co. returned to its roots Wednesday by restoring its original Thilmany name and establishing new local management. For many...

Private equity firms' presence increasing.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Marybeth Matzek Jun. 2--The sale of School Specialty to a private equity firm is part of a national trend that has seen private investors raise their profiles, according to business experts. On Wednesday, Greenville-based...

Greenville, Wis., marketing firm sold for $1.5 billion.
June 1, 2005... Byline: MaryBeth Matzek Jun. 1--School Specialty, which employs about 400 workers at its Greenville facility, is being sold to a Boston private equity firm for about $1.5 billion. Officials said this morning that School Specialty has...

Turbine investors go with flow.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Lolita Standifer Jun. 1--STOCKBRIDGE -- Selling cash crops and soybeans wasn't quite making ends meet for brothers Marvin and Melvin Ecker. They searched for alternate ways to make their century-old family farm on Quinney...