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

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

Neenah Foundry calls off sale plan.
November 30, 2005... Nov. 30--NEENAH -- Neenah Foundry Co. said Tuesday it is done looking for possible buyers for the company and will concentrate on growing independently instead. Neenah Foundry, a maker of iron castings and perhaps best known for its...

Alta Resources set for next stage with relocation; to add 150 workers.
November 30, 2005... Byline: MaryBeth Matzek Nov. 30--NEENAH -- When Alta Resources announced plans to build a $20.4 million facility in downtown Neenah, chairman James Bere thought the seven-story building provided enough room for future growth. Well,...

Holiday wish list can be completed from comfort of home.
November 29, 2005... Byline: Marybeth Matzek Nov. 29--We are officially in the holiday shopping season. Many consumers -- including myself -- will be doing more of that shopping from the comfort of our home or office as we turn to online retailers to get all...

Area businesses tout their causes.
November 28, 2005... Byline: Ben Jones Nov. 28--MADISON -- During the first six months of this year, Fox Valley businesses and industry groups spent nearly $800,000 bending the ears of politicians in the state Capitol. Roth Judd, executive director of...

Smokers' insurance surcharges uncommon in Valley.
November 27, 2005... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Nov. 27--Smokers' surcharges are still rare in the Fox Cities despite their growing national popularity. A survey of eight large firms -- Kimberly-Clark Corp., ThedaCare health system, Affinity Health...

Truck chairman to join Menasha Corp. board.(Company Profile)
November 25, 2005... Nov. 25--NEENAH -- Robert G. Bohn, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Oshkosh Truck Corp. has been elected to the board of directors of Menasha Corp. effective Dec. 1. Bohn, 52, was appointed CEO of Oshkosh Truck in...

Best gifts have batteries; gift cards continue to grow.
November 24, 2005... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Nov. 24--If the wish lists carried around by shoppers at the Fox River Mall this week were a bellwether, electronics are hot this year and gift cards will be huge. Also, the Badgers beat the Packers. ...

Generation Xers fast becoming most desired work force.
November 22, 2005... Byline: MaryBeth Matzek Nov. 22--The idea for the new book "The NeXt Revolution: What Gen X Women Want at Work and How Their Boomer Bosses Can Help Them Get It" came from one of the authors' own dissatisfaction with her career and life...

K-C 'radio' wins accolades.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Marybeth Matzek Nov. 21--NEENAH -- It's not your typical lab. With conveyer belts moving at speeds of up to 600 feet a minute and a stretch-wrap machine hard at work, it's difficult to imagine that what's happening here is...

Shopping challenge: Panel says time, not gas prices, most influential factor.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Nov. 21--THE POST-CRESCENT: We are hearing a lot of mixed messages about Christmas. National retail sales were up a surprisingly strong 4.4 percent in October according to the Goldman Sachs retail composite, and...

Budgets strained by fuel cost.
November 18, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Nov. 18--Dan Kobussen wishes all the buses in his fleet could run on gasoline, not just the 29-passenger and lesser-capacity models. "I keep tossing that idea around and everybody looks at me funny," the owner of...

Hone in on interests for rewarding part-time work.
November 17, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Nov. 17--APPLETON -- Chad Wachel said the 25 to 30 hours a week he puts in at J.D.'s Drive-In Restaurant, 1939 E. John St., have taught some valuable lessons. "A lot of people skills -- you have to have them to work...

Retailers share Thanksgiving bounty.
November 17, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Nov. 17--Sue Welhouse of Appleton compared turkeys Monday at Copps Food Center, 2400 W. Wisconsin Ave., Grand Chute, before picking out a 22-pound bird. At 39 cents a pound, she couldn't resist buying one while the...

School Specialty notes slight revenue increase.
November 16, 2005... Nov. 16--GREENVILLE -- School Specialty reported Tuesday record revenues for the first six months of fiscal 2006. Revenues for the quarter -- which includes the company's busy back-to-school season -- were a record $702.4 million, a 0.5...

Proper networking makes it clear what you have to offer.
November 15, 2005... Byline: MaryBeth Matzek Nov. 15--Schmoozing is not networking. That's the mantra proclaimed by Debra Schmidt, a Milwaukee-based professional speaker and consultant, who is speaking Wednesday to members and guests of the Sales and...

Under the weather? Stay home and don't pass it on to co-workers.
November 15, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Nov. 15--When are you too sick to come to work? When you think you're really ill, say employment specialists. "I used to tell my employees all the time, 'If you think you're contagious, stay home,' " said Pam...

Three local construction firms post strong years.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Nov. 14--The Fox Valley's three largest construction companies are building robust years. The Boldt Co. of Appleton is leading the charge, topping $500 million in annual sales to date. Town of Menasha-based rival...

Larsen Co-op buys former Tee Off site.
November 10, 2005... Nov. 10--NEW LONDON -- The Larsen Cooperative Co. has purchased Norwood Promotional Products' vacant New London facility. The 36,520-square-foot industrial building is on a 7.6-acre site at 1104 Mulligan Drive, according to NAI MLG...

Print lab upgraded at FVTC New technology helps students stay current.
November 10, 2005... Nov. 10--GRAND CHUTE -- Fox Valley Technical College has added two new pieces of equipment to its Printing and Publishing Lab. FVTC recently updated its narrow web pressroom technology by replacing its 7-inch Comoc Cadet with a new...

K-C raising tissue prices to offset higher costs.
November 10, 2005... Nov. 10--DALLAS -- Kimberly-Clark Corp. said Wednesday it will raise prices on its consumer tissue products next year. The move is necessary to offset significant inflationary pressure from higher raw material and energy costs, the...

Schutt wins defense deal $120 million contract comes on heels of trailer order.
November 10, 2005... Nov. 10--CLINTONVILLE -- Schutt Industries, 185 Industrial Drive, has just been awarded its second huge defense contract in as many months. The Department of Defense awarded the metal fabricating company a multiyear contract worth up to...

Air Wisconsin Airlines' paying customers down nearly 30 percent.
November 9, 2005... Nov. 9--GREENVILLE -- Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp. said Tuesday that paying passenger traffic in October fell 29.7 percent compared with last year. Air Wisconsin, which operates as US Airways Express and United Express, reported that...

Appleton paper company's net income lags for third quarter.
November 9, 2005... Nov. 9--APPLETON -- Appleton, formerly known as Appleton Papers, reported Tuesday a total of $262.5 million in sales during the third quarter, a 7 percent increase compared with the same period in 2004. At the same time, Appleton reported...

Big Lots to close three area stores.
November 9, 2005... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Nov. 9--Big Lots will close three stores in the Fox Valley by the end of January. A fourth store in Appleton will remain open, as will another in Green Bay. The stores to close include W31369 Van Roy Road...

Swing shifts and sleepy heads: Regular rest elusive for some workers.
November 9, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Nov. 9--Paper mill workers call it the Southern Swing. And even after many years after working the grueling rotation that has you working the first, second and third shifts every three weeks, one worker says the...

Richards set to lead Appleton in next phase.
November 7, 2005... Byline: Arlen Boardman Nov. 7--APPLETON -- Last year, Mark Richards spent a lot of time evaluating and then restructuring the sagging European operations of the Valmont Industries division he headed. He didn't stay around to enjoy...

Neenah Paper posts losing third quarter.
November 7, 2005... Nov. 7--Neenah Paper reported a net loss of $1.5 million in the third quarter, or 10 cents per share, a sharp contrast from the same quarter a year ago before the Alpharetta, Ga.,-based firm became a standalone company. Net income for...

Merger paints new face on SBC.
November 7, 2005... Byline: Marybeth Matzek Nov. 7--APPLETON -- One of the downtown's biggest buildings is getting a name change -- again. SBC, which operates a customer call center at Franklin and Washington streets that employs 300, will soon be...

The Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wis., Maureen Wallenfang column.
November 4, 2005... Byline: Maureen Wallenfang Nov. 4--NEW AZTECA PLAZA: Marco Manuel Montalvo, the owner of four area El Azteca Mexican Restaurants, has been hard at work for months on his newest venture, Azteca Plaza. That's the business he's putting...

Former Touchpoint site sold to investor group.
November 3, 2005... Nov. 3--GRAND CHUTE -- Touchpoint Health Plan has sold its former headquarters and accompanying land to a local private investment group for $5.5 million. In addition to about 35 remaining Touchpoint staff members, the building's tenants...

Neenah mayor lauds move by packaging firm Bemis to downtown headquarters.
November 3, 2005... Byline: Marybeth Matzek Nov. 3--NEENAH -- By next summer, Bemis Co. will join a list of other companies including Plexus Corp., Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co., Alta Resources and Bergstrom Corp. that call Neenah home. The packaging...

Bemis moving headquarters to Neenah.
November 2, 2005... Byline: Marybeth Matzek Nov. 2--Bemis Co., a supplier of flexible packaging and pressure sensitive materials, is moving its corporate headquarters from Minneapolis to Neenah. The company announced today that the move, which should...

Prework screenings can cut costs.
November 1, 2005... Byline: Pete Bach Nov. 1--It seems only logical to think employers would find out if a worker can physically cope with a strenuous job before they hire him or her. Strangely enough, that's not always so. "What we find sometimes...

Demand powers Truck growth.
November 1, 2005... Nov. 1--OSHKOSH -- Manufacturer Oshkosh Truck Corp. today reported higher quarterly profit on strong demand from the U.S. military. Net income rose 42 percent to $42.8 million, or 58 cents per share, in the fourth quarter ending on Sept....