Economic Development

As Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker sets himself up to win a second term in 2014 and to position himself as a presidential contender in 2016, he needs to make good on his number one objective from his 2010 campaign: job creation.

Waukesha-based Generac Holdings Inc. announced that due to market conditions, the secondary offering of shares of the company's common stock by certain selling stockholders is being withdrawn from the marketplace.

Milwaukee-based Lubar & Co. announced it has acquired Marinette-based ChemDesign Inc.

Fiat Industrial S.p.A. and CNH Global N.V. announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement to combine the businesses of Fiat Industrial and CNH, creating a new company that so far is being called NewCo.

U.S. Bank, lead bank of U.S. Bancorp, announced it is acquiring Jacksonville, Fla.-based FSV Payment Systems, a prepaid card processing company known for its expertise managing a broad range of prepaid programs for companies, governments and other financial institutions.

The U.S. economy grew much faster in the third quarter than originally reported, as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was revised to 2.7 percent from the original estimate of 2.0 percent, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

Milwaukee-based ARI Network Services Inc. announced it has completed the acquisition of the retail division assets of 50 Below Sales & Marketing Inc. of Duluth, Minn.

Waukesha-based MetalTek International has acquired Lakeland, Fla.-based industrial metal fabrication and machining company Specialty Maintenance and Construction Inc.

U.S. HealthWorks, one of the largest operators of occupational health care centers in the United States, announced it has acquired four health care centers and two worksites from Sensia Healthcare in Wisconsin.

Waukesha-based Generac Holdings Inc. announced it plans to acquire Latin American generator manufacturer Ottomotores UK Ltd. for $46.5 million.