Ideas

Consumers stepped up their retail spending in September.

Jason Inc., a Milwaukee-based parent company to a global family of manufacturing leaders in the seating, finishing, components and automotive acoustics markets, announced its acquisition of Morton Manufacturing Company of Libertyville, Ill.

Fiserv, Inc., a Brookfield-based global provider of financial services technology solutions, announced that it has signed more than 30 new credit union clients for its Source Capture Solutions within the last 10 months to provide them anywhere, anytime check image capture.

Cross Creek Partners, LLC, a private equity firm with a focus on manufacturing and distribution companies in the upper Midwest, has acquired Airsan Corp., a Milwaukee-based manufacturer of permanent filters.

Tenth & Blake Beer Co., the craft brewery arm of MillerCoors LLC, plans to purchase a minority interest in Athens, Ga.-based Terrapin Beer Co.

The other day, there was a gang of crows in the backyard – (did you know that a flock...

Editor's note: Susan Marshall wrote a Biz Blog earlier this week about the Occupy Wall Street protest movement. Today's...

For some time I subscribed to a magazine called "Bottom Line/Personal." This publication offers advice from experts in a wide spectrum of fields, from investments to relationships. Somehow, when I moved to Florida I failed to keep up with this helpful newsletter. I think I'll get back on their subscription list.

Question: "I enjoyed your 'Leadership Transition' column in the Sept. 2 issue of BizTimes Milwaukee magazine. The idea of an assimilation exercise for new managers sounds fascinating. My question is, can this be done in a nonprofit organization, too? Thanks."

As we head into the fall, some things seem clear. Our government remains in a dreadful mess (yes, we have a higher gross debt limit). Our growth is so anemic that many economists are saying that we're back in a recession.