IBEW Great Lakes Training Trust
IBEW Great Lakes Training Trust, Waukesha, received a two-year, $70,000 grant from the Helen Bader Foundation, Milwaukee, to offer its utility construction certificate pre-employment program to minority adults from Milwaukee’s central city. IBEW Great Lakes Training is a non-profit labor management partnership between the utility construction industry and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 2150 and 953, Eau Claire and Waukesha. The utility construction certificate program serves to eliminate barriers to entry into the field of outside utility construction. Graduates of the program hold a Class A Commercial Drivers License permit, First Aid and CPR certification and an Occupational Safety and Health Administration 10-hour safety card for construction.
The Dean Group LLP
The Dean Group LLP, Thiensville, will serve as the communication source for voice-over work for The United States of Delcam Inc., United Kingdom. The United States of Delcam specializes in software development.
Luminaries LLC
Mary Gielow, owner and president of Luminaries LLC, Milwaukee, received the President’s Award from The Junior League of Milwaukee (JLM). Gielow also serves as executive director of Cedar Creek Settlement Merchants Association, Cedarburg, and partner in Great Lakes Stable LLC, Mequon. The President’s Award recognizes individuals who show leadership through community volunteerism, board chairmanships, and community board positions and serve as advisors to JLM sustaining and active membership groups. Gielow joined the Junior League in Phoenix in 1975 and previously served as a member of leagues in Los Angeles and Washington D.C. before moving to Milwaukee and joining JLM.
Next Door Foundation
The Next Door Foundation, Milwaukee, received the Community Impact Award from Growth Design Corp., Milwaukee, for its work providing early childhood education and family literacy programs. Next Door Foundation was one of Growth Design’s original clients in 1981. Byron Tweeten, founder and chairman for Growth Design was also a founder of Next Door Foundation.
ProHealth Care Inc.
ProHealth Care Inc., Waukesha, received the NOVA Award from the American Hospital Association (AHA). The award recognized ProHealth Care for its programs that improve community health by providing assistance to low-income and uninsured children and adults, the chronically ill and racial and ethnic minorities. ProHealth Care’s Community Health Outreach Initiative was recognized for its accomplishments in improving the health and quality of life of local residents. ProHealth’s Community Outreach Initiative provides access to nurses in more than 40 different locations throughout the community including churches, schools and shelters. In addition, a broad-based Hispanic Health Initiative was launched including a Hispanic Community Health Resource Center with bilingual staff and culturally competent services and education. Five hospitals in the United States receive the NOVA Award annually. ProHealth Care was the first hospital in Wisconsin to receive the award.
UW-Milwaukee
Joan Prince, vice chancellor for partnerships and innovations at UW-Milwaukee and a trustee of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation board of directors, will serve on the board of directors for the Council on Foundations (COF), Washington, D.C. The Council provides the opportunity, leadership and tools needed by philanthropic organizations to expand, enhance and sustain their ability to advance the common good. Prince serves as chair of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation board of directors awards committee and serves on the development, nominations and program committees. She serves as president of the Milwaukee Public Library board of directors and as chair of the Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare – St. Joseph Foundation. Prince is also a trustee on the Froedtert Health Systems board of directors and a member of the Zoological Society of Greater Milwaukee board. Prince has received awards for her service to the community including: the Outstanding Woman of Achievement Award from YWCA of Greater Milwaukee; Special Lifetime Achievement Award from UW-Milwaukee and was named one of the 10 most powerful women in Milwaukee by Milwaukee Magazine in 2006.
Rotary Club of Milwaukee
William Petasnick, president and chief executive officer of Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, Wauwatosa, received the 2006 Rotary Person of the Year Vocational Recognition Award from the Rotary Club of Milwaukee. The award was created in 1955 to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the Milwaukee community through their profession and not through charitable or civic activity. Under the leadership of Petasnick, Froedtert has become recognized as an innovative and cost-conscious hospital and was recognized as one of the top hospitals in the nation by several publications including U.S. News & World Report and Modern Maturity.
Community Memorial Hospital
Kristie Ingraham, a registered nurse at Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls, received American Heart and Stroke Hero recognition from the American Heart Association. Ingraham received the Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillator Rescue Award for her role in rescuing a woman who went into cardiac arrest while attending a baby shower. At the shower, Ingraham and two other nurses performed CPR on the woman until the police arrived with a defibrillator. Ingraham used the defibrillator to shock the woman’s heart until she was resuscitated. The woman was treated at Community Memorial Hospital, where physicians put an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in her chest to detect abnormal rhythms and deliver an electrical shock if necessary to restore the normal rhythm.
MC2 Inc.
Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, Glendale, partnered with MC2 Inc., Milwaukee, to provide the hospital system with wireless communication services. Over a two-year period, MC2 will roll out Sprint and Nextel wireless services throughout the health care network. The contract will result in between 2,000 and 10,000 Sprint activations.
Crispell-Snyder Inc.
Crispell-Snyder Inc., Lake Geneva, acquired Mid-America Planning Services Inc., Madison. The acquisition will expand the professional services of Crispell-Snyder to include community smart growth planning and grant administration.
Zizzo Group Advertising & Public Relations
Zizzo Group Advertising & Public Relations, Milwaukee, will provide advertising and public relations services for Mo’s Restaurants, Milwaukee. Mo’s Restaurants includes Mo’s A Place for Steaks, Mo’s Irish Pub, Moceans, Mo’s Cucina, Monsoon and Mocha in Milwaukee. A second Monsoon restaurant will open in Brookfield next week and a second Mo’s Irish Pub will open in Wauwatosa this fall. Zizzo Group Advertising & Public Relations will work with Mo’s Restaurants to design and execute a customized plan to promote the Mo’s brand image locally and nationwide as Mo’s Restaurants opens more locations.
WholeBody Balance & Center
WholeBody Balance & Center recently moved from 5170 N. Hollywood Ave., Whitefish Bay, to 5630 N. Lake Drive, Whitefish Bay. WholeBody Balance & Center offers craniosacral bodywork services and recently started teaching Kundalini Yoga in Bay View and Whitefish Bay. WholeBody Balance & Center is owned by Carol Alvarez.
Infinite/Unexplained Music
Infinite/Unexplained Music, Milwaukee, entered a distribution agreement with Native Records, Pasadena, Calif., to release the album, Bar B Que and Mildew by local rap and hip hop musician Baby Drew. The album will be released August 29. Infinite/Unexplained Music and Native Records will launch a marketing campaign which will include promotional items, a music video and live performance dates.
Vrakas/Blum, S.C.
Vrakas/Blum, S.C., Brookfield, donated $75,000 in support of the new UW-Whitewater College of Business and Economics building and student scholarships. The new $41 million College of Business and Economics building will be completed for the fall of 2009. The building will include a state-of-the-art trading room, 38 high-tech classrooms, a 400-seat auditorium, two 150-seat lecture halls, five computer labs, a center for entrepreneurial development, a global research center, a fiscal economic research center and an international studies room. Fifty percent of Vrakas/Blum’s employees are alumni of UW-Whitewater, including James Holmes, president.
Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Milwaukee, awarded $2.1 million in grants during the second quarter of 2006 in support of local arts, education and grassroots civic organizations. Grants included: $300,000 to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra to support general operations; $120,000 to the Milwaukee Repertory Theater Inc., Milwaukee; $100,000 to the Florentine Opera Company Inc., Milwaukee; $155,000 to Family House Inc., Milwaukee, to support the development of a community center and health clinic; $60,000 to the Milwaukee University Graduate School Cooperative to support the Milwaukee-based schools initiative; grants totaling $400,000 were awarded to Marquette University to support the Institute for the Transformation of Learning and the Accreditation Support Center and $215,000 to Messmer Catholic Schools, Milwaukee to support student financial aid, transportation and a retreat program.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Citizens Bank to Acquire Republic Bancorp
Citizens Banking Corp. plans to acquire Republic Bancorp Inc. to create the new Citizens Republic Bancorp in a transaction valued at approximately $1.048 billion in stock and cash.
The new Citizens Republic Bancorp will be the 45th-largest bank holding company headquartered in the United States with assets of $13.9 billion.
Upon completion of the transaction, Citizens Republic Bancorp will represent a stronger regional brand with offices throughout Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa and Indiana.
Citizens Republic will provide commercial, cash management, wealth management and specialty lending products and services to Republic customers as well as enhanced SBA, commercial real estate and mortgage banking products and services for Citizens’ customers.
"This exciting partnership with Republic is the culmination of the outstanding results our leadership team has achieved in completing the turnaround initiatives we established in 2002. It enhances our core markets, sales culture, product capabilities, and credit competencies as well as improves our presence in attractive, high-growth markets. Most importantly, it positions us to enhance long-term shareholder value," said William Hartman, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Flint, Mich.-based Citizens. "Republic’s top-notch management team has built a solid, focused organization through consistent growth since we started as a de novo bank 21 years ago. We’re excited to join Republic with Citizens to create a leading Midwestern franchise," said Jerry Campbell, chairman and founder of Owosso, Mich.-based Republic.
Republic shareholders will have the right to elect to receive either cash or Citizens common stock, subject to pro-ration if either cash or stock is oversubscribed.
The transaction is projected to close in the fourth quarter of 2006, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals.
The new entity will retain the Citizens’ colors and weatherball as part of its logo.
The executive management of Citizens Republic Bancorp will be comprised of Campbell as chairman, Hartman as CEO, Dana Cluckey as president and chief operating officer, Charles Christy as chief financial officer, John Schwab as chief credit officer and Thomas Menacher as merger integration officer.
Data Dog Spins Off Marketing Company
Data Dog Interactive Marketing of Milwaukee announced it is spinning off Clear Verve Marketing LLC, a new marketing communications firm.
Clear Verve will spin off from Data Dog, which will be led by former Data Dog account manager Christina Steder. Flagship client O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong S.C. will tap Clear Verve for all of its marketing communication needs, and Steder will partner with Data Dog on the interactive elements of future campaigns and a Web redesign project.
The new partnership enables Data Dog to focus on its core competency of interactive marketing ideas and solutions for its growing roster of clients. Data Dog’s new clients include Madison’s Name Protect, Wheel & Sprocket and Bradley Corp.
Johnathan Crawford, chief executive officer and president of Data Dog, said, "We look forward to working with Christina in this new capacity and are energized by the possibilities of this partnership,"
Additional information is available at www.datadogmarketing.com.
Brady Corp. Acquires Tradex Converting
Brady Corp. of Milwaukee recently completed its acquisition of Tradex Converting AB from EQT Partners, a Stockholm, Sweden-based private equity firm, for $151.6 million.
Tradex, with fiscal 2005 sales of about $94 million, manufactures pressure-sensitive, die-cut adhesive components for the mobile handset and electronics industries. Tradex employs about 1,000 people in Sweden, China, South Korea and Brazil.
Milwaukee-based Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc., acted as an advisor to Brady Corp. during the acquisition.
Rockwell to Sell Off Motor Divisions
Rockwell Automation Inc. announced plans to sell the company’s Dodge mechanical and Reliance Electric motors and motor repair services businesses. The divisions are leading producers of mechanical power transmission products and industrial motors, and are the principal businesses of Rockwell Power Systems.
Milwaukee-based Rockwell Automation will retain the Reliance Electric and Reliance branded drives and related parts and services as an integral part of its global drives and customer service businesses.
The Dodge and Reliance Electric businesses, headquartered in Greenville, S.C., contribute substantially all of the revenue generated by Power Systems. For fiscal year 2006, the segment is forecasted to generate about $1 billion in revenue and segment operating margins of around 15 percent.
