Ideas

Author and public speaker Susan Marshall, who writes a periodic column about leadership for BizTimes, is set to launch her third book early this month.

Concordia University Wisconsin, located in Mequon, will diversify its academic offerings this fall with a new college designed for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Tempo Milwaukee has named Jennifer Dirks chief executive officer, the first in the organization’s history.

Jeff Anthony will lead the Energy Innovation Center as both director and a member of the Mid-West Energy Research Consortium’s business development division, M-WERC announced on Tuesday.

As regional administrator for the Great Lakes Region for the U.S. Small Business Administration, I am proud to announce our federal government met its small business federal contracting goal for the first time in eight years, thanks to the SBA and President Obama's commitment to increasing small business contracting opportunities. In Fiscal Year 2013, our government awarded 23.39 percent in federal contracts to small businesses which is $83.1 billion of eligible contracting dollars according to SBA's Small Business Procurement Scorecard.

Racine-based Johnson Financial Group has appointed Kevin Tan as chief investment officer.

Colliersville, Tenn.-based Helena Chemical Company recently acquired Millard Feed Mill in Walworth County for $3.4 million, according to state records.

Oak Creek-based Master Lock Co. LLC has acquired Sentry Safe, a personal safe and protective security container manufacturer, for $117.5 million.

Wauwatosa-based Waterstone Financial Inc. reported second quarter net income of $3.8 million, or 11 cents per share, down from $4.9 million, or 14 cents per share, in the second quarter of 2013.

Vesta, a Franklin-based contract manufacturer for the global medical device industry, has been acquired by Wickliffe, Ohio-based The Lubrizol Corp., a Berkshire Hathaway company.