The Business Journal-Milwaukee articles from December 2001

The Business Journal-Milwaukee archives from December 2001

Telecom revisited: State law could get overhaul to aid competition.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... The new year may bring a change to Wisconsin's telecom regulatory environment aimed at boosting consumer-friendliness and bolstering local telephone service competition. Two separate legislative task forces are planning to draft...

Saving big bucks: Consumers, businesses reap benefits of lower energy costs.(also, warm weather helps lower expenses)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... President George W. Bush's $600 tax rebate is peanuts compared with the economic impact of lower energy costs and record-breaking warm weather during the fourth quarter of 2001. Consumers and businesses alike have saved big bucks on...

Saving big bucks: Warm weather, cheap fuel will help spark rebound.(hospitals and retail set to benefit; utilities adversely affected)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Cheap fuel prices and warm weather will be a boon to the bottom line of most companies during the fourth quarter and could boost the nation's economy next year, Milwaukee-area financial experts say. With the cost of natural gas and oil...

Bottle ban could throw miller brewing for a loss. (Everybody's business).(Miller hoping NFL decides against plastic bottle ban)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Rowdy behavior by football fans has led at least two stadiums to ban the sale of bottled beer, a move that could hurt Miller Brewing Co. and its competitors. Miller representatives are hoping to convince National Football League...

Big spenders from wisconsin. (Everybody's business).(S.C. Johnson and Son Inc. and Kohl's Corp. only area companies in top 100 for advertising spending)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. and Kohl's Corp. are the only two Milwaukee-area companies that show up on the list of top 100 u.s. advertisers for the first three quarters of 2001. S.C. Johnson boosted its ad spending 3.6 percent compared to the...

In this corner, the XWF. (Everybody's business).(Milwaukee debut)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... The Extreme Wrestling Federation, anew professional wrestling organization that is owned by wrestlers, is debuting in Milwaukee Dec. 29. A group of wrestlers once employed by other organizations such as the World Wrestling Federation...

Unexpected fundraising success. (Everybody's business).(Harvey Pollack of Land Title Services donating more than $100,000 to charities)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Harvey Pollack though his company would do well to raise $40,000 for Sept. 11th charities when he decided to contribute$20 for every closing and refinancing title transaction his firm completed between October and the end of December. At...

Corrections & Amplifications.(Correction Notice)
December 21, 2001... Fortis Inc. Milwaukee-based Fortis Health is part of Fortis Inc., a financial services company based in New York City with $25 billion of assets under management. Fortis Inc. is part of Fortis, based in Brussels, Belgium, which has...

Catalyst for growth: Johnson banker heads effort to expand share. (Financial services).(Russell Weyers)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... During the past five years, Johnson International has quietly doubled its assets to $2 billion. Russell Weyers believes the growth is a fraction of the potential for the privately held Racine financial services company. Weyers, who was...

Redevelopment plan targets south side: Alderman spearheads effort to attract retail. (Financial services).(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... Milwaukee Ald. Bob Donovan is out to dispel the perception that neighborhood economic development projects can't be accomplished on the densely populated south side. The first-year alderman and life-long resident of the south side is the...

ITW puts west bend co. on sale block. (Financial services).(Illinois Tool Works Inc. to divest West Bend Co., Precor Inc., and Florida Tile Industries Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... When Illinois Tool Works Inc. purchased West Bend Co.'s corporate parent in 1999, analysts predicted the maker of small appliances would eventually be sold as part of a plan to shed noncore consumer businesses. The soothsayers were...

Struggling APW Ltd. hopes to comply with debt covenants.(stock price and assets)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... Financial woes resulting from the drastic downturn in the technology and telecommunications sector continue to plague Pewaukee-based APW Ltd. Shortly after the company was spun off from Applied Power Inc. in July 2000, APW's stock was...

North Track to merge two funds.(North Track Funds seeks shareholder approval to merge two funds)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... North Track Funds will ask shareholders in April 2002 to merge two of its funds. The fund family, a subsidiary of Ziegler Cos. Inc., Milwaukee, plans to fold its Achievers Fund into the North Track S&P 100 Plus Fund, according to a Dec....

Nitto Americas division receives $500,000 training grant.(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Nitto Americas Inc.'s Permacel division, which is constructing a plant in Pleasant Prairie, has been awarded a $500,000 Wisconsin labor training grant. Grant funds, which were awarded by the Wisconsin Development Fund and are...

R&D tax credit regs to be eased.(Bush administration to drop a requirement)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... The Bush administration plans to make it easier for businesses to qualify for the research and development tax credit by dropping a requirement that the research must advance the state of knowledge in a particular field. This "discovery...

Rate increases don't help most HMO bottom lines.(health maintenance organizations)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... Despite steady increases in premium rates, Wisconsin's health maintenance organization industry is experiencing a razor-thin profit margin, according to third-quarter financial numbers released by the state's Office of the Commissioner of...

Advanced Healthcare opens second Mequon clinic.(new clinic opens in Ozaukee County)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... A new $3 million, 25,000-square-foot clinic is expanding the reach of Advanced Healthcare S.C. in eastern Ozaukee County. The east Mequon clinic, located one mile north of Mequon Road at 12203 N. Port Washington Road, will be the...

Federal Prison Industries loses defense monopoly.(Congress votes in favor of business groups)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Congress handed business groups a major victory in their fight against Federal Prison Industries, an inmate work program that has the power to require federal agencies to buy their products instead of seeking bids from the private sector. ...

Largest area women's business/professional organizations.(ranked by number of local members)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... Largest area women's business/professional organizations Name Members Web site (local) 1 Association for Women Lawyers 400 www.wisbar.org/bars/awl ...

Muni utilities shun independence in favor of joining larger groups. (Public policy journal).(due to changing federal and state energy policies)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Changing federal and state energy policies are prompting small municipal electric utilities in Wisconsin to forgo their independence and join larger power supply groups. The city of Plymouth's municipal utility is the latest to become a...

Congress cuts SBA loan fees, starting next October.(Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Congress cut fees for the Small Business Administration's flagship 7(a) loans, but the reductions do not take effect until Oct. 1, 2002. The loan fee reduction was added as an amendment to the Small Business Investment Company Act, which...

Midwest 100 regional stock analysis: Results for week ended Dec. 18.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... Midwest 100 regional stock analysis Results for week ended Dec. 18 TOP 10 PRICE GAINERS Company Close % change APW $2.39 18.3 Wausau-Mosinee 12.05 13.5 Tower Automotive...

Check in with yourself. (Strategies in small business).
December 21, 2001... How would you evaluate this year? Have, you even stopped long enough to think about it? One of the things I do each year is have a "board meeting" with myself. I take myself out to a special place where I can have some peace and quiet and...

Doing her part for hmongs: Sayaxang to expand south side finance, insurance office. (Strategies in small business).(May Lee Sayaxang starts Family Insurance and Financial Services)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... May Lee Sayaxang earned a degree in social work in hopes of helping people. It wasn't until she started her company, Family Insurance & Financial Services, Milwaukee, that she believed she reached her goal. As sole proprietor of the...

Small contractors to benefit from IRS change. (Short takes).(Internal Revenue Service)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... The Internal Revenue Service has announced a broad expansion of the cash method of accounting that puts an end to the cash vs. accrual accounting question that has plagued smaller construction companies over the past 10 years, according to...

Human resource certification. (Short takes).
December 21, 2001... The Waukesha office of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Small Business Development Center, N16W23233 Stone Ridge Drive, is offering a five-part human resource certification series beginning Jan. 15. Classes will provide an intensive...

Getting down to basics. (Short takes).(Service Corps of Retired Executives Association Milwaukee Chapter to meet)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... The Service Corps of Retired Executives Association Milwaukee Chapter will conduct a seminar on basic business principles and forms of business organization Jan. 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Milwaukee Area Technical College's south campus, 6665 S....

Ex-owners of roundy's unit challenge IRS ruling.(U.S. Internal Revenue Service ruling, Wayne, Constance, Judith, Douglas, and Russell Rindt)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... The Rindt family, owners of a Sheboygan grocery wholesaler that sold to Roundy's Inc. in 1996, are facing capital gains taxes of almost $3.6 million due to an IRS ruling. Three Rindt brothers had hoped to avoid such heavy taxes because...

Virchow krause acquires minneapolis firm.(Virchow Krause and Co. acquires Innovize)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... Virchow Krause & Co. has acquired a Minneapolis consulting firm that focuses on helping clients reduce day-to-day business expenses. The new Virchow Krause affiliate is called Innovize and expects to post revenue of $4 million in 2001....

Creating the job as he goes: New business model breeds CEO role at whyte hirschboeck. (In focus).(conduct of life for Mark Miller, new CEO at Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C.)
December 21, 2001... Making the move from a five-person family law practice in a town of 700 to a corporate culture: of more than 100 attorneys in a metropolitan area may seem like a giant leap for some lawyers. Indeed, Mark Miller, 44, newly appointed chief...

Active accountants -- and more: Appleton's schenck alters its name, expands in Milwaukee area. (Focus on legal & accounting services).(Schenck Business Solutions Inc. merges with R.F. Koehne and Associates Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Appleton-based Schenck Business Solutions plans to make a name for itself in the Milwaukee area. The full-service accounting firm recently added to its holdings here by merging with R.F. Koehne & Associates, a West Allis medical billing...

Accountants to the rescue: Firms finding increased demand for disaster recovery planning. (Focus on legal & accounting services).(many businesses turning to accountants for help with disaster and recovery services)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... So, your business has just been hit by a tornado, flood, earthquake or other disaster. Who do you call first? The answer, many companies are learning, is your accountant. In the last decade, more accounting firms have established...

Wolter hydraulics & power systems. (Business notes).(named distributor for TongMyung Industry Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Wolter Hydraulics & Power Systems, Germantown, has been named the Wisconsin distributor for TongMyung Industry Co. Ltd., the largest hydraulic specialty manufacturer in Korea.

Michael best & friedrich. (Business notes).(signs lease for office building)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Michael Best & Friedrich has signed a five-year lease for 20,600 square feet in the new Two Riverwood Place office building, N19 W24133 Riverwood Drive in Pewaukee. Scheduled to open March 1, the full-service practice will offer a broad range...

Lynde & harry bradley foundation. (Grants).(and many others give grants to ARC Milwaukee)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... ARC Milwaukee has received several grants: $20,000 from the Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation; $10,000 from the Ziemann Foundations; $10,000 from the Walter Schroeder Foundation; $10,000 from the R.A. Stevens Family Foundation; and $10,000...

IBM. (Grants).(International Business Machines Corp. donates laptop computers to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee program)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... IBM has donated 10 wireless laptop computers to a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee program that helps minority young people get a head start on careers in technology. The donation to the Millennium Information Technology Education & Careers...

Northwestern Mutual. (Web sites).(Northwestern Mutual Credit Union launches new Web site)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Northwestern Mutual has launched a new Web site to support its field force and further enhance customer service. Key features on the new site include information on network service offerings such as personal planning, investment services and...

People on the move.(includes multiple Milwaukee-area hirings)
December 21, 2001... ADVERTISING/PR Nelson Schmidt, Milwaukee, has hired Ron Martin as a public relations account supervisor. He had been a senior public relations associate for Morgan&Myers, Jefferson. BBDS Communications-Milwaukee has appointed Katie...

Sinclair's slap on the wrist. (Editorial).(Sinclair Broadcast Group)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
December 21, 2001... The cozy relationship between WVTV-TV (Channel 18) owner Glencairn Ltd. and Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. never passed the smell test. Then again, neither did the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition's vicious opposition to Baltimore-based Sinclair's...

Five-alarm fire was surreal interruption. (Publisher's journal).
December 21, 2001... We've all experienced it: the blurry slow-motion of a car accident. Then it's back to real time. Last week, I pulled into the parking lot at The Business Journal, and time blurred for hours. Only yards away from our publication's offices...

NLRB extends labor agreement to outside temps. (On labor relations).(National Labor Relations Board)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Last year, the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency charged with enforcing federal laws regarding collective bargaining, ruled that temporary employees obtained through temporary help agencies and other staffing services could...

Chuck Luckenbill. (Awards).(receives Markopoulos Award)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Chuck Luckenbill, vice president of visual merchandising for Kohl's Corp., Menomonee Falls, has received the Markopoulos Award from Display & Design Ideas. It is called visual merchandising "premier honor."

Stone Oak Landscapes Inc. (Awards).(Environmental Improvement Award)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Stone Oak Landscapes Inc., Milwaukee, has received an Environmental Improvement Award for its "Arts & Crafts Garden" from the Associated Landscape Contractors of America.

Design North Inc. (Awards).(Logo 2002 Competition)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Design North Inc., Racine, received five awards in the Logo 2002 Competition. The agency was honored for design of logos for Car-X, Search Dog, Baptistat's Bakery, Wellmark Pet Products and Fox River Paper Co.

Kathleen Stolpman. (Awards).(Mount Mary College Woman of the Year)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Kathleen Stolpman has been named 2001-2002 Mount Mary College Woman of the Year. She has been executive director of Sojourner Truth House Inc. since 1984.

The Wisconsin AIDS Fund. (Awards).(Karen Ivantic-Doucette)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... The Wisconsin AIDS Fund has honored Karen Ivantic-Doucette with its annual award for caregivers. Ivantic-Doucette is a nurse at Positive Health Clinic, a specialty clinic at Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Milwaukee, that cares for people with...

The American Culinary Institute. (Awards).(West Bend Co.)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... The American Culinary Institute has announced The West Bend Co. as an American Culinary Award winner and recipient of an Award of Excellence for 2001 for its Lifetime 20 Quart Stainless Steel Stockpot.

Democrats seek hospital regs: Republicans, business groups are opposed.(Wisconsin debates health care cost controls)
December 14, 2001... After nearly a decade without rate and capital expenditure regulations in Wisconsin's hospital industry escalating health care costs have some state legislators weighing the idea of resuming cost containment regulations. Sen. Russ Decker...

Showdown on state street: Gimbel, payne lead conflicting arena groups.(Frank Gimbel and Ulice Payne Jr.; Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
December 14, 2001... Milwaukee attorneys Frank Gimbel and Ulice Payne Jr. are on separate missions to create redevelopment plans that would secure the futures of their respective downtown sports, entertainment and convention facilities. So far, the missions...

Holiday sales up slightly: Retailers hoping for a big finish.(Milwaukee, Wisconsin retailers; national trends)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 14, 2001... In 10 years of working for men's clothing retailer Bachrach, Willie Watkins has never seen so many sweaters, coats and pants on sale before Christmas. Typically the store waits until the day after Christmas for widespread markdowns, said...

Restaurant atop Bank One plaza to close. (Everybody's Business).(Top of the Plaza)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... For the first time in more than three decades, the downtown Milwaukee lunch crowd won't be able to dine at the Top of the Plaza restaurant, formerly the Top of the Marine. The restaurant atop the Bank One Plaza building, on the 22nd floor...

St. Patrick's parades merge. (Everybody's Business).(Westown Association, Shamrock Club of Wisconsin)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Milwaukee will be home to the largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in Wisconsin next year after the city's Westown Association and the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin decided to merge their parades. The Shamrock Club has sponsored a St. Patty's...

Salt Lake via Delta. (Everybody's Business).(Danny Frederick appeas in Delta Airlines ad)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... A Business Journal circulation telemarketer who is competing to become a member of the 2002 Olympic speedskating team opened a USA Today newspaper recently and saw his picture featured in a full-page ad for Delta Airlines. Danny...

Hussey joins Musicnotes board. (Everybody's Business).(Kent Hussey)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Kent Hussey, president and chief financial officer of battery-maker Rayovac Corp., Madison, has been named to the board of directors of Musicnotes Inc., an online digital sheet music publisher. Hussey joined Rayovac in 1996 as executive...

Art museum: hollow shell? (Everybody's Business).(museum is attractive for its architecture, not collections)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... The Milwaukee Art Museum's Calatrava addition continues to draw national attention, only this time the PR might not be such a good thing. Deborah Solomon uses the museum and its brise soleil designed by Spanish architect Santiago...

Corrections & Amplifications.(Correction Notice)
December 14, 2001... Hayes Brake A photo in the Dec. 7 Focus on Manufacturing showed Hayes Brake chief executive officer Rand McNally but incorrectly identified him as vice president of operations Mark Traeger. Cobalt Corp. Cobalt Corp., Milwaukee,...

C2 lassos logistics: New emphasis leads to contracts with guinness, others.(C2 Inc. wins logistics contract from Guinness UDV North America Inc.)(Statistical Data Included)
December 14, 2001... C2 Inc.'s contract to operate the former Pabst Brewing Co. plant in Pennsylvania could be a sign of things to come for the Milwaukee-based provider of logistics services. Under an agreement with Guinness UDV North America Inc., C2 will...

Northwestern mutual trims baird role: NM may compete with baird brokers.(Northwestern Mutual Investment Services to provide full financial services to clients)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Northwestern Mutual Investment Services will begin entering trades for its mutual fund and insurance customers in January, a step that could set the insurance giant on the path to directly compete with its subsidiary Robert W. Baird & Co....

Fortis expands call centers, adds USAA.(Fortis Health, USAA Life Insurance Co.)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Fortis Health has added a telemarketing arm to its sales force, the result of a partnership with USAA Life Insurance Co., San Antonio, to be the exclusive provider of medical insurance for that company's customers. The partnership is an...

Study: 25 percent of ex-welfare moms have left Wisconsin; But many who remained aren't self-sufficient.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 14, 2001... A new study on Wisconsin welfare moms suggests that 25 percent of the women who once received Aid to Families with Dependent Children have disappeared and probably moved out of the state during the 1990s. The introduction of the Wisconsin...

TDS Metrocom makes noise after taking quiet growth route.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... With its entry into the downtown Milwaukee market and surrounding communities earlier this year, TDS Metrocom, based in Madison, is following a conservative growth model that's yielding double-digit sales growth annually. By year-end,...

Physicians Insurance wins $9.5 million in challenge of IRS.(Physicians Insurance Company of Wisconsin Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... A judge in Washington, D.C., has ruled in favor of Physicians Insurance Co. of Wisconsin Inc. to the tune of $9.5 million, overturning an Internal Revenue Service demand for additional 1993-94 taxes. The ruling by U.S. Tax Court Judge...

Grede Foundries closes Oklahoma plant.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Wauwatosa-based Grede Foundries Inc. is closing its Pryor, Okla., foundry and laying off 420 employees there, according to a union representing hourly workers at the plant near Tulsa. A representative of the United Steelworkers Local...

MU workers reject union.(Marquette University)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Maintenance workers at Marquette University voted against joining the International Union of Operating Engineers in an election held Dec. 5. Employees of Marquette's Facilities Services Department voted 37-28 against joining the union,...

Creative financing helps close mergers, acquisitions: Sellers accept contingencies, help finance.(Brief Article)(Column)
December 14, 2001... After a year-long slump in merger and acquisition activity people involved in the industry are increasingly turning to more complex financing packages to consummate deals. In particular, merger and acquisition advisers say they have begun...

Laura Ashley to leave Grand Avenue.(retailer leaving mall)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... The $17 million upgrade to The Shops of Grand Avenue has a goal of saving the struggling downtown Milwaukee mall and attracting new big-name retailers. But the mall is losing a smaller, upscale name: Laura Ashley. The national retailer,...

Milwaukee-area hospitals turn to costly temp nurses: They fill openings caused by nurse shortage.(hospitals are hiring staffing agencies to fill positions)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 14, 2001... Some Milwaukee-area hospitals are hiring staffing agencies to fill nursing job vacancies and adding millions of dollars to labor costs. Aurora Health Care's metro region, which consists of five hospitals and numerous clinics, experienced...

Education savings plans gain popularity.(companies are offering employees college savings plans)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Based on feedback from employees about what kinds of benefits are most important to them, 4imprint.com decided to establish a college savings program for employees. The Oshkosh-based company that imprints corporate logos on merchandise...

AFSCME loses three of four school bus elections.(American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... School bus drivers and mechanics at two Milwaukee bus companies voted against union representation in three of four elections held Dec. 5 and 6. Employees at Laidlaw Education Services' terminals in West Allis and Milwaukee voted against...

Ex-tucker anthony staffers open SWS office.(SWS Securities opens Milwaukee branch)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Eleven of the 41 employees who worked at the Milwaukee office of Tucker Anthony Capital Markets have resurfaced in a newly opened Milwaukee branch of SWS Securities, Dallas. The Tucker Anthony Capital Markets office closed Oct. 31 after...

BBDS, zizzo add new accounts, believe worst is over. (AD/PR Journal).(BBDS adds accounts for two boat manufacturers and a health care concern)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Like their brethren in other regions, Milwaukee-area advertising agency have been feeling the revenue pinch since the fourth quarter of 2000 when ad spending and agency employment began a steady decline. After the first three quarters of...

UWM designated as 'competency center' by e-business software giant.(University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee teams with SAP AG)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, strengthening its alliance, with an international e-business software developer, will act as a clearinghouse of curriculum material related to the software for universities throughout North and South...

FCC approves sale of channel 18.(Milwaukee WB netowrk to be sold to Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... WVTV-TV (Channel 18) will get a new owner but not a new operator. The Federal Communications Commission, after more than two years of deliberation, has approved the sale of the Milwaukee WB network from Glencairn Ltd., Pittsburgh, to...

Putting Powerpoint in its place.(using Powerpoint presentation software)(Brief Article)(Column)
December 14, 2001... It was hypnosis by Powerpoint. The fourth speaker stood up, remote control in his hand. After a few minutes, I could see that it was going to be another assault of bullet points. Powerpoint, like other technologies, is a good tool but...

Ringing up refunds: Germantown company finds errors in clients' phone bills.(Tariff Patrol)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Thanks to competition and other changes in telecommunications since 1996, reading and verifying phone bills has become a full-time job at many companies. Now, a Germantown firm called Tariff Patrol is building a business by virtually...

SBA launches new web site. (Short Takes).(Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... The Small Business Administration has launched a Web site to provide small companies access to a wide range of legal and regulatory business information. Businesslaw.gov is designed to help reduce the burden of complying with laws and...

OSHA targets amputations caused by power presses. (Short Takes).(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... The Occupational Safety & Health Administration is giving extra attention to amputations caused by power presses, including press brakes, saws, shears, slicers and slitters. OSHA plans to inspect the most hazardous workplaces, based on...

Court rules businesses can deduct annual expenses. (Short Takes).(Seventh Court of Appeals in Chicago, Illinois)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... The Seventh Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled that businesses can deduct costs like annual permits, licensing fees and insurance premiums instead of having to capitalize and depreciate these expenses. The court ruled in favor of U.S....

De-stress for the holiday season. (Success Matters).(suggestions listed to make holidays less stressful)(Brief Article)(Column)
December 14, 2001... The cold winters in Wisconsin chill to the core. I should know this as I have lived here most of my adult life. At the time of my son's first Christmas, the weather turned especially cold with wind chills down to 45 degrees below zero. Both...

Litigation vs. negligence: Some law firms capitalize on nursing home woes. (In Focus).(law firms specialize in nursing home negligence)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Michael Hupy & Associates has been running commercials on Milwaukee television aimed at persuading the elderly and their families to take action against nursing homes and assisted living centers if they believe they received substandard care....

A brighter white: Whitening procedures are growth business for dentists. (Focus on Health Care).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 14, 2001... Scott McBride of Fox Point didn't feel self-conscious about his smile and didn't consider his teeth to be too discolored. But he noticed that, with age, his teeth had started to become slightly stained and decided to try a new whitening...

New cardiac procedures 'minimally invasive': Breakthroughs cut costs, pain and recovery time. (Focus on Health Care).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 14, 2001... "Minimally invasive." It's a term you hear more and more these days in the health field because of a growing number of surgical applications. The benefits are obvious. Minimally invasive surgical procedures require smaller incisions....

Dealing with debt: Medical students learning financial facts of life.(Statistical Data Included)
December 14, 2001... For medical students like Scott Hansen, the importance of budgeting their money is made clear by medical colleges from the moment they step onto campus. Nearly 80 percent of students will graduate with debt averaging about $100,000. "The...

Largest Milwaukee-area home health agencies.(ranked by number of 2001 visits)(Statistical Data Included)
December 14, 2001... LARGEST MILWAUKEE-AREA HOME HEALTH AGENCIES Name Address Telephone Last Est. no. Fax year's of vists Web site rank in...