The following loan guarantees have been approved by the Small Business Administration during November:
Advantage Wireless, 141 E. Sunset Blvd., Waukesha 53189, $70,000, Wells Fargo Bank
American Pride Service Center, 1521 N. 13th St., Sheboygan 53081, $167,000, Community Bank & Trust
AOK Investments, 3426 W. North Ave., Milwaukee 53208, $77,600, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank
Burlington Dairy Queen, 324 S. Pine St., Burlington 53105, $149,000, Racine County Business Development Corp.
Carpet Care Plus, 2200 Miller Park Way, Milwaukee 53219, $40,000 and $160,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank
Cold Stone Creamery, S74 W14933 Woods Rd., Muskego 53150, $278,000, Comerica Bank
Creative Communications Concepts, 20100 W. Greenfield Ave., Brookfield 53045, $350,000, State Financial Bank
Culver’s, 641 S. Taylor Dr., Sheboygan 53081, $480,000, Community Bank & Trust
Del’s Pump Service, 6204 S. Pacine Pl., New Berlin 53146, $69,700, Bank One
Die Concepts, N4 W22450 Bluemound Rd., Waukesha 53186, $805,606, Investors Bank
Graceffa’s Rooms for Less, 8601 Durand Ave., Sturtevant 53177, $150,000, Tri City National Bank
Great Lake Auto Service, 1700 Calumet Dr., Sheboygan 53081, $250,000, Community Bank & Trust
Hart Brothers, 26404 Oakridge Rd., Wind Lake 53185, $320,000 and $180,000 M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank
Hunt Trucking, 2126 Lakeshore Dr., Sheboygan 53081, $73,600, Community Bank & Trust
Kwik Kopy Printing, 601 Ryan St., Pewaukee 53072, $150,000, Wells Fargo Bank
Little Hands Child Care, 1517 Wisconsin Ave., Grafton 53024, $45,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank
Netropolis Cyber Café, 6703 Hillside Ln., Wauwatosa 53213, $5,000 and $60,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank
Pro Team Apparel, 20725 Watertown Rd., Waukesha 53186, $50,000, Capital One Federal Savings Bank
Pro Welding & Manufacturing, 11175 W. Heather Dr., Milwaukee 53224, $150,000, Ozaukee Bank
Quizno’s Classic Subs, 97 N. Moorland Rd., Brookfield 53005, $130,000, Community Bank & Trust
Rainbow Car Wash, 9102 S. 20th St., Oak Creek 53154, $168,400, Community Bank & Trust
SE10 Creative, 828 N. Broadway, Milwaukee 53202, $10,000, Bank One
Stepping Stones Children’s Center, 280 Lakeview Dr., Belgium 53004, $170,000, The Port Washington State Bank
Sterling Hardware, 7649 N. Teutonia Ave., Milwaukee 53209, $1,005,100, US Bank
Suave House Niteclub, 7420 W. Villard Ave., Milwaukee 53218, $112,000, Legacy Bank
Sensations Tanning Salon, 26481 Fries Ln. Wind Lake 53185, $31,000, First Banking Center
Sypien Metal Fabrication, W208 N16947 Center St., Jackson 53037, $10,000 and $35,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank
Travel Agents International, 6837 W. Brown Deer Rd., Milwaukee 53223, $25,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank
Ultimate Truck Accessories, 3515 S. 108th St., Greenfield 53228, $438,000, Wisconsin Business Development Finance Corp.
Wisconsin Testing Laboratories, N59 W14176 Kaul Ave., Menomonee Falls 53051, $65,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank
Dec. 20, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
SBA loans
Personnel file
Mark A. Brault, Chad J. Richter and John R. Schreiber have joined the law firm of O’Neil, Cannon & Hollman in Milwaukee. Brault is a 1994 cum laude graduate of Marquette University Law School and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin. He will practice in the corporate and employment law areas. Richer, a 2002 cum laude graduate of Marquette’s law school with a bachelor’s degree from Marquette, will concentrate on corporate and business law. Schreiber will concentrate on corporate and civil litigation. He is also a 2002 cum laude graduate of Marquette’s law school, with a bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison.
Joseph R. Wagner has joined Inland Companies in Milwaukee as vice president.
Bob Sullivan has joined Integrated Mail Industries in Milwaukee as a senior sales account executive, responsible for accounts in Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Sullivan has spent 25 years in the direct mail, fulfillment, and digital printing and imaging industries. He started and built the Forms Division at Automatic Data Processing (ADP), which ultimately grew to $40 Million in revenue. At ADP, he was the director of sales and the national marketing manager for the US and Canada. Sullivan graduated from UW-Eau Claire in business and journalism.
Paul Lee has joined Ogden & Company as a property manager. Lee is a graduate of St. Norbert College and has 30 years experience in residential and commercial property management, and is a member of the Wisconsin Realtors Association. In the past, Lee established Jankowski, Lee & Associates, a leasing and property management firm located in Brookfield. Ann Crawley has joined Ogden & Company as human resource manager. Crawley is a graduate of UW-Madison and earned a master’s degree in human resources and labor relations at UW-Milwaukee. Crawley has worked at the Clement J. Zablocki V.A. Medical Center in the Employee and Labor Relations Department, and worked at The Enterprise, Ltd., as a product and account manager.
Julie Lemminger has joined Wisconsin Business Bank as an assistant vice president for commercial banking relationships. She has 25 years of banking experience with the last eight years being in commercial banking at U.S. Bancorp in Green Bay.
Julie Rossmiller, of Wauwatosa, has joined CG Schmidt, Inc., in Milwaukee as a Business development assistant. She received a bachelor’s degree in special education from Concordia University in Seward, Neb. Dave Giordano, of Kenosha, has joined CG Schmidt as the marketing manager. He received a bachelor’s degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga. Giordano also received a master’s degree from the American Intercontinental University in Atlanta.
John Hankerd has joined Associated Bank as vice president of commercial lending at the Kilbourn Avenue office in Milwaukee. Hankerd has more than 21 years of experience in banking. Prior to joining Associated, he was vice president of commercial lending at US Bank, where he had been for 12 years. Hankerd earned his bachelor’s of business administration in finance from Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind.
Evonne A. Fillinger, R.N., BSN, has been named director of nursing services at Mequon Healthcare. Fillinger has been involved in long-term care since 1974, most recently as a nurse consultant for HCR Manor Care. She received her bachelor of science degree in nursing from Carroll-Columbia College of Nursing.
Rakesh Waghray, M.D., has been named medical director of pulmonary medicine at St. Francis Hospital in Milwaukee. Waghray is board certified in internal medicine. He completed fellowship training in pulmonary medicine at Nassau County Medical Care Center, East Meadow, N.Y., and subsequently completed fellowship training in Critical Care Medicine at Montefiore Medical Care Center, Bronx, N.Y. He is also board certified in pulmonary medicine and critical care medicine. Waghray is in practice with Krishna Neni, M.D., Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, 3267 S. 16th St., Milwaukee.
Darrell J. Berry has joined Bloom Consultants as principal engineer at its Wauwatosa office. Berry has 30 years of experience, primarily in transportation-related engineering. Before joining Bloom, he served as a senior project manager with HNTB Corp. in Milwaukee. Berry received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UW-Madison and his master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Wisconsin, Indiana, Florida and Texas and a Registered Structural Engineer in Illinois. Lyle Sohns, a 28-year veteran of the power industry, has been named senior project manager at Bloom. Before joining Bloom, Sohns served in various senior management posts for Wisconsin Electric Power Co., Milwaukee. He was also employed by MWH, where he served as the project engineering manager for the Sugar Creek Generating Station constructed in Terra Haute, Ind. Sohns also worked for Graycor Industrial Constructors, a Chicago-based contractor, in business development. A UW-Milwaukee civil engineering graduate, he is a Registered Professional Engineer in Wisconsin and Michigan and a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Lauren Gilles has joined the Wisconsin Bakers Association, based in Milwaukee, as its financial coordinator. She comes to the WBA with more than 19 years of experience in the financial services industry, most recently with eFunds Corp. in Glendale and the former Firstar Corp.
Kim Brunzelle has been promoted to the position of convention sales manager at the Greater Milwaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau. Brunzelle joined the GMCVB in 2001 at convention services assistant, where she remained until her recent promotion.
Tanya J. Crivello has been named quality manager of Martech Assemblies in Grafton. Crivello has been with Martech since September 2001, leading the development of the quality system at the firm.
Bradley Birchbauer has joined Mitchell Bank as vice president for commercial lending. He will be based at the bank’s Business Banking Center in Wauwatosa. Birchbauer has more than 20 years of bank lending experience, and was previously a vice president/branch manager at Tri-City National Bank in Milwaukee.
Brian P. McGraw has joined MSI General Corp. in Oconomowoc as project director in the design/build general contractor’s special projects division. He holds bachelor of science degrees in architectural engineering and in construction management, both from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. MSI also has promoted Victor L. Buell III to the position of project director in the special projects division. He holds a bachelor of science degree in architecture from UW-Milwaukee.
Brian Berner has joined the Milwaukee office of URS Corp. as an aquatic biologist, while Auggie Wong has joined the engineering, environmental, program and construction management company as the leader of the Milwaukee Urban Planning and Design Group.
Michelle Foeger has joined the Fitzgerald, Clayton, James & Kasten insurance agency as executive assistant, a newly created position. She has experience with Northwestern Mutual, Strong Capital, and Robert W. Baird & Co. Foeger holds a degree in business administration from Marion College.
Michael Zwaska has joined Zwaska Funeral Home in Brown Deer, representing a fifth generation in the family business. Zwaska graduated from St. Norbert’s College in De Pere in May 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He plans to continue training in his formal capacity as a funeral director. Zwaska’s great-grandfather John started the company as a coffin-making and funeral service business in Kewaskum in the 1870s.
Michele Thomson has been promoted by Johnson Financial Group to the position of vice president-manager of wealth management in the Racine market. Thomson joined the company in 1998, holding various positions. She graduated from Carthage College in Kenosha with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She holds an associate degree in banking and financial services from Gateway Technical College, and is working on a master’s degree from the College for Financial Planning.
Kimberly Rhoades has been named project/product manager of the Flexographic Division of NCL Graphic Specialties in Waukesha. Prior to joining NCL, Rhoades worked with Lanier WorldWide, Sears Contract Sales and, most recently, as publications coordinator at Wm. K. Walthers. She is a graduate of UW-Whitewater.
Terry Morris has joined the Southeastern Wisconsin Service Center of Clifton Gunderson in Milwaukee as an audit senior manager. Morris is a graduate of UW-Oshkosh. She has more than 13 years of public accounting experience.
Robert Elkin has joined Crispell-Snyder as manager of the Lake Geneva firm’s new Private Development Section. Elkin holds a master’s degree in business administration from Marquette University and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. He is a Wisconsin-licensed Professional Engineer with nearly 20 years of civil engineering experience.
Nguyen “Winn” Tran has joined the LePoidevin Rickinger Group in Brookfield as a graphic designer. Tran brings more than 11 years of experience to the firm. He holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from UW-Milwaukee.
David Theune has joined the sales staff of Best Block Co. of Menomonee Falls. He has 29 years of experience in concrete masonry and the construction market.
Lori Wargolet has been named mortgage origination manager while Lorrie Wolters has been promoted to the positioin of mortgage servicing manager at Wauwatosa Savings Bank. Julie Wieczorek has been promoted to the new position of systems analysis manager at the bank.
Susie Thomson has joined DMC Advertising & Direct Marketing as director of client services. She has more than 10 years of experience in the advertising business, including work at TMP Worldwide. For the past three years, she served as vice president and general manager of TMP’s Milwaukee Directional Marketing Division.
Jeff Brand and David Drakulic have joined Harleys: The Store of Men in Shorewood as sales/fashion consultants. Brand has nearly 10 years of retail fashion experience while Drakulic has more than 20 years of sales experience, and had earlier worked at Harleys.
Dec. 20, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
Waukesha County
DNR: Best advice to avoid protected snake is to avoid wetlands
By Charles Rathmann, of SBT
It’s the time of year developers with Butler’s garter snakes look forward to. That’s because in the colder weather, their reptilian guests are likely hibernating, and the wide berth they have to leave between the snakes’ wetland homes and construction sites is smaller than in warmer months.
There are other tricks to living with these threatened, scaly denizens of would-be commercial, industrial and residential building sites.
According to Andy Galvin, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources endangered species specialist, said projects that could potentially affect the snake are identified in the permitting process associated with all development projects in the state.
“A development will occur that requires some other DNR permit,” Galvin said. “When the permit is required, a Natural Heritage Inventory Program survey will be done by a DNR staff member. If that person thinks there is a likelihood that the garter snake is there, he or she will require a snake survey.”
The project owner is responsible for commissioning the snake survey; Galvin said the presence of wetlands is the best arbiter of whether a particular site is a likely home to the snake.
“From what we know about the snake, it pretty much survives in wetland areas with upland habitat – and it requires both for the various lifestages it goes through,” Galvin said. “If the survey comes back and they do not find any Butler’s, that’s fine. If there are Butler’s there, we deal with ways the project can avoid all impacts. There is a provision in the law, which provides for incidental takings. This provides for taking of a species for an otherwise lawful purpose, but it requires authorization from the DNR.”
The DNR has three criteria that allow a project owner to qualify for the incidental taking clause, Galvin said.
“We have to prove that the taking of that particular species will not jeopardize the current status or recovery of the species across the state,” he said. “If we determine that the take will not jeopardize recovery, we try to minimize the extent of take as much as possible by doing certain things to minimize the impact. There has to be a public benefit to the project.”
Getting approval for incidental taking involves a 30-day public notice requirement and a couple of weeks to collect signatures and approvals from the DNR, Galvin said.
If they can’t qualify for the incidental-takings clause, the first hurdle developers can expect is that any property that contains wetlands will likely require the snake survey.
Because the DNR usually requires surveys be done between May and June – when the snakes or most active – the timeline can be affected immediately.
“Sometimes, because applicants are not willing to wait that long, we will sometimes allow them to do a habitat survey,” Galvin said.
If Butler’s garter snakes are found on your property, or if you allow the DNR to assume that they are so as to avoid an adverse impact on your timeline, the main DNR requirement is a 180-foot buffer to be left around wetlands.
“The snakes use a 180-foot distance around a wetland,” Galvin said. “We allow different things to occur at different times. The snakes go into their upland range during the breeding season. That means construction and other activity can occur in the upland area through the winter that might not be able to occur in the summer. We routinely require silt fencing, and that protects certain important areas. We usually require restoration of areas to restore habitat.”
Depending how a permit is written, Galvin said, a developer may have to either avoid or minimize impact on the snake population.
“There is a difference between avoiding and minimizing,” Galvin said. “We try as much as possible to avoid impacts. To avoid, we might try to change the design of a plan. If there is a subdivision where there is one particular lot that is adjacent to a wetland, we might allow an incidental take.”
Galvin said the best way to avoid the snake is to refrain from developing parcels with wetlands.
“In Waukesha County, a lot of the remaining areas are those wetland areas,” Galvin said. “The more we degrade the wetlands, the more we have ask if this species may be that indicator species that is telling us that we need to slow down. We are just running out of available habitat. Whether you look at it as habitat or developable space, we are running out of it.”
Being snaky. Study could show that snake holding up developments isn’t the protected one. By Charles Rathmann, of SBT
Developers in Waukesha County have come to fear one wild animal more than any other: the Butler’s garter snake, a threatened species whose presence can spell delays and additional costs on projects.
The snake’s presence – or suspected presence – has delayed and changed the nature of an undetermined number of development projects in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) does not disclose the location of threatened species it identifies in the development permitting process, and developers have been reticent to identify specific projects impacted by the scaly critter.
“It is very complex,” said Bill Carity of Carity Land Development, Brookfield. “It may put my construction project off for a year. I wanted to build it next spring, but I think it will destroy that. From what I understand, we will have to wait at least until after the snake survey in the spring.”
However, this much is certain: telling the Butler’s garter snake from its more ordinary brethren is a challenge. Only a handful of Wisconsin herpetologists are qualified to identify the snake for regulatory purposes.
To further complicate matters, those herpetologists are finding that a hybrid between the Butler’s and more common snake species is common in western Waukesha County and adjacent portions of Walworth and Racine counties.
To address concerns that development projects may be unduly regulated due to the presence of the wrong reptile, researchers in Milwaukee and at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville are trying to fund genetic research that will determine once and for all which snake is which.
The research effort is being headed up by Gary Caspar, who, when he is not working for the Milwaukee Public Museum, does DNR-mandated snake surveys for his own firm, Caspar Consulting, and Gordon Burghardt, an experimental psychology professor with the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
The duo has already collected genetic material from various snakes in southeastern Wisconsin using a small grant from Brookfield Zoo, according to Burghardt, who grew up catching the snakes in the Bay View neighborhood on Milwaukee’s south side.
Burghardt said about $25,000 is needed to complete the research,.
“The existence of a Thamnophis Butleri hybrid with a Thamnophis Radix – the plains garter snake – is one of the things we are exploring,” Burghardt said. “It looks like there is an area going from Racine and Walworth County into southwestern Milwaukee County that has animals that seem to be sort of hybrids. But we still have to confirm this through genetic analysis. We have done the initial work of doing the genetic markers.”
Caspar is confident he has identified snakes properly in the dozen or so snake surveys he has completed on development sites in 2002.
“I have examined more than 1,000 snakes from southeastern Wisconsin,” Caspar said. “I have identified from the morphology what I consider to be the hybrid zone.”
The “hybrid zone” – the range of genetic make-up and characteristics that determine which snake is protected and which is not, according to Caspar, “has been the topic of 100 years of conflicting literature.”
So, could two different scientists have conflicting opinions as to whether the Butler’s garter snake is present on a property?
“Possibly,” Caspar said. “The scientists might interpret the hybrid zone differently.”
Another possibility Caspar and Burghardt will look into with their research is whether the population of the Butler’s garter snake that lives here is a unique subspecies. That would not have the effect some developers might hope for of preventing properties from being affected by threatened species regulation.
“We will also compare Butler’s in Milwaukee with those in a distant parts of its range in Michigan,” Burghardt said. “But it is the ones in the hybrid area that are of immediate concern. We have to see how distinctive the Wisconsin animals are from Butler’s garter snakes in other parts of the range.”
If there is in fact a genetic difference between the Butler’s garter snake in southeastern Wisconsin and snakes known as Butler’s elsewhere, some real estate developers are of the opinion that perhaps it should not be protected.
“We are looking into these things right now,” Jerry Deschane, director of governmental affairs for the Wisconsin Builders Association, said. “We are consulting with some experts and some legal experts about what is coming down.”
Until genetic research is completed, the snake gurus, including Caspar and Burghardt, use appearance and behavior to determine the identity of reptiles turned up during snake surveys.
Scale count, color, markings on the jaw and neck area and the number of ventral scale rows all play a role.
“We are also looking at behavior,” Burghardt said. “That is one thing we are interested in. These species eat different things than other garter snake species.”
Also, when captured, the Butler’s is more likely to simply thrash around than make any organized attempt to escape.
But how do scale counts and thrashing behavior stand up in court? Not as well as DNA evidence. And that is one reason Deschane indicated his organization might be interested in funding research by Burghardt and Caspar.
“That is one of the possibilities,” Deschane said.
According to Burghardt, DNR Cold-blooded Species Program manager Bob Hay had contacted the Greater Milwaukee Foundation (GMF) to determine whether that organization would have grant money available to research the snakes’ genetic makeup.
“They said they were more involved in habitat protection,” Burghardt said. “We tried to get across that the two were related.”
“We have several priorities,” Moore said. “One is promoting conservation, protecting wildlife and endangered species. In those areas, we would have to see what the proposal is and how it steps up to the competition. Whether or not we could encourage a full proposal depends on how competitive the application is.”
Dec. 6, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
Waukesha County
Mukwonago braces for development on 1,600 acres
By Charles Rathmann, of SBT
Village of Mukwonago planning commission members on Nov. 27 approved a Tax Incremental District (TID) plan for the first phase of what promises to be more than 1,600 acres of new development on the south side of the Waukesha County community.
TID #3 includes 239 acres currently located on the south end of the village, a parcel that according to Village Clerk/Treasurer Bernie Kahl will be augmented by about 400 acres being annexed from the Town of Vernon and an additional 1,200 acres across the Walworth County border in the Town of East Troy.
The combined parcels straddle State Highway 83 and Interstate-43, and will be zoned for commercial, corporate business and industrial land uses, according to Kahl.
The TID package, which will go to the village board in January, would allow the village to pay for a portion of the cost to provide municipal services including sanitary and storm sewer, water and road improvements to the first 239 acres, making it easier to market the properties to commercial and industrial buyers. Total projected cost to the village, according to the plan commissioned from village engineers Ruekert & Mielke, Pewaukee, will be $9.6 million over five years. The cost would be recovered through the increased tax base created by the new development.
The Town of Vernon received a copy of Mukwonago’s annexation petition in mid-November. Town of Vernon Clerk Marilyn Gauger said no efforts to oppose the annexation have been placed on the town board’s agenda to date, and board members have not asked her to make resistance to the move an agenda item.
Kahl said he was also unaware of any resistance to the annexation, adding that all property owners in the annex petitioned to come into the village.
That is in contrast to the situation in the Town of East Troy. On June 20, 2000, the Village of Mukwonago passed ordinances annexing four parcels of land in response to a petition from residents, including multifamily/assisted living developer Linden Properties, LLC, Mukwonago.
On Sept. 13, 2000, the town filed four separate actions against the village, challenging the annexation. The annexation has been tied up in court ever since.
However, in November, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) reached a determination that should the disputed land be developed, it could be better served with sanitary sewer by the village than the Town of East Troy Sanitary District #2, which would pipe waste from the area to a wastewater treatment plant in the Village of East Troy.
Less costly
According to SEWRPC’s conclusions, capital costs to build sanitary sewers from the disputed area to the village of East Troy would be $470,000, while capital costs to serve the area from Mukwonago would be $290,000. Annual costs to provide sewer service to the area from East Troy would be more than twice as high as piping waste to Mukwonago – $38,000 versus $19,300.
“We had been working with the Village of Mukwonago on this for several months,” SEWRPC executive director Philip C. Evenson said. “We are under contract to the DNR to work with communities in the region that operate sewage treatment plants to establish a sewer service area. Occasionally, we get into sticky-wicket situations where communities are growing together and both of them desire to serve a particular geography. We encourage communities to negotiate and agree upon a common boundary.”
While SEWRPC found that the entirety of the disputed area could be better served by the Village of Mukwonago, village attorney Shawn Ryan said the agency is expected to initially add only a portion of the land to the village’s sanitary service area.
“What they are approving at their meeting Dec. 4 is only a small portion of the land – a sliver between Highway ES and I-43,” Ryan said.
According to a Nov. 6 letter from Evanson to James Wagner, Mukwonago village board president, SEWRPC would initially consider a 155-acre expansion of the village’s sewer service area, but ongoing work to update the sewer service plan “is expected to result in further expansion of the Mukwonago sewer service area.”
The fact that SEWRPC would not likely immediately add all 1,200 acres to Mukwonago’s sewer service area may be largely political.
Evenson stressed that SEWRPC works for both Waukesha and Walworth counties, as well as the other counties and communities in the region. It is better, he said, to allow entities to come to their own agreement when at all possible.
Wagner and Town of East Troy chairman Clay Montez are expected to meet before the month is out to hammer out a boundary agreement, ending the two-year-plus court fight, Ryan said.
Village officials are confident enough in their success with the annexations from the Town of Vernon and the Town of East Troy to already have considered zoning options for the property.
Mixed use
According to Kahl, the annexed area would have a mixture of zoning, including public, residential and manufacturing uses.
Kahl said infrastructure for the first phase of the development would be constructed starting in spring of 2003. Apart from roads and extension of utilities, State Highway 83 would need to be widened to provide adequate access to the site.
“We are creating the TID with a sunset at 15 years but plan to close it after 10 years,” Kahl said, implying that land zoned for retail is expected to sell quickly. “We have a number of people saying we need to get a Woodman’s (Madison-based grocery store) here. We are talking to Kohl’s, but they said they probably wouldn’t be ready for another two years. But there may not be land left by then. We are talking to Home Depot, and Waukesha Memorial Hospital is putting up an expansion here.”
Waukesha Memorial Hospital spokesperson Clare O’Sheel said the hospital and its parent company, ProHealthcare, Inc., are planning a 50,000-square-foot replacement for its existing primary care clinic on Bay View Road in the village, along with a 50,000-square-foot ambulatory care clinic.
“We are treating about 50,000 patients a year there, and we are running out of space,” O’Sheel said of the existing Mukwonago facility.
The ambulatory care facility will have hospital services run by Waukesha Memorial Hospital, including diagnostic imaging, lab services, cardiac diagnostics, medical oncology and a center for breast care and women’s health.
The hospital has purchased 19 acres in the TID, which has been augmented by an additional 14 acres donated to the Waukesha Memorial Hospital Foundation by local developer and landowner Dick Greenwald, according to O’Sheel.
The construction timeline will depend on the approval of the TID, but O’Sheel indicated that plans will be submitted for review by the village in January.
If all goes well, “we would hope to break ground this spring with opening the following spring,” O’Sheel said.
Dec. 6, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
Sales
(Dec. 6, 2002)
The Basics
Seven practices that are the foundation of sales success
By Marcia Gauger, For SBT
Question: My sales manager has asked me to concentrate on the basics as it relates to my sales growth. The trouble is, I’m not sure what "the basics" are. Can you fill me in?
Answer: While every sales position is unique in one way or another, "the basics" refers to those sales skills that are foundational to sales success. The skills required to succeed at one sales position over another may vary based on market, whom you are calling on, and your distribution network.
For instance, the sales skills required to sell to multi-level influencers within a complex account are slightly different than those required in retail sales or pull through distribution. For example, in retail selling you usually don’t conduct formal group presentations but make many spontaneous connections with customers and need to build rapport quickly. In more complex sales situations it may be just the opposite.
Because every sales position is potentially unique, it may first be best to ask your manager how he or she defines "the basics". After years of research, here are some of "the basics" that we have found common to top sales performers:
1. The ability to understand customer needs and apply solutions according to those needs – Over the last two decades most companies have adopted some sort of consultative sales model. Most embrace the belief that product information is best utilized in response to customer needs.
Basic tip: Always demonstrate the value of your product in terms of what it will do for each individual customer, and only after you understand what that is.
2. The ability to adjust to each customer’s individual logic, behavioral and communication style – This is not as much an art as it is a science. Most salespeople assume that you either connect with a customer or not. In fact, if you rely strictly on product knowledge without regard for the other person’s behavioral and communication style, you have a 1-in-64 chance of connecting. Adjust to your customer’s behavioral style by preparing sales calls that appeal to different customer types such as direct, outgoing, steady and analytical. Then, adjust to their mental map by appealing to their communication style such as visual, auditory and kinesthetic.
Basic tip: Prior to sales calls, ask your customers how they would prefer the information and adjust accordingly.
3. The ability to build relationships and connect with the customer – Initial comfort and rapport is best built by perception. The more customers perceive you to be like them, the more rapport you will have. To build initial rapport, match the customer’s tone and pace of voice and body stance. To build long-term relationships, match the customer’s goals.
Basic tip: Do everything you can to help your customer achieve their goals. In turn, you will achieve yours.
4. The ability to overcome stalls and objections – Stalls are excuses that customers give for not moving ahead. Stalls are dangerous because they often sound harmless but are rarely the true intent of the customer.
Basic tip: Clarify stalls by asking open-ended questions such as, "What do you see changing in a month?" Or, "What specifically would you like to see in the information?"
5. Persistence in pursuing new potential business – Most of us know that so-so salespeople give up after the first or second sales attempt. Very good salespeople hang in there, often getting the sale after the fourth or fifth attempt. Top performers identify who will do business with them in advance and never give up on the prospect. The key is identifying the right type of business and then positioning for that business.
Basic tip: Schedule time for business development weekly. Treat potential customers like they’re already doing business with you.
6. The understanding that customer satisfaction is a minimum level of performance – Assume that the customer has agreed to make the purchase and is satisfied with the terms of the sale. The average salesperson would make sure that nothing changes negatively. The top performer however attempts to improve the transaction to the point that they delight the customer and exceed their expectations. As one top performer put it, "I want them so delighted with my total package that they will never question who they will come to for their next purchase."
Basic tip: Realize that customer satisfaction is a minimum requirement. Underpromise and overdeliver whenever possible.
7. The ability to gain commitments – Closing the sale is simply a formality and different than gaining commitments. In the "old school" closing meant using a "closing technique to persuade the customer. The ability to gain commitments happens throughout the sales process by initiating customer commitments and affirming their decisions.
Basic tip: Gain small commitments throughout the sales process by affirming that you have met customer needs appropriately.
Marcia Gauger is the president of Impact Sales, a performance improvement and training company with offices in Wisconsin, Florida and Arkansas. You can contact her at 262-642-9610 or marciag@makinganimpact.com. Her column appears in every other issue of SBT.
Dec. 6, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
See the SBT Archives for previous stories.
Commercial Real Estate
Sydney Hih or Syndey Low?
By Charles Rathmann, of SBT
With a stretch of the adjacent Park East Freeway spur being torn down behind it and the Bradley Center considering expansion ahead of it, the Sydney Hih building’s days may be numbered.
Alan Eisenberg, owner of the building, contends Milwaukee Ald. Paul Henningsen has been telling constituents the Sidney Hih is scheduled for demolition.
Henningsen denies Eisenberg’s allegation.
For now, the 28,719-square-foot building, which was constructed in 1876 and redeveloped in the 1970s, continues as a magnet for artists, musicians and bohemian-types of all stripes.
Eisenberg, a Milwaukee attorney and radio talk show host whose Knapp Street Realty owns the building at 300 W. Juneau Ave., said the first floor and basement, which have housed restaurants and nightclubs in the past, are now vacant.
“Henningsen has been antagonistic to users who called his office about permits at the property,” Eisenberg said. “I had two major restaurateurs interested in leasing. When they called his office, they were told by his secretary that the building was scheduled to be demolished.”
Eisenberg and Knapp Realty broker Steve Cohen also claim potential tenants have been stonewalled by Henningsen’s office when they try to get on Utility and Licensing Committee agendas for liquor license requests.
Cohen said the firm hired a private investigator who inquired about a liquor license for a business in the Sydney Hih building. The investigator was told the building was scheduled for demolition, according to Cohen.
“It has been going on for the last couple years,” Cohen said. “Every time I recommend people to call down there to see if they can get a license, they have been told, ‘We are not issuing any liquor licenses for downtown any longer.’ But there are restaurants that open all the time and get liquor licenses.
“They have been told that the Park East project is going on and that building will be torn down. As far as a liquor license goes, people have asked if they can be put on the list to go in front of the board, and the secretary tells them that Mr. Henningsen is in charge of that, and he won’t put anyone on the agenda,” Cohen said.
At least one other alderman said he also had heard Henningsen say publicly that the building would be torn down. That alderman did not want to named in this report, but said Henningsen made the statement at a committee meeting about a year ago.
Henningsen told Small Business Times he had never told people calling his office for information that the structure was scheduled for demolition.
West Bend restaurateur Gregg DesRosier, a partner in the Cajun eatery Muddy’s on Main, called Henningsen’s office Nov. 25 to inquire about the Sydney Hih building.
“He just tried to steer me away from it,” Des Rosier said of Henningsen. “He never said it was going to be torn down. He did say it was for sale.”
Henningsen’s comments to Des Rosier also focused on the amount of money it would take to build the first floor of the building out for a restaurant, Des Rosier said.
“He immediately went into, ‘There are better places to go,'” Des Rosier said. “He said that with the redevelopment, it might not be your best option.”
Henningsen told Small Business Times he believes the Sidney Hih, in its current use, is a “cancer on the neighborhood.”
Henningsen said at least one developer had contacted him to inquire about an adaptive reuse of the Sidney Hih.
“I have been talking to a fellow who has a serious interest,” Henningsen said. “A lot of the challenges come from the fact that it is four different buildings, and rehabbing it would be very hard. I’d like to see the plans to redevelop it. It has to be a plus. It can’t be the negative it has been for so many years.
“Upstairs, we have had problems with illegal rooming houses. We had rooms that were rented for band practices, which were really illegal living quarters,” Henningsen said.
Henningsen predicted that rather than redevelop the building, Eisenberg would “sit” on the property until it affected redevelopment plans for surrounding land enough for someone to offer him the $1 million asking price.
“Right now, he wants $1 million for it, and that is absolutely absurd,” Henningsen said. “The place across the street, which used to be a Car-X, sold for $600,000, and that was twice the space. So, ostensibly, his land is worth $300,000. And the building isn’t worth a penny.”
As the Park East falls, new development is built and the Bradley Center ponders expansion, the value of the land at the Sydney Hih site will increase.
Even before the first section of the freeway spur fell, that land doubled in value, rising from an assessed value of $71,000 in 2001 to $142,000 in 2002.
Meanwhile, the assessed value of the building dropped to $580,000 from $597,000.
Does Henningsen think the building ultimately will be torn down?
“Not necessarily,” Henningsen said. “He (Eisenberg) has it for sale. I think whoever the new buyer is will make that determination. If it is completely fixed up, it is fine by the city.
“But it is probably going to be $2 million to fix up, at least. I am not sure that someone wouldn’t buy it just for the land value,” Henningsen said. “In about five or so years, the land value might catch up to his asking price. But in that time, it might fall down on its own.”
Eisenberg stressed that the building is sound, however.
“There are several developers who have looked at it to see if it could be converted into a residential condo building,” Eisenberg said. “It has been looked at and studied by a substantial number of restoration architects.”
The building was named one of Milwaukee’s “10 most endangered” buildings in 2000 by preservationists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Architecture.
Various parts of the building are not separately served with plumbing, heating, ventilation or air conditioning, and the uneven floors that result from the union of four different buildings into a single unit would have to be eliminated.
Peter Sadowski, a graduate student in the UWM Architecture and Urban Planning Department, has been studying reuse options for the building since September. According to Sadowski, a mixed-use approach looks like the best possibility for success for the site.
“I am still going through the numbers right now. Economically, that is always a question. Socially, a mixed-use project would be considered a very good use of the property, given that the building does have significance to the downtown area,” Sadowski said.
“Residential condo use might be the highest and best use for the property, but not for the building,” Eisenberg said. “If we decide to demolish the building and build Bradley Center Condos, we’d be sold out in six months. However, this can’t happen until the freeway goes down. There is enough space to build a 500-unit condo.”
Eisenberg also said his firm had been courting Harley-Davidson Motor Co., about using the site and adjacent property to build its $30 million motorcycle museum.
road.
“Harley (people) have indicated they want to stay in the corridor,” Eisenberg said. “But they said immediately that I only have 30,000 square feet, and they want more than 100,000 square feet. I opened the discussion with them again, stressing that the land mass for the 100,000 square feet would be immediately available when the Park East Freeway spur comes down.”
Dec. 6, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
Commercial Real Estate
Modjeska Theatre is at heart of Mitchell Street revival
Joseph White first moved his business to the Mitchell Street commercial district in 1968, when the neighborhood was a thriving and prominent area of commerce.
Since the 1970s, the South Side neighborhood continued to decline, a victim of urban sprawl, poverty and crime.
White and his business, Excelon, Inc., have remained, along with a handful of other merchants who have endured the down times. They say the designation of the Mitchell Street neighborhood, from Fifth through 13 streets, as an historic district by the City of Milwaukee in recent years, has been a catalyst of rebirth.
Banks are returning with branch offices on Mitchell Street, and new businesses are moving in. New tenants are moving into old buildings, and White says national retailers are scouting the neighborhood.
Mitchell Street is no Water Street. It is no Brady Street. But it is on the rebound, White says.
At the heart of that rebound is the Modjeska Theatre, which has been a focal point in the neighborhood since it was built in 1906.
The Modjeska was purchased by Diane and Stewart Johnson in 1992. The married couple, with strong theatre backgrounds and liberal hearts of compassion for people less fortunate, launched an impressive theatre program for at-risk youth. The program has grown to serve hundreds of youth from dozens of schools.
As they grow older, the Johnsons hope to sell the Modjeska.
White volunteers as president of the Modjeska Theatre Co., a nonprofit that operates the theatre program.
The Modjeska began its most recent youth theatre production, “Annie,” Dec. 6. Its next production will be Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes,” April 4-13.
White is seeking the support of businesses and the community to renovate the Modjeska. He recently discussed the future of the Modjeska and the Mitchell Street neighborhood with Steve Jagler, executive editor of Small Business Times. The following are excepts from that interview:
SBT: What kind of support have you received from the City of Milwaukee?
White: We get grants from them. That’s useful. We’ve gotten very good support from the mayor (John Norquist) all along. He’s helped us find money, too.
SBT: What’s the long-term plan for the Modjeska?
White: We have not fully defined our strategic plan yet. The theatre gets an historic tax credit of 25 to 30 percent, which we can’t use as a nonprofit. At some point, we have to figure out how to make good use of that credit, which means finding a way to line up with a profit-making organization that has real philanthropic interest in the theatre, and then they can take advantage of the tax credit. That probably could be a business or a bank. It could be some sort of partnership. Ultimately, the Johnsons are going to sell their interests in the theatre.
SBT: How important is this theatre to the neighborhood from a human standpoint of its impact on kids?
White: We average about 60 to 70 kids per production, and we typically have three productions per year. For each of these musicals, we have morning productions, and schools come to those. It’s up to 3,000 young people attending each production.
SBT: You’ve been in this neighborhood since 1968. You’ve seen the decline. Where do things stand now on Mitchell Street?
White: I think they’re a lot better. The fact that we became an historic district has had a major impact. There was great resistance to that, because it’s giving up some of your personal freedom. The merchants didn’t understand the benefits.
The reason we’re having progress on the street now is because of those tax credits. The reason that Gorman Development is taking the Kunzelmann-Esser building and turning it into artist lofts, with some good retail on the first floor and is updating that whole building, is they understand how to get the best bang for the buck, and one of them certainly is the historic tax credit.
SBT: Are people who own the buildings here seeing any appreciation in the value of their properties?
White: I think they’re just beginning to see that. It’s starting.
SBT: So this has at least reversed the decline.
White: Oh yes, the decline is arrested. It’s on the way up. We see the theatre as a major anchor on this end of the street, because there aren’t that many activities that bring people from outside the area to the street. The theatre is bringing people from all over the place to the neighborhood, and gives a better impression of what’s going on on Mitchell Street. I think we’ve hit the nadir, and we’re on the way up.
And now some of the big retail outlets, the nationals, are looking around, looking for space on Mitchell Street.
SBT: Any one in particular?
White: Well, there are several of them. I can’t mention their names, because they’re still in the works. But it’s starting to happen, and you should keep your eye on it. You’ll notice there’s more attention to the storefronts. It’s starting to happen. Once it begins, it progresses.
If we can do what we want to do with the theatre, we can, in effect, create a theatre district, where some of the shops and restaurants in our area are catering to and are affected by what’s happening at the theatre. I think that has a pretty good chance of coming to be.
SBT: You’ve hired an architect for the theatre, right?
White: Engberg Anderson (Design Partnerships) is doing pro bono work now. There are several options in the planning, which includes expanding. It’s not just renovating. It’s expanding, so we can service more young people.
SBT: I understand you’ve hired a new executive director for the nonprofit.
White: Alan Kopischke is his name. He’s just what we needed. He’s businesslike. He’s got lots of ideas. Great energy. He’s the kind of person we needed. And he loves kids, and he loves the theatre. So far, that’s been a good deal.
SBT: What do you foresee as the main obstacles to the rebirth of the theatre and the neighborhood?
White: It’s the availability of capital. It’s always an issue — getting foundations, corporations and individuals to stick money into the theatre program. There are a lot of other uses people have with their money now. When you’ve got a $20 million deficit running with the Milwaukee Art Museum, there are a lot of people that could be giving money to us that can’t do that. That’s the toughest part of it. And we need to partner with other agencies.
SBT: As the neighborhood declined, with poverty and crime, a lot of business people fled this neighborhood for the suburbs. What has kept you here?
White: Well, look around you. I like our space here. We’ve survived. The area has had its tough times. We’ve tried to change that in some ways. This is where it is.
Dec. 6, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
SBA Loans
The following loan guarantees have been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration during October:
Andy’s Petro Pantry, 2931 W. Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee 53215, $206,000, Milwaukee Economic Development Corp.;
Animal Adventure, 6962 S. Rolling Meadows Ct., Oak Creek 53154, $275,000, Community Bank of Grafton;
Braumeister Metal Works, 110 Deere Rd., Elkhorn 53121, $100,000, First Banking Center;
The Best Fireplace Co., 9840 S. 27th St., Oak Creek 53154, $809,000, U.S. Bank;
Cardinalis Pasta Al Dente, 3715 80th St., Kenosha 53142, $75,000, Bank of Kenosha;
Cold Stone Creamery, S74 W14933 Woods Rd., Muskego 53150, $225,0000, Comerica Bank;
Culver’s Frozen Custard of Mequon, 11150 N. Port Washington Rd., Mequon 53092, $455,000, Wisconsin Business Development Finance Corp.;
Denczek Bakery, 960 W. Oklahoma Ave., Milwaukee 53215, $135,500, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank;
Dollar Store, 45 Hilldale Dr., Hartford 53027, $20,000, First National Bank of Hartford;
Express Pantry, 1804 W. Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee 53215, $365,000, Community Bank & Trust;
FNF Health Care, N3252 Hwy. H, Lake Geneva 53147, $108,000, First Banking Center;
Garden Gazebo, 1657 Kettle Cove Ct., Hartland 53029, $10,000, U.S. Bank;
Gluten-Free Trading Co., 601 A W. Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee 53215, $115,000, Lincoln State Bank;
Goemans Wood Products, 5840 Hwy. 60 E., Hartford 53027, $654,000, Wisconsin Business Development Finance Corp.;
Harold’s Chicken Shack, 4115 N. 56th St., Milwaukee 53216, $100,000, Legacy Bank;
Havana Cabana, 1660 N. Prospect Ave., Milwaukee 53202, $40,000, and $80,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank;
Home Instead Senior Care, 7406 W. Layton Ave., Greenfield 53220, $88,000, Milwaukee Economic Development Corp.;
Innavision, 1300 S. Green Bay Rd., Racine 53406, $50,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank;
J Stop, Luedtke Lane, Washington County Town of Herman, 53090, $350,000, Wisconsin Business Development Finance Corp.
K.A.N.E.S. Trucking, 5252 N. 65th St., Milwaukee 53206, $115,0000, Legacy Bank;
Daniel R. Koester, DDS, 132 E. Drexel Ave., Oak Creek 53130, $643,000, U.S. Bank;
David Machery, 3970 M. Oakland Ave., Shorewood 53211, $36,500, Wells Fargo Bank;
Mail Boxes, Etc., 10935 N. Port Washington Rd., Mequon 53092, $62,000, Community Bank of Grafton;
Meyer’s Plumbing Services, 4605 N. 124th St., Butler 53007, $111,000, First Bank Financial Centre;
The Napa Vineyard, 259 Broad St., Lake Geneva 53147, $100,000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank;
Oil Change Plus, 4400 S. Louisiana Ave., Milwaukee 53221, $96,0000, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank;
Paradise Tan 2, 2140 H St. Paul St., Waukesha 53188, $83,000, Waukesha State Bank;
RTS Metal Werks, 1405 16th St., Racine 53403, $50,000, Community State Bank;
Scooby’s, 6357 S. 27th St., Franklin 53132, $30,000, Capital One Federal Savings Bank;
SD Harper Building Restoration, 117 Solma St., Plymouth 53073, $10,000, Community Bank & Trust;
Steel Rule Diemasters, 153 N. Milwaukee St., Milwaukee 53202, $40,0000, Community Bank & Trust.
Nov. 22, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
Business notes
The 10,000-square-foot facility will house the banking office as well as provide up to 6,500 square feet of divisible space for lease in Grafton’s business park district.
Port Washington State Bank, an independent institution, has offices in Port Washington, Saukville, Belgium and Fredonia.
Bank president and CEO Steve Schowalter noted that "the expansion into Grafton is in recognition of an increasing customer base in residential mortgages, as well as small business accounts in the Grafton market that require a more convenient office with which to conduct their business."
Brookfield-based Vrakas/Blum has adopted a new logo and tagline. The update marks the beginning of an ongoing communications campaign by the CPA and business advisory firm, said Scott Wildman, a partner at Vrakas/Blum.
The firm’s tagline is now "Integrity Counts in a World of Numbers."
The firm, which works primarily with closely held, for-profit companies, has a staff of more than 50.
TechStar, a technology business catalyst for attracting venture capital to Wisconsin, has relocated to offices at 756 N. Milwaukee St., Suite 250, Milwaukee.
The organization had been housed within the offices of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce since its establishment last year.
TechStar is a collaboration of the MMAC and Marquette University, the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Milwaukee School of Engineering, UW-Milwaukee and UW-Parkside. It works with those organizations to convert research into business ventures. It is on the Web at www.tsearlyventures.com.
Personnel file
Integrated Risk Solutions has hired John Wallen as an account executive for the Delafield risk management and insurance brokerage firm. Wallen most recently was an account executive at the R.S. Hammerschlag Insurance Agency. Wallen is a certified chartered property casualty underwriter. Integrated Risk solutions also announced it has purchased Wallen’s key accounts from his previous employer.
Mark Urban has joined Capital H, Milwaukee, as practice director in compensation and organizational development. He most recently was an independent consultant. Previously, he was a principal in the Chicago office of William M. Mercer, Inc.
Joyce Rizzo has joined Wipfli as a receptionist at the CPA firm’s office in Wauwatosa. She has more than 16 years of secretarial experience.
Attorneys Lisa M. Gingerich, Leslye A. Herrmann and Amanda S. Layden have been named shareholders in the Milwaukee law firm von Briesen & Roper. All three practice in the firm’s health care practice group. Gingerich received her bachelor’s degree in 1991 from the University of Wisconsin, and her law degree from California Western in 1994. Herrmann holds a 1985 bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and a 1992 law degree, from the University of Chicago Law School. Layden received her bachelor’s degree in 1992 from Arizona State University and her law degree in 1995 from Marquette University Law School.
Scott Cormican has joined Creative Constructors, in Menomonee Falls, as a project superintendent. Cormican is overseeing construction of the Washington Park Library at Lloyd Street and Sherman Boulevard in Milwaukee. He has more than 20 years of experience in construction.
Donald J. Frost has been promoted to the position of vice president of design and estimating at MSI General, in Oconomowoc. He joined the construction firm in 1979 as an architect and, in 1984, was promoted to the position of manager of design services. He holds a 1978 master’s degree in architecture from UW-Milwaukee.
Attorney Jennifer A. Joyce has joined The Schroeder Group law firm in Waukesha. Her primary focus will be estate planning, corporate law and tax law. She holds a 2000 law degree from Marquette University. She previously was with Arthur Andersen’s Milwaukee office.
State Financial Bank has announced several staff additions. Jeffrey Drost has joined the bank as branch manager for the Greenfield office. He brings more than seven years of experience to the bank, and holds a degree in management and human resources from Cardinal Stritch University in Fox Point. He is currently working on an MBA. Clarice Smith has joined the bank as manager of its Lisbon Avenue office. She has 15 years of banking experience. Michelle Engel has joined the bank as assistant branch manager for its New Berlin office. She has more than five years of experience in banking and management, and holds a business administration degree from
Mount Mary College. Monica Gleesing has joined the bank as assistant branch manager of its Hales Corners office. She has more than five years of banking experience, and holds a business administration degree from Mount Mary College. She is currently working in a master’s degree in business management. Svetlana Trislin has joined the bank as branch manager of its Whitefish Bay office. She has eight years of financial experience. She holds a degree in business administration and a master’s degree in education. Kimberly Evans has joined the bank as assistant branch manager of its Fox Point office. She has three years of banking experience, and holds a degree from UW-Milwaukee. Pamela Anderson has joined the bank as assistant branch manager of its Glendale office. She has 16 years of banking and financial experience.
Frank Falsetti has joined BSI, Milwaukee, as a sales associate. He has 20 years of experience in the office furniture and design industry.
Pat Phillips has been promoted from the position of vice president of strategic business development to that of senior vice president of sales and marketing for HealthEOS. The firm, based in De Pere and with offices in Milwaukee, also has promoted Ray Johnson, from vice president of sales to the new position of vice president of network sales. Curt Vandertie has been promoted from the position of manager of client services to regional vice president of TPA business development.
Tom Dorow has joined Design North, in Racine, as an account strategist. He previously had been brand manager for Freudenberg Household Products. Dorow holds an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Jodi Koepke has joined the Fitzgerald, Clayton, James & Kasten insurance agency in Mequon, as an account manager in the Employee Benefits department. Her experience includes seven years with Wausau Insurance in its Employee Benefits department, and two years with FlexBen. The firm has also hired Judith K. Cranberg as a healthcare risk consultant. Cranberg, a Registered Nurse, holds a law degree from Loyola University, Chicago. After work as a nurse in a clinical setting, she made the transition to hospital risk management. For the past six years she has been assistant corporate counsel for a local hospital.
Paul C. Taleck has been hired as manager of the Grafton office of Mutual Savings Bank. Taleck has more than 10 years of financial services experience, and most recently was a TCF Bank branch manager. He holds a degree in finance from UW-La Crosse. Mutual Savings Bank has also hired Joseph C. Martin as vice president-director of commercial banking at its corporate headquarters in Brown Deer. Martin has more than 16 years of banking experience, previously was employed as senior vice president-commercial lending at InvestorsBank. He holds a degree in finance from Miami University of Oxford, Ohio. Meanwhile, Daniel A. Russo has been named information systems specialist at the bank’s corporate headquarters.
Marie Mattia has been appointed assistant business manager at radio station FM-105.3 in Milwaukee. Meanwhile, Salem Communications, of Brookfield, owner of 105.3 and of AM-540, has named Rick Ehlert creative director for the stations.
Kim Whitehead has been promoted to the position of director of membership at the Greater Milwaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau. Whitehead joined the GMCVB in 1997, working in the public relations department until she became Web communications manager.
M. Kristine Roemer has joined Johnson Bank as assistant vice president-senior mortgage loan officer in the Kenosha South office. Roemer brings 16 years of experience to Johnson Bank. She holds an associate degree in liberal arts from UW-Whitwater.
Dale Morrell has been named statement processing center manager at Integrated Mail Industries, in Milwaukee. Morrell has more than 30 years’ experience in mail processing, including work for the U.S. Postal Service and Federal Mailing Systems.
Paul F. Groth has re-joined M&M Office Interiors, Pewaukee, as vice president of sales and design. Groth, a UW-Madison graduate, began his career in 1985 with M&M Office Interiors. He was most recently a market manager and applications specialist with another Haworth dealer.
Joanna Peppers has been promoted to the position of regional director for ambulatory oncology at Covenant Cancer Care. For the past year, Peppers has served as technical manager for the St. Francis Hospital Reiman Center for Cancer Care in Franklin. Prior to her work with Covenant Healthcare, she spent three years as the clinical coordinator/lead therapist for St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan and seven years as a radiation therapist for Agnesian Healthcare. She received her BS from Marian College and received Radiation Therapy Training through St. Luke’s Medical Center.
Wauwatosa Savings Bank has named Assistant Vice President Patti Koutsios as safety, security, and compliance officer for all bank locations. She will retain the title of assistant vice president.
Nov. 22, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
Industrial Revenue Bonds
Industrial Revenue bonds have been approved for two local business expansion projects. Gov. Scott McCallum noted that the projects are expected to create 24 jobs at an average starting wage of $16.33/hour; retain 157 jobs; and generate $20.9 million in new capital investment.
The awards were made at the Department of Commerce Volume Cap Allocation Council meeting held Oct. 24 in Madison.
The following summarizes the successful proposals:
Kenosha Metal Products, Inc., Pleasant Prairie, $1 million IRB allocation – Kenosha Metal Products manufactures and supplies small, medium and high-volume metal stampings and small assemblies for the automotive industry.
To accommodate expected growth, the company will construct a 34,600-sq.-ft. addition to its existing manufacturing facility. The project also includes the purchase of new equipment to increase tooling life, expand its stamping capabilities, and reduce noise and vibration.
The project is expected to create six jobs at an average wage of $13.66/hour and retain 38 jobs. Total project cost is $2.9 million.
Republic Services, Inc., Racine, $12.5 million IRB allocation – Republic Services provides non-hazardous solid-waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services for commercial, industrial, municipal and residential customers.
The company is planning landfill expansion and closure activities at Mallard Ridge in Darien, Walworth County, and at Kestral Hawk in Racine, along, along with other improvements including ecological restoration and monitoring, clay borrow source development, and extensions and upgrades of gas recovery systems.
The project is expected to create 18 jobs at an average wage of $19.00/hour and retain 119 jobs. Total project cost is $18 million.
Industrial Revenue Bonds are tax-free bonds issued by local governments, and the proceeds are loaned to new or expanding businesses for development projects.
For further information about the Industrial Revenue Bond Program, contact Bill Wheeler, Department of Commerce, at 608-267-2045.
Nov. 8, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
Business notes
Godin’s Piggly Wiggly at 6111 W. Mequon Rd., Mequon, has been named the 2002 Business of the Year by the Mequon-Thiensville Area Chamber of Commerce.
The business was recognized based on the support for the community offered by owners Paul and Karen Godin, and because of the improvements the Godins have made to the store.
According to the chamber, over the past nine years the Godins have improved the Piggly Wiggly. In the past year, the store has gone through a complete renovation which, in addition to allowing more products to be offered, has improved the overall aesthetics of the area.
Other nominees for the award who were recognized for their contributions were Suburban Rental, Thiensville; Greg Mueller Upholstery, Thiensville; and Meadowmere Assisted Living Apartments, Mequon.
The chamber also honored Mequon-Thiensville School District Superintendant John Box as the citizen of the year.
Ansay & Associates (www.ansay.com) has a new Port Washington headquarters at 101 E. Grand, Suite 11 in the new Harbor Square Building. The new facility is located just two miles east of the former A.N. Ansay office, which was located at 217 Freeman Dr. According to co-owners Mike and John Ansay, the agency had a lease that was expiring, initiating the move. "Our new office gives us a more dynamic atmosphere needed to provide superior customer service, to conduct business seminars on-site, and has the convenience of being close to all of the amenities," Mike Ansay said. In addition to the Port Washington headquarters, the agency has an office in downtown West Bend, Campbellsport and Green Bay. A.N. Ansay & Associates is a full-service insurance agency.
Benjamin M. Cutler, chairman and chief executive officer of Fortis Health, in Milwaukee, and executive vice president of Fortis, Inc. New York, has been elected chairman of the board of directors of the Health Insurance Association of America.
"Ben has shown tremendous dedication to our industry, making him an excellent choice to lead HIAA as we confront continuing and new challenges in Congress and the state houses," noted HIAA President Donald Young, M.D. "As we look to the year 2003 and beyond, I am confident that the board, with Ben’s leadership, will enable us to continue to be the nation’s leading advocate of the private free enterprise health care system, supporting healthy competition, consumer choice and accessible, affordable health insurance options for all Americans."
Cutler has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry. He has been with Fortis since 1985, and served as president and CEO of Fortis Health since 1996.
Fortis Health is the oldest national health insurer, 110 years old. It serves the individual medical, small-group and specialty health insurance markets.
Nov, 8, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee