Waukesha accounting firm expands
Chortek & Gottschalk LLP, a Waukesha-based accounting, tax, information technology and business consulting firm, announced its expansion into the Chicago and Los Angeles markets with the addition of Dave Friedman as a new partner.
Friedman is a certified public accountant and a certified fraud examiner with a certificate in financial forensics. He will head up both the Chicago office, located in Northbrook, and the Los Angeles office, located in Beverly Hills.
"We have been serving clients in Wisconsin for over 60 years and we’re excited to expand our presence in Illinois and California under Dave’s leadership," said Greg Junek, managing partner of CFhortek & Gottschalk. "The addition of Dave and the professional staff he brings with him allows us to expand our offerings and better serve our clients. Dave is long-established in the Chicago and Los Angeles areas and his specialization in the entertainment industry is a great fit for Chortek & Gottschalk."
"I’m excited to be joining Chortek & Gottschalk," Friedman said. "Their depth and professionalism will enable us to better serve our client base. Our expertise in fraud matters and the entertainment industry complements their expertise in tax, technology and business consulting."
Baird awarded for work in manufacturing, consumer-related M&A advisory services
R.W. Baird & Co., an employee-owned international capital markets, private equity, wealth and asset management firm, has received top manufacturing and consumer investment banking honors for its mergers and acquisitions work in 2008. Baird was named "Manufacturing Sector Adviser of the Year" by Acquisitions Monthly, a U.K.-based publication of Thomson Financial and won the “Consumer and Retail Products Deal of the Year” (large transaction category) award from The M&A Advisor for its role in advising Technical Concepts on its sale to Newell Rubbermaid Inc. for $445 million.
"Given the current landscape, it’s especially gratifying to be recognized for the value we consistently strive to provide our middle-market clients across our global platform," said Steve Booth, director of investment banking for Baird.
Wisconsin foreclosures still on the rise
The housing market continues to plummet in conjunction with rising job layoffs in Wisconsin, as foreclosure filings increased in January from the previous month.
According to ForeclosureAlarm.com, a real-time notification system of new foreclosure filings in the state, foreclosures in January were the second-highest on record for the Wisconsin, far outpacing those in December. In addition, the January numbers continue a trend in foreclosure escalation over the last year with increases in the number of foreclosures in seven of the past eight months.
Of the more populated counties, Waukesha and St. Croix had the largest jumps in foreclosure filings, with increases of 59 and 56 percent, respectively, when compared with December figures. Milwaukee and Dane counties saw January increases of 8 and 24 percent, respectively from their numbers in December.
"We are seeing a continued escalation in the number of foreclosures," said Phil Crawford, president of ForeclosureAlarm.com. "Foreclosures are no longer simply a sub-prime issue, as shown by the significant increases in counties such as Waukesha, Ozaukee and St. Croix."
