Viewpoints

The Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership has announced several new leaders on its board of directors.

Actuant, a global diversified industrial company based in Menomonee Falls, has acquired CrossControl AB, an advanced electronic solution provider based in Alfta, Sweden.

Harley-Davidson Inc. has introduced a new hydration vest that is designed to keep motorcycle riders cool while on the road.

I was raised with the knowledge that you must work hard for whatever you want in life.

Guest House of Milwaukee volunteer Ossie Kendrix, Jr has teamed up with Hotel Metro and Zen on 7 to sponsor a Sole-ution to Homelessness Shoe Drive at Hotel Metro on Thursday, July 26 from 5 to 8 p.m. Attendees are asked to donate new or gently used men’s shoes. Cash donations will also be accepted.

ArtWorks for Milwaukee has announced the appointment of Terry Murphy as its new executive director.

It's hard for Wisconsin business people to tell the differences between the four candidates to become the 51st GOP senator this fall, because they agreed on so many issues, mainly that the United States is on a course for financial disaster.

VictorySpark, Inc., in association with Milwaukee-based VETransfer has received a grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to launch a seed accelerator focused Veteran-initiated startups.

Southeastern Wisconsin business executives are more optimistic about the direction of their companies in the second half of the year than they were when the year began, according to the latest BizTimes Business Dashboard Survey.

Northern Trust Bank has appointed Carl Tannenbaum, a banking industry leader in economics and risk management, as its chief economist.

Dennis Ellmaurer recently wrote an article that appeared in the May 14–27 edition of Biz Times entitled, “You Can’t Help But Ask: Are CEO’s idiots?” Talk about an attention grabber! Mr. Ellmaurer went on to cite several examples of once highly-successful companies that failed…companies like Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company, Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, and Midwest Express Airlines to name a few. The balance of his article stated several reasons why these companies failed including “Bad Strategy, Rotten Execution”, and “People (in wrong jobs).” However, the caption “The Reality Check” caught my eye and provided the spark to write this article. In this caption, Mr. Ellmaurer states, “my guess is the CEO’s of some of these failed companies would have been better served with a strong board of directors that knew when and how to challenge the strategic thinking of the CEO.”

Hartland-based Town Bank plans to open a new office in a freestanding building in The Woodlands Market retail center in Menomonee Falls. The bank will hold a grand opening in the late summer or early fall.