Viewpoints

Alex Molinaroli, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Glendale-based Johnson Controls Inc., failed to comply with the company's ethics policy when he engaged in a relationship with a consultant for the global multi-industrial firm, according to a proxy statement the company filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Dec. 9.

Renewable energy expert Deyang Qu has been named as the Johnson Controls endowed professor in energy storage research, a collaborative appointment between the company, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) and the Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's College of Engineering.

Wauwatosa-based Briggs & Stratton Corp. and Waukesha-based Generac Holdings Inc. were named the 2014 Newsmakers of the Year by Diesel Progress North American magazine. It is the first time in the 18-year history of the magazine’s award to have a tie.

Logopress Corp. of Besancon, France and its North American distributor and technical center Accurate Die Design Inc. of New Berlin has released a new product intended for a variety of industries, including textile, plastics and food.

GPS Education Partners held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 11 to mark the opening of its Central Milwaukee Education Center located at Capitol Stampings Corp. in Milwaukee.

Waukesha County Technical College and the WCTC Foundation announced on Dec. 10 that they have reached their fundraising goal to build a new $4.5 million Integrated Manufacturing Center at the college’s Pewaukee Campus.

Racine-based SC Johnson has been awarded the 31st Annual Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development from the World Environment Center. This is the second time that the company has been awarded WEC's Gold Medal, having previously received it in 1994.

The final shipment of steel for 2014 arrived today in the Port of Milwaukee, bringing the year's total volume of steel shipments to 179,000 metric tons, the second highest annual steel tonnage since 1970, according to port spokesman Jeff Fleming.

Ninety five percent of all salespeople try to fit their sales day into a normal workday. They want their day to be from 9 to 5, maybe from 8 to 5, maybe even from 8 to 6, but very little before that or after that.

Paul Jones, retired chairman, chief executive officer and president of Milwaukee-based A.O. Smith Corp., joined Milwaukee-based Rexnord Corp.'s board of directors on Dec. 10. Jones will also serve on the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board.