Ideas

Ninety five percent of all salespeople try to fit their sales day into a normal workday. They want their day to be from 9 to 5, maybe from 8 to 5, maybe even from 8 to 6, but very little before that or after that.

When most executives think of an industrial company, they picture a highly disciplined factory under constant scrutiny for any evidence of inefficiency. Let’s call this the “downstairs factory.”

BizTimes Media LLC will host the annual Northern Trust Economic Trends Breakfast on Thursday, Jan. 29, at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward.

Gearbox Express, a Mukwonago-based business that rebuilds gearboxes for wind turbines, plans to move to a 75,000-square-foot industrial building that will be built southwest of Highway 83 and East Wolf Run in the village.

Alex Molinaroli, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Glendale-based Johnson Controls Inc., failed to comply with the company's ethics policy when he engaged in a relationship with a consultant for the global multi-industrial firm, according to a proxy statement the company filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Dec. 9.

Renewable energy expert Deyang Qu has been named as the Johnson Controls endowed professor in energy storage research, a collaborative appointment between the company, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) and the Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's College of Engineering.

Wauwatosa-based Briggs & Stratton Corp. and Waukesha-based Generac Holdings Inc. were named the 2014 Newsmakers of the Year by Diesel Progress North American magazine. It is the first time in the 18-year history of the magazine’s award to have a tie.

Logopress Corp. of Besancon, France and its North American distributor and technical center Accurate Die Design Inc. of New Berlin has released a new product intended for a variety of industries, including textile, plastics and food.

GPS Education Partners held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 11 to mark the opening of its Central Milwaukee Education Center located at Capitol Stampings Corp. in Milwaukee.

Waukesha County Technical College and the WCTC Foundation announced on Dec. 10 that they have reached their fundraising goal to build a new $4.5 million Integrated Manufacturing Center at the college’s Pewaukee Campus.