Ideas

Home sales in Wisconsin increased 18.9 percent in May, compared to May of 2011, according to the Wisconsin Realtors Association. In southeastern Wisconsin, home sales were up 21 percent.

ARI Network Services, a Milwaukee-based provider of software of solutions that connect consumers, dealers, distributors, and manufacturers in selected vertical markets, reported fiscal third quarter net income of $210,000, or 3 cents per share, down from $541,000, or 7 cents per share in the same quarter a year ago.

Brookfield-based QPS Employment Group, an employment services firm, has acquired Cambridge TEMPositions Inc., a recruiting firm based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Milwaukee office of Baker Tilly Capital, LLC, a mergers and acquisitions advisory firm and subsidiary of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP, has completed the sale of Milwaukee-based Nature's Protein Inc. to J. Strickland Company of Olive Branch, Miss.

Menomonee Falls-based ZBB Energy Corp., a developer of intelligent, renewable energy power platforms, announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 31.6 million shares of its common stock at a price to the public of 38 cents per share.

Pewaukee-based PJs Plumbing Company Inc. has acquired J.D. Wilson Plumbing LLC of Merton.

First Business Financial Services Inc. was recently ranked as the 15th top-performing mid-sized public bank in the country.

Plano Molding Company of Plano, Ill. has acquired Frabill Inc. of Jackson. Corporate Financial Advisors of Milwaukee represented Frabill in the transaction.

The Wisconsin Mortgage Bankers Association has named seven new leaders to its board of directors and leadership team for 2012-2013.

Dorner Mfg. Corp. has partnered with Incline Equity Partners of Pittsburgh to assist in its growth plans. Rich Ryan, former COO of Dorner, has also been named the CEO of the company.