Carlson opens new hotel in Menomonee Falls
Carlson, a global hospitality and travel company, has announced the opening of the Radisson Hotel Menomonee Falls.
The opening of the hotel at N88 W14750 Main St. is a step forward in Carlson’s “Ambition 2015” strategy to expand Radisson as one of the world’s most attractive, globally consistent, first-class brands.
"We are positioning Radisson to deliver vibrant, contemporary and engaging hospitality. This new-build Radisson hotel is the first opportunity for guests in the Americas to experience one of the brand’s new room styles and restaurant concepts," said Thorsten Kirschke, president of Carlson Hotels, Americas. "These new offerings, coupled with our unique Yes I Can! service philosophy and our new hotel loyalty program Club Carlson, showcase the enhanced guest experience at Radisson."
The 136-room Radisson Hotel Menomonee Falls features the brand’s "Urban" room style.
"We are thrilled to be joining Radisson during this exciting turning point in the brand’s history," said Dean Grosskopf, manager of Lodging Investors of Menomonee Falls LLC, the owner of the Radisson Hotel Menomonee Falls.
The hotel includes an indoor swimming pool and fitness center. Meeting space is available for up to 300 people.
Milwaukee native to acquire minority share in New York Mets
Milwaukee native David Einhorn, a New York hedge fund manager, has entered into exclusive talks to take a $200 million minority stake in the New York Mets baseball team.
According to an ESPN report, a definitive agreement is expected by late June.
The sale will be for less than 49 percent of the team and will not include a stake in SNY, the television network owned by the Mets, sources close to the deal told ESPN’s Karl Ravech.
The Mets described Einhorn’s stake as a "minority, non-operating investment" in the franchise.
Mets owner Fred Wilpon welcomed Einhorn, who co-founded Greenlight Capital Inc. in 1996, saying his investment would improve the team’s financial situation.
Wilpon became ensnared in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme and is facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed by a court trustee seeking to recover money for Madoff’s other victims. Wilpon told Sports Illustrated the team is "bleeding cash" and could lose $70 million this season.
The Mets received a loan from Major League Baseball in November to help cover expenses.
"(Einhorn’s) investment immediately improves the franchise’s financial position," Wilpon said in a statement. "Equally important, David’s intelligence, integrity and success in both business and civic affairs provides us with another perspective in evaluating what is best for this organization and our fans, and we welcome his input."
Einhorn, who finished 18th in the 2006 World Series of Poker, told ESPN the prospect of becoming an owner of the Mets’ franchise is "exciting beyond my wildest childhood dreams."
Einhorn added, "I spent my first seven years living in New Jersey and rooting for the Mets. In 1975, I even dressed in a homemade jersey as a Met for Halloween," Einhorn said. "I have been a baseball fan for my entire life and have enjoyed teaching the game as the coach of my daughter’s little league team. I look forward to partnering with the Wilpon and Katz families through the good seasons, the tough seasons and especially the championship seasons."
A Cornell graduate, Einhorn is the author of "Fooling Some Of The People All Of The Time," a book about his legal battle with private investing firm Allied Capital. He serves on the boards of Hillel, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and the Robin Hood Foundation. He donated his 2006 World Series of Poker winnings of $659,730 to the Fox foundation.
Einhorn made financial news Wednesday when he told an investment conference audience that Microsoft Corp.’s board of directors should replace chief executive officer Steve Ballmer. According to SEC filings, Greenlight owns nearly 9.1 million shares of the software giant.
Einhorn’s father, Stephen Einhorn, and brother, Daniel Einhorn, operate Einhorn & Associates, a Wauwatosa mergers and acquisitions consulting firm. Stephen Einhorn and Daniel also is a principal in the Capital Midwest Fund in Wauwatosa.
A source close to the Einhorn family said David Einhorn is “huge baseball guy” and thus, he was not interested in pursuing a share of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team owned by U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.).
Master Lock hires Rowe as spokesman
Oak Creek-based Master Lock Company LLC announced that it has formed a partnership with Mike Rowe, creator and host of Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” television program and founder of mikeroweWORKS Foundation.
Through Rowe’s mission of raising respect and appreciation for skilled labor, coupled with Master Lock’s commitment to providing innovative security solutions, the partnership will help raise awareness for both. To launch the partnership, Master Lock also announced that it is making a substantial donation to the foundation. The donation will support technical education scholarships and assistance to schools and institutes providing a technical curriculum.
Rowe, who calls himself a perpetual apprentice, has performed more than 300 of the dirtiest jobs throughout the country during the first five seasons of his show.
“Getting involved with the hard working men and women who make civilized existence possible has been an incredible experience, and provided the inspiration for my mission at mikeroweWORKS,” said Rowe. “This partnership with Master Lock will allow us to raise the level of awareness for the growing skills gap in America.”
Master Lock is launching a new line of security products designed to protect tools and equipment in the cargo area of pickup trucks and vans, especially those that are used for work. Rowe will act as the spokesman for this new product line.
“With his strong connection to men and women working in the trades, we are excited to have Mike’s support and participation in this important new security category,” said Sherri Beachey, Master Lock product manager. “In addition, we are very proud to support Mike’s mission and vision at mikeroweWORKS.”
Master Lock is an operating unit of Fortune Brands Inc., of Deerfield, Ill.
Wixon seeks candidates to fill 25 jobs
Sales are up 20 percent this year for St. Francis-based Wixon Inc., and the company plans to host a job fair on Monday, June 6, to fill 25 jobs.
Wixon is a manufacturer of seasonings, flavors, ingredients and consumer products for the food and beverage industry. The company currently has 257 employees.
The company has annual revenue of more than $80 million, said president Peter Gottsacker. Its sales are up 20 percent so far this year and have increased by 15 percent annually for the last three years, he said.
“The food industry can tend to be recession-proof,” Gottsacker said. “Our business continues to grow and do well. We continue to need good people.”
Wixon has benefitted from food technology trends including efforts to increase natural content in food items, reduce salt levels and reduce childhood obesity. The company has products in brands that address those trends, Gottsacker said.
The company also needs to hire more employees to meet increased government regulations for food safety, he said.
Wixon currently runs three shifts, but needs to expand its second shift operations, Gottsacker said.
Wixon is seeking job candidates for production/operations, quality control, shipping and receiving, sanitation and maintenance.
The job fair will be held from 8-11 a.m. and 2-6 p.m. on Monday, June 6, at the company’s headquarters at 1390 E. Bolivar Ave., St. Francis.
