Ideas

While creativity is a critical force in any company's vision for long-term growth, many businesses fail to make the kind of “imaginative leaps” needed to drive that creativity, according to Luc De Brabandere and Alan Iny, both of The Boston Consulting group.

A diverse group of 48 political, cultural, business, labor, real estate and civic leaders will serve on a task force that was officially set in motion recently by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC).

Please join us in congratulating this dynamic group of companies and entrepreneurs as we celebrate their growth, success and contributions to the Kenosha area's economic development. The 2013 Business Excellence Awards program, hosted by the Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce and the Kenosha Area Business Alliance in partnership with BizTimes Milwaukee, provides a fantastic opportunity to learn about the businesses and people that are driving Kenosha County's economy.

Allen Edmonds Corp. last week agreed to be acquired by an affiliate of Brentwood Associates, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm founded in 1972 with a track record of successful investments in growth-oriented consumer companies.

Milwaukee-based Briggs & Stratton Corp. unveiled its new 25-kilowatt, liquid-cooled standby generator, which is equipped with commercial-grade features and was designed with residential homes in mind.

SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company, the parent companies of MillerCoors, reported quarterly underlying profit growth of 11.7 percent and a 4.1 percent increase in domestic net revenue per barrel vs. the same quarter in the prior year.

The two new motorcycle models recently unveiled by Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson Inc. will be manufactured at the company's plant in Kansas City, Mo., according to a report by The Kansas City Star.

Waukesha Metal Products announced it has signed a letter of intent to acquire the assets of Mexico-based Revstone Fabrication San Luis Potosi S de RL de CV.

Glendale-based Johnson Controls Inc. has strengthened its commitment to the Central and South American automotive battery market by acquiring 90 percent ownership of Colombian battery supplier MAC.