The Business Journal-Milwaukee articles from December 1996

The Business Journal-Milwaukee archives from December 1996

Budget, W-2 top '97 agenda. (Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson)
December 28, 1996... These are heady times for Gov. Tommy Thompson. Recent polls show he's far and away the state's most popular political figure, his welfare reform plans have garnered national attention and he's still being mentioned as a contender in the 2000...

Do statistics lie? Business hopes so. (forecasts for Wisconsin businesses)
December 28, 1996... Not everyone agrees with economic forecasts that show a slowdown next year. As a better-than-expected 1996 draws to a close, many Wisconsin business operators see no reason not to be optimistic about 1997. They just hope they've adequately...

D'Amato seeks help for Farwell. (property owner Alderman Michael D'Amato; proposed closure of a rooming house at N. Farwell Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
December 28, 1996... Alderman Michael D'Amato and a group of lower east side property. owners hope to shut down a troublesome rooming house at 1620-1628 N. Farwell Ave. and extend the redevelopment taking place in two nearby neighborhoods. The short stretch of...

Coming of age. (baby boomer retirement; financial planning)
December 28, 1996... As baby boomers turn 50, financial planning matures When his brother turned 50 this year, accountant Craig Mentch, 46, decided it was time to think about planning for retirement - and seizing a business opportunity. In 1996 - the year the...

Real estate market to continue rebound. (southeast Wisconsin)
December 28, 1996... Barring the unforeseeable, there's every reason to expect that the local real estate market in 1997 will continue to be as healthy as it's been throughout 1996 - and that's about as healthy as it gets. The economy's strong and people are...

Changing health care environment to mean more options for employers. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
December 28, 1996... For those buying and selling health care and insurance services, 1997 will mean more of what they got in 1996 - competition, consolidation and managed care. The good news for employers shopping for a health plan is that they'll have more...

Life is not good for state's breweries. (Wisconsin)
December 28, 1996... This may seem like a small victory given the hits to Milwaukee breweries in 1996, but some familiar labels once associated with the beer capital of America will be brewed in Wisconsin once again in 1997. The Stroh Brewery Co. will produce Old...

Forget bank-broker marriages as more banks merge in '97.
December 28, 1996... Relaxed federal regulation of bank-brokerage company mergers may start a rush of such transactions in 1997, but traditional bank mergers may be more likely. Bank mergers will be fueled "by the need to compete and the difficulty in growing...

Tri City Bankshares Corp. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
December 28, 1996... Tri City Bankshares Corp., a bank holding company, was formed in 1970. Its subsidiary, Tri City National Bank, provides commercial banking services through 31 offices in metropolitan Milwaukee. The corporation owns 100 percent of the stock of...

Ameritech seeks hike in Internet fees. (Ameritech Corp.)(Focus on Computers & Telecommunications)
December 28, 1996... Internet service providers concerned about impact Amid concerns that home and business computer users might face massive rate increases for Internet phone line connections under new federal law, Ameritech Corp. is seeking a new rate structure...

Help wanted: crisis hits computer field. (information technology specialists)(Focus on Computers & Telecommunications)
December 28, 1996... It's the best of times to be an IT person. It's the worst of times to be hiring one. Skilled information technology specialists are in such short supply and tall demand that signing bonuses are being paid to raw college grads. Signing...

Group seeks Silicon image for Milwaukee. (Greater Milwaukee Information Technology Alliance; Wisconsin)(Focus on Computers & Telecommunications)
December 28, 1996... New group to boost Milwaukee 'Net profile When Mark Winters decided to open a high-tech computer coffeehouse in Milwaukee, he encountered a lot of skeptics. They doubted the trendy "cyber cafe" concept would fly in Milwaukee, an industrial...

Cable firms clean up act, raise rates. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin cable television broadcasting companies)(Focus on Computers & Telecommunications)
December 28, 1996... Rate increases follow strides toward better service A few years ago, it was rare to hear the words "cable television" and "good service" used in the same sentence. Customers encountered busy signals or long waits on hold when they called...

Laptops change the way sales reps make their pitch.(Focus on Computers & Telecommunications)
December 28, 1996... Once the archetypal salesperson's tools were a sample case, an order book and a bundle of brochures. Laptop computers are joining the list - sometimes replacing all three. Insurance companies were among the first to tap the selling potential...

Affluenza. (dysfunctional relationship with money)
December 28, 1996... Money can ruin your life. So says Jessie O'Neill, a psychotherapist and partner at Acacia Clinic in Wauwatosa. Her practice focuses on people who have' a dysfunctional relationship with money." She calls the affliction "affluenza." The...

Follow a rational approach to utility deregulation. (Wisconsin; electric utilities)
December 28, 1996... I read with interest The Business Journal's Dec. 7 editorial on electric utility deregulation. While on the state Public Service Commission, I advocated a more market-oriented utility. system. Unfortunately, it is clear to me that simply...

Small, growing firms bet the franchise. (small companies franchise their business to gain capital and extend their distribution capability)
December 21, 1996... The old saying, "If a man builds a better mousetrap than his neighbor, the world will make a beaten path to his door," is generally attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson. If Emerson were alive today, he undoubtedly would add, "Especially if he...

Tougher air quality rules raise industry fears about costs. (Milwaukee, WI)
December 21, 1996... While area businesses acknowledge they need to know more about proposed tougher federal air quality standards, they have serious concerns about new rules that may clear the air but cloud their financial futures. Last month, the Clinton...

Christiana Companies. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
December 21, 1996... NEW YORK CST Christiana Cos. Inc. is a diversified company whose principal businesses are warehousing and logistical services; equity in an oil drilling equipment business; and residential real estate investments. Christiana's Total Logistic...

Sullivan climbs from mail room to top job. (Timothy Sullivan, president of Sullivan Dental Products Inc.)(Focus on Healthcare)
December 21, 1996... One of Tim Sullivan's first jobs at Sullivan Dental Products Inc. was to mail out sales flyers to dentists. That was in 1980, when he was a freshman at Greendale High School and the company was just getting started. "We'd have friends come...

Family Health Plan records another loss. (Family Health Plan Cooperative)
December 7, 1996... Three of nine Milwaukee-area health maintenance organizations (HMOs) reported losses for the first three quarters of 1996, with Family Health Plan Cooperative of West Allis recording the biggest loss. Family Health Plan lost $2.9 million over...

BCI: Bone Care International. (Bone Care International Inc.)
December 7, 1996... TAKING STOCK A weekly report compiled from government filings and other documents of a publicly held company with headquarters in Wisconsin, or a company of major interest to local investors. OVER THE COUNTER - BCII Bone Care...

Distributor puts down roots, grows a new business. (Matt Miller, president of Tri-Phase Automation)
December 7, 1996... Four years ago, Matt Miller depleted his savings account, pledged his house to the bank and promptly lost 15 pounds. "I couldn't eat the first year in business," said Miller, president of Tri-Phase Automation, Pewaukee. "I was too busy and...