Ideas

Die by the monthly job numbers, live by the monthly job numbers. Last week new monthly job numbers were out for January and the results looked better than they have for months for Wisconsin workers. According to the latest numbers, Wisconsin employed in the private sector an estimated 15,700 people more than it had the previous month. Unemployment has dropped to 6.9 percent, the lowest since December 2008.

Financial resources

Mergers & Acquisitions

The Northwestern Mutual Foundation announced nearly $700,000 in grants to 14 Milwaukee-area nonprofits that provide job training, business development and access to crucial community resources.

Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. announced it has hired Mark Stevanovic as senior vice president to open a new wealth management office in Portland, Maine.

Madison-based First Business Financial Services Inc., the parent company of First Business Bank and First Business Bank-Milwaukee, reported record full year 2011 net income of $8.4 million.

With the demand for property and casualty insurance rising as the economy rebounds, Acuity announced it will need to hire 50 additional employees at its Sheboygan headquarters and throughout its 20-state operations.

PNC Bank named Christopher Goller as regional president of Wisconsin.

Milwaukee mergers and acquisitions advisory firm Bridgewood Advisors Inc. has completed the sale of Menomonie-based Polymer Technology Corp.

Milwaukee-area employers expect to hire at a healthy pace during the second quarter, according to the new Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.