Biz Notes

Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association of Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin

The Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association of Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin donated $4,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, Phoenix, Ariz., from proceeds from the Plumbing Parade. At the end of March plumbers paraded from Miller Park to Comedy Sportz, Milwaukee, in their company vehicles. A private show, dinner and auction followed at Comedy Sportz. The donation went to the purchase of a personal home theater for Brandon, a 13-year-old boy.

The Milwaukee Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry

Three member companies of the Milwaukee Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), Wauwatosa, received national awards from the National NARI, Des Plaines, Ill. Kerzner Inc., Oconomowoc, received the Contractor of the Year Award in the Home Theater & Media Rooms Under $150,000 category. Diane Ausavich , president of Carl Krueger Construction, Milwaukee, received the 2007 Harold Hammerman Spirit of Education Award for excellence in training and education in the industry. Dean Herriges, co-owner of Urban Herriges and Sons, Mukwonago, was a recipient of the 2007 President’s Award for outstanding service to NARI on the local and national level in 2006.
Milwaukee NARI accepted 24 companies to its organization, including: Aquatica LLC, Wales; Bonniwell Financial Services Co., Mequon; Cutter Vac, West Bend; DeanAlan Construction Services LLC, Menomonee Falls; Designer Glass-SGO LLC, Waukesha; Hales Corners Heating & Air Conditioning, Franklin; Home Improvements By Gunther, Menomonee Falls; Home Star Inc., New Berlin; Kitchen Solvers, Wauwatosa; Lakeside Development Co., Mequon; Littrel Home Repair LLC, West Bend; Midwest Stone Encounter LLC, Menomonee Falls; Millennium Stone-Crete Technologies, Milwaukee; Ritz, Holman, Butala, Fine LLP, Milwaukee; Royal Lawns LLC, Waukesha; SealMaxx of S.E. Wisconsin, Union Grove; Stickler & Associates, Wauwatosa; Stu’s Flooring, Waukesha; Total Pool Care, Brookfield; TW Carpentry Inc., Elkhart Lake; Unlimited Woodworks Inc., Greenfield; USA Heating & Cooling Inc., Big Bend; Watertight WaterCare Inc., Waterford, and Weisflog’s Home Design & Remodeling Showroom LLC, Pewaukee.
Integrity Retirement Plan Services LLC
Ryan Kromholz & Manion S.C., Brookfield, selected Integrity Retirement Plan Services LLC, Waukesha, as the third party administrator for its retirement plan.

Ann’s Hope Foundation, Inc.

Ann’s Hope Foundation Inc., Hartland, awarded a $65,000 two-year grant to the Medical College of Wisconsin, Wauwatosa. The grant will help fund the research of Dr. Vinod Shidham to further develop the Melanoma Cocktail, a rapid test conducted during initial melanoma surgery that has shown promising results in detecting early spread of the tumor. The further development of the Melanoma Cocktail will refine the testing technique to a single step that can eliminate the need for a second surgery, and reduce the testing time by two-thirds. The grant will be distributed over a two year period. Ann’s Hope Foundation already awarded $50,000 from proceeds from the foundation’s annual Rays Awareness Block Melanoma Run/Walk and related events. Ann’s Hope Foundation has pledged an additional $15,000 to be raised from the foundation’s upcoming events.

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Community Bank & Trust

Denise Bangart, assistant vice president and mortgage lender for the Chilton branch of Community Bank & Trust, Sheboygan, received the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Gold Level Million Dollar Lender Award. The Gold Level Award is presented to participating lenders that reach between the $2 to $3 million dollar levels. Community Bank & Trust produced more than $2.5 million in loans and Bangart produced more than $2 million.
Wheaton Franciscan Medical Group
Wheaton Franciscan Medical Group, Milwaukee, opened a Mequon office, located at 10526 N. Port Washington Road. Dr. Stuart Hannah, who specializes in obstetrics and Dr. Victoria Yorke, who specializes in women’s health issues, will practice from the new office.

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

The UW Extension awarded UW-Whitewater a $39,935 grant to aid the Fiscal and Economic Research Center (FERC) at the college in providing applied economics research expertise. FERC’s mission is to provide economic analysis on issues including economic development, fiscal management and environmental management in the communities of southeastern Wisconsin. A key objective of FERC is to channel its professional resources to improve the quality of life and spur economic growth among the surrounding communities. Co-investigators for FERC include Mark Eiswerth, associate professor of economics and Russ Kashian, associate professor of economics.

Wachtel Tree Science & Service Inc.

Paul Markworth, president of Wachtel Tree Science & Service Inc., Merton, received the Pat Felix Volunteer of the Year Award for 2006 from the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), Manchester, N.H. The award is presented to the TCIA member volunteer who has committed time and effort toward the success of TCIA and what it offers to its members.

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Bader Rutter & Associates

O’Dwyer’s Co. Inc., New York, published its public relations firm ranking of the 2006 Worldwide Fees of Independent Firms With Major U.S. Operations and ranked Bader Rutter & Associates, Brookfield, the 44th largest. The ranking is based on total revenue and includes public relations firms and public relations departments within full-service agencies. Bader Rutter’s 2006 net fees totaled about $6.4 million, an increase of 7.1 percent from 2005. Two more Wisconsin-based public relations firms made the ranking. Morgan & Meyers Inc., Waukesha, ranked No. 70 with about $4 million in net fees for 2006 and Zeppos & Associates Inc., Milwaukee, ranked No. 113 with about $1.5 million in net fees for 2006. The 2006 ranking was the first time Bader Rutter appeared on the list.

Urban Education Fellows Program

The Urban Education Fellows Program (UEFP) at Mount Mary College, Wauwatosa, and Alverno College, Milwaukee, received two grants totaling about $1.3 million for continued support. UEFP received $615,000 from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and $633,322 from the Trinity Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. The UEFP targets men and women who hold bachelor’s degree and would like to teach at the elementary and middle school levels but do not have a teaching license. Interested individuals participate in a two-year program that leads to a middle school and early childhood teaching certificate and a master’s degree in education from either Mount Mary College or Alverno College.

Elite Fitness & Racquet Clubs

Kay Yuspeh, owner of Elite Fitness & Racquet Clubs, Brookfield, received the Governor’s Trailblazer Award for Women in Business. The award recognizes women’s business ownership in Wisconsin and their roots in the business community. Yuspeh owns four fitness centers and racquet clubs in southeastern Wisconsin, including Highlander and Bluemound Elite in Brookfield, North Shore Elite in Glendale and Mequon Elite in Mequon.

Tailored Label Products Inc.

Tailored Label Products Inc. (TLP), Menomonee Falls, received first place in the Electronic Printing Category in the World Label Association Awards Competition (WLAA). TLP received the award for its work on a label for Cambria, a natural quartz surface manufacturing company based in Eden Prairie, Minn.

EGA Products Inc.

EGA Products Inc., Brookfield, launched a new product catalog, Performance By Design. The catalog promotes product information, including weight, dimensional specifications and pricing. 

Mergers & Aquisitions

 

Toshiba acquires majority share of ReGENco

Toshiba International Corp. (TIC), the wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Toshiba Corp. of Japan, has acquired a majority ownership interest in ReGENco of West Allis.
With the transaction, all of ReGENco’s non-management investors will sell their membership interests to TIC. ReGENco will also pre-pay all of its economic development loans to both the City of West Allis and the State of Wisconsin as part of the recapitalization.
ReGENco is one of the largest and most capable non-OEM turbine and generator maintenance and repair organizations in North America.
In addition to making the investment, Toshiba has selected ReGENco as its authorized service provider for its large steam turbine-generators, growing to more than 100 units by 2010, in the United States and Canada. Toshiba also intends to use ReGENco to manufacture various turbine and generator parts “Attracting a global power generation leader like Toshiba, one of the world’s leading large steam turbine manufacturers, is a real honor to our company and employees,” said John Bobrowich, president and chief executive officer of ReGENco. “Providing service support for Toshiba’s large and rapidly expanding installed base of steam turbinegenerators in North America will allow ReGENco to better serve our existing broad customer base, many of whom are now adding Toshiba manufactured units to their fleets. This is a win-win agreement for all the involved parties and will assure that our North American plant operators get the best support available for all their units.” “We are delighted to have reached an agreement with ReGENco,” said Atsuhiko Izumi, vice president of the Thermal & Hydro Power Systems & Services Division of Toshiba’s Power Systems Co. “Toshiba is a leading supplier of combined-cycle and coal-fired thermal power generating equipment in North America. By maximizing the use of ReGENco as our authorized local service provider for this essential market, and making full use of ReGENco’s extensive repair, maintenance, parts manufacturing, procurement and fast turnaround time capabilities, we will strengthen our overall capabilities and optimize the total support we offer our customers.”
The ReGENco name will be retained, as will its management team. ReGENco has grown to have about 115 employees, and Bobrowich told SBT that the company plans to add 25 to 50 additional workers to meet the growing work demand with from Toshiba.
ReGENco is Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) “Master Mettle” Future 50 company. TIC has operated in the United States for almost 40 years. Its headquarters is located in Houston, Texas.

Brady Corp. acquires New Jersey company

Milwaukee-based Brady Corp. announced it has acquired Sorbent Products Co. Inc. (SPC) of Somerset, N.J. SPC is manufactures and markets synthetic sorbent materials used in a variety of industrial maintenance and environmental applications for spill clean-up, containment and control. SPC sorbents and spill kits are used indoors and outdoors in virtually every type of industrial market and environmental sector.
The company, founded in 1977, has manufacturing operations in the United States, Belgium and Hong Kong. With sales of approximately $47 million in 2006, SPC employs 170 people.
The acquisition of SPC enables Brady to broaden its product portfolio, enhance its position as a provider of products that protect premises and add value for Brady distributors.
“We are excited to add sorbents to our product offering of safety and facility products sold through our distribution partners. These are highly successful and important consumable products that will help to further grow the wide range of other Brady products that identify and protect the premises of our customers,” said Matt Williamson, president of Brady Americas. “SPC is a customer-driven company committed to their distributors and is focused on quality products that will fit well with Brady’s culture of exceptional performance.”
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Milwaukee law firm acquires Sheboygan practice
The Milwaukee law firm of O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong S.C. announced that the law firm of Hopp Neumann Humke LLP will become the Sheboygan office of OCHD, effective June 1.
A full-service firm, Hopp Neumann Humke is one of Sheboygan’s oldest and largest law firms. The firm’s practice includes corporate, estate planning and probate, employment, real estate, litigation and family law.  The firm is best known locally for its extensive municipal law practice, and is currently under contract to provide all civil legal services to Sheboygan County government. The company also provides services to several cities, villages, towns, sanitary districts, and other local units of government in the Sheboygan area. OCHD currently has offices in downtown Milwaukee and Port Washington. “We are pleased to be able to expand our practice by joining forces with HNH,” said Jim DeJong, president of OCHD.
“The Hopp Neumann Humke attorneys will bring valuable experience and extensive community ties to OCHD which will allow the combined firm to better service our clients in Sheboygan and the surrounding communities. We also look forward to the opportunity to expand our practice areas by adding municipal law expertise.”

Waukesha State Bank to purchase Marine Bank branch

Waukesha State Bank announced it plans to acquire the Brookfield branch of Marine Bank at 19265 W. Capitol Drive.
With the acquisition, Waukesha State Bank will have 10 full-service offices located throughout Waukesha County, and is in the midst of building an 11th office in Mukwonago that will open in June. Waukesha State Bank also operates eight limited services offices and a Wealth Management Services office, also within Waukesha County.
Jennifer Photavath has been selected as bank manager of the new Brookfield office. Photavath, who currently manages the bank’s Meadowbrook office in Waukesha, joined the company in 1999.
“This is an exciting time of growth for Waukesha State Bank, and we are happy to have this opportunity to bring traditional community banking to the Brookfield community with the acquisition of this office,” said Ty Taylor, president and chief executive officer of Waukesha State Bank. “We anticipate that the existing Brookfield office account holders will have a smooth transition into our family of products and services, and we are confident that no disruption of service will occur.”
The acquisition is expected to be completed in May.
The sale is part of Marine Bank’s strategic plan to consolidate its branch banking facilities to achieve operating efficiencies and to better concentrate on targeting growth marketing and lines of business for the bank. Marine Bank will continue to operate its nine branches in Franklin, Milwaukee, Pewaukee and Wauwatosa; Carmel and Indianapolis, Ind.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Henderson, Nev.

Actuant acquires Dutch company

Butler-based Actuant Corp. announced it has acquired T.T. Fijnmechanica B.V. (TTF) for approximately $20 million. Funding for the transaction came from Actuant’s revolving credit facility.
Headquartered in Roermond, The Netherlands, TTF supplies products and systems for use in the bridge building, infrastructure and heavy lifting markets. The company’s products include wedges, anchor heads, multi-strand jacks, and heavy lifting systems. TTF generated approximately $10 million in sales in 2006 and has approximately 30 employees.
TTF will operate within Actuant’s Enerpac business, which is part of Actuant’s Industrial Segment.
Mark Goldstein, executive vice president of Actuant, said, “TTF is a great addition to our global construction and tensioning platforms. Its strong presence in the European market is an excellent complement to our Precision Sure-Lock business. The combination of Enerpac, Precision Sure-Lock, and TTF allow us to provide solutions for the largest and most sophisticated tensioning and heavy lifting projects on a global basis.”

 

SBA Loans

The U.S. Small Business Administration approved the following loan guarantees in March:
Adam Mudrow, 738 9th Ave., Union Grove, $98,200, Associated Bank;
Ancilla Partners Inc., 1101 N. Old World Third St., #102, Milwaukee, $25,000, JPMorgan Chase Bank;
Apple a Day Massage Inc., 2227 S. Kinnickinnic, Milwaukee, $25,000, Bank Mutual;
Apple a Day Massage Inc., 2227 S. Kinnickinnic, Milwaukee, $50,000, Bank Mutual;
Arz Maching LLC, 10430 13th Ave., Grafton, $269,000, Port Washington State Bank;
Auto Safety Center, 444 N. Main St., West Bend, $152,600, JPMorgan Chase Bank;
Beeline Disposal Inc., 3132 W. Oklahoma Ave., Milwaukee, $35,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank;
Bokays on Water LLC, 700 N. Water St., Milwaukee, $13,900, U.S. Bank;
CD Investments LLC, 3937 S. 76th St., Milwaukee, $480,000, Citizens Small Business Lending Corporation;
Cody’s Kitchen and Bath Shoppe, 4263 W. Layton Ave., Greenfield, $35,000, Capital One Federal Savings Bank;                           Companion Care Inc., Sheboygan, $25,000, Johnson Bank;                                                                                                              Compo Street Products Inc., 3637 N. Holton St., Milwaukee, $1 million, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank;
County Veterinary Service, 2007 S. Browns Lake Dr., Burlington, $495,000, Citizens Small Business Lending Corporation;                           CS Innovation LLC, 2821 N. 4th St., #13, Milwaukee, $5,000, Superior Financial Group LLC;
Dairy Queen, 1200 S. Main St., West Bend, $316,000 Wisconsin Business Development Financial Corporation;
Dairy Queen, 206 Nordic Lane, Slinger, $90,000, Port Washington State Bank;
Dairy Queen, 501 Wildwood Road, West Bend, $278,000, Wisconsin Business Development Financial Corporation;
Diamond Realty LLC, 5008 74th St., Milwaukee, $20,000, U.S. Bank;
Digital Edge of Wisconsin LLC, 755 N. Water St., Milwaukee, $40,000, U.S. Bank;
East Side Tools LLC, 383 Poplar St., Fond du Lac, $133,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank;
East Side Tools LLC, 383 Poplar St., Fond du Lac, $20,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank;
Enhanced Radiology LLC, 5439 Durand Ave., Suite 101, Racine, $250,000, JPMorgan Chase Bank;
Enhanced Radiology LLC, 5439 Durand Ave., Suite 101, Racine, $880,000, JPMorgan Chase Bank;
Faith Automotive, 232 S. Lake St., Hustisford, $50,400, JPMorgan Chase Bank;
Farwell Video LLC, 1441 N. Farwell Ave., Milwaukee, $153,000, U.S. Bank;
Farwell Video LLC, 1441 N. Farwell Ave., Milwaukee, $724,800, U.S. Bank;
Fashion Scent LLC, 6738 N. North Ave., Milwaukee, $15,000, U.S. Bank;
Fuel Land USA Inc./Rajesh Kumar, 3465 N. 60th St., Milwaukee, $1.327 million, State Bank of Chilton;
Genesis Medical Center of Kenosha, 1020 35th St., Kenosha, $1.384 million, Racine County Business Development Corporation;
GPS Enterprises LLC, 2665 Cedar Creek Road, Jackson, $25,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank;
GPS Enterprises LLC, 2665 Cedar Creek Road, Jackson, $25,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank;
Gurda Enterprises Limited, 9401 W. Port Washington, Milwaukee, $20,000, U.S. Bank;
Hardtop Asphalt Sealing Acquis, 1760 State St., Racine, $75,000, Community State Bank;
Heinecke Auto Repair LLC, N. 411 County Road W, Campbellsport, $50,000, Capital One Federal Savings Bank;
Hillside Cars LLC, 6577 Midland Ct., Allenton, $50,000, U.S. Bank;
Impressions Day Spa Inc., 11134 N. Cedarburg Road, Mequon, $100,000, Guaranty Bank;
Jackson Title & Closing LLC, 7607 W. Townsend St., Milwaukee, $10,000, Superior Financial Group LLC;
Kathy’s Buffalo Bar LLC, 814 N. Church St., Watertown, $55,600, JPMorgan Chase Bank;
Kettle Moraine Coatings Inc., W208 N16969 Center St., Jackson, $200,000, Wisconsin Community Bank;
Kreg LLC, 1229 Brady St., Milwaukee, $20,000, U.S. Bank;
Krohn Acquisition LLC, 668 Grand Ave., Hartford, $132,000, Wells Fargo Bank;
Lakeshore Veterinary Surgical, 620 E. Green Bay Ave., Saukville, $192,100, U.S. Bank;
Lakeshore Veterinary Surgical, 620 E. Green Bay Ave., Saukville, $50,000, U.S. Bank;
Lino’s Trucking, 2979 S. 15th Place, Milwaukee, $30,000, Landmark Credit Union;
Merwin Oil Co. LLC, 311 W. Rolling Meadows Dr., Fond du Lac, $1.775 million, National Exchange Bank and Trust;
Milwaukee Boat Line LLC, 231 E. Buffalo St., $260,000, Community Bank & Trust;
Mortl Sealants & Restoration, 610 N. 119th St., Milwaukee, $20,000, U.S. Bank;
Namalo LLC, 4303 38th St., Milwaukee, $20,000, U.S. Bank;
National Petro Mart LLC, Milwaukee, 902-914 W. National Ave., Milwaukee, $1.755 million, Community Bank & Trust;
Nicanor Rodriguez, 1531 W. Walker St., $125,000, U.S. Bank;
Only God Can Childrens Academy, 8884 N. 70th St., Milwaukee, $35,000, Bank Mutual
Originails Nail Salon, 6122 S. 108th St., Milwaukee, $204,500, U.S. Bank;
Out Source Network, 1305 W. Main, Lake Geneva, $20,000, U.S. Bank;
P L Stepanski Inc., 9807 S. 13th St., Oak Creek, $100,000, Capital One Federal Savings Bank;
Patrick and Jean Thiede, W5286 Meirkwood Dr., Jefferson, $180,000, Citizens Bank;
Platinum Pool & Spa, 1489 W. Second Ave., Port Washington, $75,000, Port Washington State Bank;
Playmakers Team Sales Inc., 5601 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Cudahy, $34,800 JPMorgan Chase Bank;
Rawson51 LLC and Priya Corp., 5040 W. Rawson Ave., Franklin, $2 million, Community Bank & Trust;
Rock River Lanes, 1010 Larsen Road, Fort Atkinson, $1.6 million, Citizens Bank and Trust;
Shiraz Persian Cuisine Inc., 6030 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa, $50,000 Capital One Federal Savings Bank;
Sigma Exteriors Inc., 5373 S. Whitnall Ave., Cudahy, $150,000, Layton State Bank;
Sigma Exteriors Inc., 5373 S. Whitnall Ave., Cudahy, $500,000, Layton State Bank;
Sparti’s Grecian Grill LLC, 11812 Fox River Road, Twin Lakes, $25,300, JPMorgan Chase Bank  National Association;
Stevanovic Clinics SC, 11111 W. Oklahoma Ave., West Allis, $147,000, Wisconsin Business Development Financial Corporation;
Synergistics Direct Inc., 462 W. Cross St., Juneau, $55,000, Waukesha State Bank;
Synergistics Express Inc., 462 W. Cross St., Juneau, $25,000, Waukesha State Bank;
Trudyann’s Smartmart LLC, 16 N. Brooke St., Fond du Lac, $25,000, JPMorgan Chase Bank;
Ultimate Glass, 2858 S. 96th, Milwaukee, $25,000, JPMorgan Chase Bank;
United Landscape & Snowplowing, 10212 N. Foxkirk Dr., Mequon, $183,100, Associated Bank;
United Landscape & Snowplowing, 10212 N. Foxkirk Dr., Mequon, $75,000, Associated Bank;
V R Food Mart LLC, 156 Elkhorn Road, $100,000, JPMorgan Chase Bank.

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