From household scrubbing to moon rock collecting, Schaefer Brush Manufacturing's products have been used far and wide.

Ryan Blair, author of "Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: How I Went from Gang Member to Multimillionaire Entrepreneur," did not always dream of making money or being successful. He grew up as an average kid with less-than-average ambitions.

The United Way in Waukesha County has set a goal to raise $4.3 million during its annual fall fundraising campaign. The amount represents a 5-percent increase over the organization's 2010 campaign results, which totaled nearly $4.1 million.

Steve Voss, mortgage loan officer at Brookfield-based North Shore Bank, picked up his first set of wine and beer making equipment at an estate sale 10 years ago.

Foreign trade is now a component of sales and/or purchasing activities for many businesses. The exchange rate can have a significant impact on profit margins. Businesses have tools available to mitigate the risk of currency fluctuations.

Suzy's Cream Cheesecakes, a producer of cheesecakes and other desserts, will move from St. Francis to a new, 50,000-square-foot building that will be constructed in the Menomonee Valley in Milwaukee.

Deng Xiaoping, Mao Zedong successor, said this about the path China must follow to modernize: "Feeling the stones when crossing the river."

Christopher Butson has a background in engineering, but he currently works as an associate professor and researcher in the departments of neurology and neurosurgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa. A lot of the work done in Butson's lab is transitional, he said.

Many would not expect yacht hardware manufacturing to be a growth industry in the weak post-recession economy. However, through a bold expansion and diversification plan, Pewaukee-based Harken Inc. is defying expectations.

Bill Goggins, chief executive officer of Harken USA in Pewaukee, will be one of the featured speakers at the BizTimes' Manufacturing Summit. The event will also feature leaders from several other key Wisconsin manufacturing companies, including Bob Kamphuis, CEO of Mayville Engineering Company Inc.; Jim Kettinger, president and CEO of IEA Inc.; Rich Ryan, chief operating officer of Dorner Mfg. Corp.; and Tom Groble, vice president of operations at IGC Technologies Inc.

While many companies have struggled to survive, much less grow, in recent years, Mayville Engineering Company has increased its annual sales from $60 million five years ago to $180 million.

Kenosha-based IEA Inc. has taken advantage of the cloud computing trend to create a new product division. In 2009, near the end of the Great Recession, IEA established its Silver Linings division to make cloud server enclosures, which are used in data centers to cool down computer products.