The Business Journal-Milwaukee articles from May 1997

The Business Journal-Milwaukee archives from May 1997

Point Beach not ready, feds say. (Wisconsin Electric Power Co's Point Beach Nuclear Plant)
May 30, 1997... Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials predict facility won't be on line until at least June 25 The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, convinced that Wisconsin Electric Power Co.'s Point Beach Nuclear Plant management team is not...

Tribe seeks a fair shake for casino. (Forest County's Potawatomi tribe)
May 30, 1997... Two years from now, the Forest County Potawatomi Nation hopes to be operating its Milwaukee casino and bingo hall with a new gaming compact that will allow it to add as many as 1,000 new slot machines and a handful of table games. While June...

Putting the competition in a sling. (Safeway Sling USA)
May 30, 1997... Safeway snares market share with common sense, hard work Sue Szymczak once heard a competitor refer to her company, Safeway Sling USA, as "Safeway - those bastards." She smiles every time she thinks about the "compliment." "They were...

Off-highway manufacturers reap good news.
May 30, 1997... Grain stock prices are low, construction activity is up, and the outlook remains bright for makers of agricultural and construction equipment. The "off-highway" industry's bellwether companies - Case Corp., Caterpillar Inc. and Deere & Co. -...

New program extends support to smaller firms. (Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership)
May 30, 1997... Goal is to boost productivity and growth of Wisconsin's small to mid size manufacturers The Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership has given new meaning to the old saying, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." In its...

Siegel-Gallagher buys Grootemaat. (Siegel-Gallagher Management Co.; Grootemaat Real Estate Management Corp.)
May 16, 1997... Combination creates one of Milwaukee area's largest property managers Siegel-Gallagher Management Co., Milwaukee, one of the area's newest local property management firms, this week acquired Grootemaat Real Estate Management Corp.,...

Extra incentive. (employee productivity inducements)
May 16, 1997... Companies debate wisdom of rewarding employees with gifts As crews from Sun Cleaning Systems Inc. dust, sweep and vacuum at homes and offices around the Milwaukee area, a supervisor stops in for a surprise inspection. If the employees are...

Bando finds a doll. (Bando McGlocklin Capital Corp.'s Lee Middleton Original Dolls Inc. subsidiary)
May 16, 1997... Collectibles firm puts big boost in REIT's earnings Bando McGlocklin Capital Corp.'s embrace of My Own Baby dolls is expected to generate greater earnings than its core real estate investment business. The diaper-clad vinyl toys will...

Credit unions shift power base.
May 16, 1997... Since Daniel Mica took the reins of the Credit Union National Association last June, he has traveled almost constantly, visiting state associations and attending credit union conventions. Last week, "he came home" for two days, said Steve...

Stadium board adds three to payroll, raising staff to seven. (Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District)
May 16, 1997... After deciding it was too costly to employ a project manager, the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District is adding three people to its own staff, upping its annual payroll to about $450,000. The organizational changes come as...

Initiative calls for primary care clinics at city schools. (Milwaukee, WI)
May 16, 1997... Milwaukee elementary school children could get primary medical care at clinics in their schools under an agreement being developed by Milwaukee Public Schools, the city Health Department, business and health care industry officials, The...

West Bend employer group goes direct contracting route. (West Bend, WI)
May 16, 1997... Priority is to 'keep health care local' A coalition of West Bend-area employers hopes to lower health care costs by encouraging more of its workers to get their medical care in West Bend. The Kettle Moraine Employers Group on Health, made...

USWeb acquires New Berlin's USWeb Interactive. (USWeb Corp.; New Berlin, WI)
May 16, 1997... USWeb Interactive in New Berlin was acquired recently by USWeb Corp. in a tax-free stock exchange eight months after affiliating with the Santa Clara, Calif., Internet services firm. The April 30 acquisition, one of six affiliates...

Ament seeks source other than property tax to fund public transit. (Milwaukee County, WI, executive Tom Ament)
May 16, 1997... Vehicle registration fees, gas tax are likely alternatives Milwaukee County Executive Tom Ament is considering an increase in either vehicle registration fees or gasoline taxes to pay for public transit services and move funding off the...

State bucks national trend, grows thrift assets, branches. (Wisconsin)
May 16, 1997... BEING THRIFTY While the number of savings and loans has plummeted nationally in the last five years, Wisconsin has bucked the trend, as the number of branch offices and total assets increased. State State ...

Bringing Ajay out of the rough. (Ajay Sports Inc.)
May 16, 1997... New owners, influence of Tiger Woods have Delavan golf equipment maker hoping for an upswing A Delavan golf equipment maker, struggling to overcome outdated products and disinterested former owners, is counting on new owners, bank...

Weinermobile, rolling grill put 'marketing in motion.' (mobile promotional advertising firm Gary M. Reynolds & Assocs. Inc.)
May 16, 1997... The classic black-and-white picture of advertising is getting colorized. More promotional dollars are now spent on marketing campaigns that get individual messages or specific products into the hands of buyers. Yes, there is more to...

WPS mindset: stay independent. (WPS Resources Corp.)
May 16, 1997... Utility postures for future; can't quell takeover talk While blockbuster mergers involving Wisconsin Energy Corp., Milwaukee, and WPL Holdings Inc., Madison, are percolating through state and federal regulatory filters, the management team at...

Downtown Titletown bids for rebound. (Titletown Brewing Co.; revitalization of Broadway Street, Green Bay, WI)
May 16, 1997... Redevelopment efforts underway, BID starts, project planned for river Years ago, Broadway Street in Green Bay was the place to go for a shot and a beer. Located in a working-class neighborhood on the west bank of the Fox River, the street...

AMS recovers from fast-growth syndrome. (American Medical Security Group Inc.)
May 16, 1997... New CEO says signs improving for health insurer When Sam Miller addressed employees at American Medical Security Group Inc. for the first time last fall, he was characteristically blunt. The Brown County health insurer had become...

Early results promising for fledgling banks. (community banks in Appleton and Green Bay, WI)
May 16, 1997... Banks in Appleton, Green Bay among fastest growing Ken Swattler and David Blohm acknowledge there have been trying times since launching their community banks some four years ago. But you couldn't tell by looking at the results. The...

Hotels make interim plans waiting for boom. (hospitality industry in Milwaukee, WI)(Meeting Planners Guide)
May 16, 1997... Milwaukee hotel operators would love to have the problems of those in the Big Apple. Manhattan's occupancy rate is a robust 81 percent, compared to a meager 61 percent here. It's not uncommon for New York business travelers to scramble for a...

State CEO pay lags nation. (compensation paid to chief executive officers of Wisconsin-based public companies)(includes related article on compensation panel)
May 9, 1997... Lower median salaries reflect industrial base If the highest-paid chief executive officer of a Wisconsin-based public company were to work a 40-hour week, he would have earned $1,957.30 an hour in 1996. The lowest-paid CEO of a local public...

Building business. (women building contractors)
May 9, 1997... Women in construction fight the odds in tradition-laden industry Michelle Serpe will never forget the day she started work on her first big construction contract. It was the late 1980s, and Serpe won a bid to lay tile floors at a naval...

Bank shot. (National Financial Corp.)
May 9, 1997... Mentoring gets National Financial closer to its dream George Franco harbors a lofty dream. He wants to start the first Hispanic-owned bank in Wisconsin. It is too early to predict how long it will take to get his bank off the ground. But...

Oshkosh B'Gosh. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
May 9, 1997... NASDAQ - GOSHA OshKosh B'Gosh Inc. is engaged in the design, manufacture and sale of a broad range of clothing for children, as well as men's workwear clothing. Its headquarters is at 112 Otter Ave., Oshkosh. [TABULAR DATA OMITTED] ...

Market grab cost G&L: emphasis on sales led to low pricing. (Harnischfeger Industries attempts hostile takeover of Giddings & Lewis Inc.)
May 2, 1997... A combination of weak management, lax cost controls and a preference for sales and market share growth over profitability contributed to the financial troubles at Giddings & Lewis Inc. that led to a hostile takeover attempt by Harnischfeger...

Extra effort the key to cracking China's trade wall.(China: The Uneasy Mega Market)
May 2, 1997... In search of cheap labor for a low-cost product line, Milwaukee's Jason inc. four years ago shifted assembly of the product to an area of China adjacent to Hong Kong. But the shift taught a costly lesson. Shortly after the company began...

Ticket to the big leagues: bonding puts American Ornamental in line for large jobs. (American Ornamental Iron Inc.)(Small Business Strategies)(Company Profile)
May 2, 1997... Late this year or early next, American Ornamental Iron Inc. will begin fulfilling the largest contract in its two-and-a-half-year history, providing miscellaneous steel fabricating at the Midwest Express Center, the $170 million convention...

Jason Incorporated. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
May 2, 1997... NASDAQ - JASN Jason Inc. operates three segments of business, which each generate about a third of the company's annual revenue. Motor Vehicle Products makes motorcycle seats and automotive furnishings. Power Generation makes equipment for...