Jeff Grahl has been named vice president of operations at Peter Schwabe, Inc., a design/build firm in Big Bend. The firm also has hired Teri Lynch as marketing manager and Dave Bever as chief estimator. Grahl has a 15-year background in construction and real estate development, and was the founder and president of Construction Aspex, Inc., the construction arm of Centres, Inc.
John L. Stearns has been named president of Ideal Financial Services. He joined the firm in 1993 as a loan officer. In 1996 he was promoted to the position of manager and vice president.
Marie Crockett will lead New School Development Consulting, a newly created consulting service providing support to charter school developers. The operation has been created by YW Community Education Center, a subsidiary of YWCA of Greater Milwaukee.
Tim Oleszczuk has joined the investment-banking firm of Grace Matthews as principal. Grace Matthews, with offices in Milwaukee and Boston, specializes in mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance advisory services. Oleszczuk will manage sell-side assignment, management buyout and capital raising efforts for the firm. Oleszczuk brings 12 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance involving such diverse industries as telecommunications, publishing, insurance, manufacturing, retailing, information technology and professional services to Grace Matthews. Prior to joining Grace Matthews, Oleszczuk managed the Milwaukee office of Resource Financial Corp., where he was vice president and general counsel. Oleszczuk previously served as shareholder and corporate attorney at Godfrey & Kahn of Milwaukee, where his legal practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and insurance law. Oleszczuk holds a B.B.A. and M.B.A., both Summa Cum Laude, in finance and risk management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his law degree from the University of Michigan.
McCloud Construction, Inc., a full-service construction firm based in Brookfield, has named Gary S. Kautzer as executive vice president and David A. Schultz as vice president and Fox Valley manager. Kautzer joins McCloud from General Electric Company’s Medical Systems division in Waukesha, where he served as a corporate facilities and real estate executive. He will have responsibility for the company’s day-to-day operations and will reinforce the firm’s overall performance, growth and strategic direction. Kautzer holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and earned a BS in architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Schultz assumes overall responsibility of business development in the northeastern Wisconsin market and will manage construction operations in the region from the firm’s Neenah office. Schultz has moved to McCloud from C.R. Meyer and Sons Co. of Oshkosh where he spearheaded business development efforts. He was instrumental in founding the firm’s Healthcare Group, which designs construction service delivery around the unique service needs of the medical marketplace. Schultz earned his BS in architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is a Wisconsin-licensed architect.
Rudolph J. Valenta has been named vice president for sales and marketing for Eltosch North America in Brookfield. Valenta, a 35-year veteran of the printing industry, was most recently corporate sales manger for MAN Roland, Inc., where he has also held various sales, product management and technical training positions. Valenta is president of the Lithographers Club of Chicago, serves on the board of the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation and was appointed to the President’s Council of the Environmental Protection Agency for the PIA in Washington, D.C. Eltosch North America Inc. is a manufacturer of high-performance UV, infared and thermoair drying systems.
Barb Schumann has been named sales director of the Shorewest Realtors Downtown Milwaukee office. She brings more than 15 years of real estate experience to her new position. Schumann works in Shorewest’s office at 1028 E. Juneau Ave.
Mike Steiner recently joined R.A. Smith’s public works division as a project engineer. Steiner has a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Marquette University.
Chris Rakowski has been promoted to the position of assistant vice president, director of operations, at Senior Residential Care of America, a West Allis-based builder and operator of assisted living senior group homes in Milwaukee County. She began her employment with the company as an operations manager. The firm also has hired Todd R. Luft as assistant vice president, director of marketing. He holds an BBA in business administration with a major in marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and has been in marketing for 13 years.
Dan DiComo has joined Eppstein Uhen Architects in Milwaukee as a senior project manager in the firm’s corporate office and industrial studio. He relocated from the Detroit area.
Dale Resch has been named residential service manager at Roman Electric Co. Resch, a journeyman electrician, has been with Roman Electric for 14 years. Prior to that he served four years in the Navy as an electrician.
Lynn Carey has been appointed regional director for organizational development at the Covenant Healthcare System. She most recently served as the director of educational services for Children’s Health System of Wisconsin She holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology and a master’s in nursing, both from Marquette University.
Aug. 3, 2001 Small Business Times, Milwaukee

Hermle Machine Co. has broken ground on its new North American headquarters building. The 15,000-square-foot facility will be located on a 4.23-acre site in the Franklin Industrial Park in Franklin, near the company’s current location.
Designed by Brian Cooley & Associates, architects, and constructed by Megal Development Corp., the new facility will include an expanded display and demonstration area for Hermle machining centers, a training area equipped with the latest audio/visual and communication equipment, expanded parts storage, conference areas and an enlarged service/applications area. Office space will be increased to accommodate an anticipated doubling in the present workforce.
At the ceremony, Hans Vonier, regional sales manager for Berthold Hermle AG, stated, “The reception of our products in the American market has been extremely gratifying and this new facility represents our ongoing commitment to our staff, our sales force and our customers.”
Hermle Machine Co. is a division of Berthold Hermle AG of Gosheim, Germany. The company is a leading manufacturer of high-precision, computer-controlled machining centers used in both prototype and production applications throughout the world.
The architectural, interior and design firm, Engberg Anderson Design Partnership of Milwaukee, has been selected to lead the design team for the Concourse Gate Expansion of General Mitchell International Airport. The expansion is anticipated to add 90,000 square feet to the 45,000-square-foot Concourse C. The project includes airfield, terminal and gate design and coordination with the FAA and tenant airlines.
CG Schmidt of Milwaukee has completed construction of the new Hidden Glen Golf Club in Cedarburg. The 24,165-square-foot project consisted of constructing a new clubhouse and cart storage building. The facility includes a full-service kitchen, bars, dining areas, locker rooms with showers, administration area and pro shop.
Briohn Building Corp. of Pewaukee has been selected by Franklynn Development to design and construct an indoor soccer facility containing three regulation-size contained fields. The new 79,000-square-foot facility will be at 19485 W. Lisbon Rd. in Brookfield.
– Briohn Building recently completed a 4,600-square-foot retail office for Brookfield Travel, in the Towne Centre Development, 19045 W. Capitol Dr., Brookfield.
– Briohn Building is designing and constructing a 30,100-square-foot multi-tenant building at 4630 S. Brust Ave. in St. Francis. Advance Hydraulics will occupy 16,050 square feet of the building while Pilot Air Freight will occupy 7,500 square feet.
–
Beyer Construction is reconstructing and restoring the former home of Congregation Emanu-El at 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd. for UW-Milwaukee’s new performance and education center, the Helen Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts. The project is transforming the large sanctuary into a 750-seat concert hall with an orchestra pit. Existing areas within the building will be renovated for a variety of spaces for smaller performances, rehearsals, classrooms, offices and a music library. Architectural design work is by Uihlein Wilson Architects, Milwaukee. A September completion is planned.
T-3 Group of Milwaukee has interior remodeling completed work on WFS Financial/Liberty Trust at 11020 W. Plank Ct. in Wauwatosa.
– T-3 Group has also completed work on the Noodles & Company restaurant at 3121 N. Oakland Ave. in Milwaukee. Noodles & Company (www.noodles.com) is a Boulder, Colo.-based restaurant chain that serves freshly prepared noodle dishes for about $5 per bowl. T-3 had previously built out the chain’s other Milwaukee-area site in the Riverpoint Center in Fox Point.
Industrial Towel & Uniform (www.itu-at.com) is expanding into a 60,000-square-foot building in the New Berlin Industrial Park. The company is moving its customer call center, IT department, embroidery department, stockroom and data center to the facility at 2885 S. James Dr., near its present location at 2700 S. 160th St. Fifty employees will work in the James Drive facility, while 200 will remain at the current facility. David Leef, ITU vice president, said the company outgrew its 130,000-square-foot 160th Street facility.
Jens Construction of Pewaukee is providing build-out for a new OB/GYN clinic in Glendale. The 5,928-square-foot clinic, at 4655 N. Port Washington Rd., is scheduled for completion this month.
Beyer Construction of New Berlin has been hired by Kahler Slater Architects to construct the firm’s new offices at 111 W. Wisconsin Ave. in Milwaukee. The project involves the relocation of space on two floors of the ASQ Center, formerly the Marshall Fields/Gimbels department store. Beyer will renovate 32,000 square feet on the third floor and 5,000 square feet on the second floor of the building, based on Kahler Slater’s architectural and interior design specifications. Kahler Slater currently employs 150 people, 115 of whom are design professionals. The firm is moving from the 611 Building, at 611 E. Wisconsin Ave., which building owner Northwestern Mutual is taking over for its use.
Weas Oak Creek’s Meadowmere Village has opened at 701 E. Puetz Rd. in Oak Creek, designed by Plunkett Raysich Architects of Milwaukee. Meadowmere Village is both a 53,000-square-foot, 60-unit residential care apartment complex and a 12,600-square-foot, 20-bed community-based residential facility. One of the village’s hallmarks is the dining room, which is a showpiece that extends two stories and has an entry sequence. It features huge windows that overlook the rear yard and patio and has enough room to accommodate all 60 apartment residents and their guests. The apartment complex also features an activity center, media center, prayer/meditation room, spa, wellness center, a courtyard and the attached 20-bed CBRF.
Just over a year after the groundbreaking ceremony, Phase I of Towne Centre in Brookfield is opening for business. Marketed as a “lifestyle center”, this development project will eventually have more than 15 retail/office buildings, more than 60 condominiums, and a senior living facility.
Towne Centre has attracted retail stores such as Sendik’s Food Market (which is already open for business), Brookfield Travel, Cousin’s Subs, a hair salon, dry-cleaners, gourmet coffee shop, women’s apparel store, tanning salon, home entertainment store, and a personal fitness office.
Thomson Corp., the developer of the Towne Centre Project, is working with Jan Neis and David Donoian of Grubb & Ellis
Boerke company to fill the retail sections of the first phase and the following phases. Although they are not opposed to working with national franchises, they are focusing on independent business owners.
Along with Neis and Donoian, Andrew Jensen and Patti Fitch are working with Thomson Corp. on the office space. Office tenants include an engineering firm and insurance company. There are currently two buildings that offer office space on the second level, totaling 30,000 square feet. More space will become available in future phases.
Construction is continuing in the area and is under way on the senior living facility. Phase II will begin in spring of 2002 which will add to the currently completed five buildings. The development is located on the corner of Capitol Drive and Brookfield Road. Upon completion there will be a total of 155,900 square feet of retail space, 70,000 square feet of office space and 83,700 square feet of residential space.
CG Schmidt of Milwaukee has begun construction on Mashuda Hall at Marquette University. The project will include the removal and replacement of 21,284 square feet of exterior window walls. New metal panels, windows and finishes will also be added. The construction will be completed this month.
Aug. 3, 2001 Small Business Times, Milwaukee

The James T. Barry Co., Inc., has recently completed the following transactions:
Kevin Barry brokered the lease of 8,000 square feet of space at the Lafayette Business Plaza in Wauwatosa to Wingtip Tires.
David Buckley brokered the lease of 1,350 square feet of office space at Cramer Multhauf Building at 1601 E. Racine Ave. in Waukesha to Piette Law Firm.
David Buckley also brokered the lease of 3,810 square feet of the Cramer Multhauf Building in Waukesha to R&R Insurance. R&R will move a division of its business to the facility, which is adjacent to its headquarters.
Michael Hughes brokered the lease of 9,435 square feet of the RONK LLC building in Brookfield to Wrist Band Resources.
Michael Hughes also brokered the lease of 9,135 square feet of the Eagle Global Logistics building in Milwaukee to Unico Spray Products.
Steve Traudt and Ben Quinette brokered the sale of two acres located at Highway Y and Silvernail Road in Pewaukee to Dave Kramer and Ken Pelt.
David Buckley and Bill Sinsky, a broker with Siegel-Gallagher, co-brokered the lease of a 27,500-square-foot industrial facility at W194 N1660 Eagle Dr. in Jackson to ABC Supply from Paul Reilly. ABC Supply will establish a Washington County distribution facility out of the location.
NAI MLG Commercial has announced that IEA, Inc., has leased 24,480 square feet of space at 4134 E. Courtney in the Racine County Town of Raymond. NAI MLG’s Bob Gintoft represented the lessees, George and Sue Newell of IEA, and the lessor, Paul and Sue Ackerman Revocable Trust. IEA currently occupies half the building and exercised its option to lease the remaining 24,480 square feet.
NAI MLG Commercial has also announced that Repacorp Label Products has leased space in Franklin. NAI MLG brokers David Lange and Barry Chavin represented lessee Rick Heinl, president of Repacorp Label Products. Marc Schmidt and Matt Quest of S.M. Wangard represented owner Mike Dilworth. The new lease is at 11301 W. Forest Home Ave. The tenants now occupy the 35,540-square-foot building. The firm’s expansion came after a 52% increase in business last year.
NAI MLG announced that Pendleton Woolen Mills, represented by MLG broker Sean Osborne, has leased space in Harvard Square in Brookfield. The firm will occupy the 2,200-square-foot facility in early August.
NAI MLG has announced that R&M Manufacturing has leased space within the Renaissance Business Park in Sturtevant. NAI MLG brokers Tony Bareta, Curt Pitzen and Barry Chavin represented the lessor, Circle Investments II. R&M leased 9,307 square feet of space at 1671 Renaissance Blvd.
Property sales
Prudential Premier Properties of Kenosha recently brokered the sale of a 14,000-square-foot building in Kenosha. The building, at the intersection of Highway 50 and I-94, had been occupied by Marquette University. The buyers are National Petroleum and Global Energy, which have outgrown their current Kenosha offices. National is a distributor for seven oil companies supplying fuel to 65 gas stations in the Midwest. Global Energy operates and manages more than 150 gas stations. An acquisition of 141 stations by Global was scheduled to close in July, necessitating the expansion.
Pete Slezak of the James T. Barry Co. brokered the sale of the 138,000-square-foot Falk facility in Milwaukee to Hanson Enterprises of Arizona, LLC.
Slezak, along with Paul Povlick and Roger Siegel, brokers with The Polacheck Company, co-brokered the sale of a 126,000-square-foot industrial facility in Waukesha to V&L Tool.
Jim Young of the Barry Co. brokered the sale of the 22,000-square-foot Dashboards Plus facility in Hartland to Jack Dahlke.
Jim Young of the Barry Co. also brokered the sale of the 14,000-square-foot Waukesha Pattern facility in Waukesha to 3D Solutions.
V&L Tool has purchased the 126,000-square-foot industrial facility at 2021 MacArthur Rd., Waukesha, from EPCO of WI, LLP. Pete Slezak, a broker with the James T. Barry Co., represented the seller in the transaction while Paul Povlick and Roger Siegel of The Polacheck Co. represented the buyer. The buyer intends to use the building in its machine business. V&L had been a sub-tenant of the Huffy Co.
NAI MLG Commercial has announced the sale of 9.3 acres of land in Franklin to Greg Fax of MIE Acquisitions. MLG brokers David Lange, Tony Bareta and Barry Chavin represented the seller and buyer. MIE Acquisition plans to build two multi-tenant buildings totaling 90,000 square feet of light industrial space. They plan to market to smaller industrial businesses which would occupy 2,000- to 3,000-square-foot suites. A groundbreaking of early fall is being considered.
July 20, 2001 Small Business Times, Milwaukee

The Bentley Co. has relocated from its Brown Deer headquarters on 55th Street to a renovated facility at 8600 W. Bradley Rd. in the city of Milwaukee. The firm purchased the Bradley Street property from Visa Lighting, and renovated it with the design assistance of Milwaukee architect Glenn Johnson.
The facility gives Bentley 40,000 square feet of office and warehouse space.
“Because the company’s volume has tripled in size (since its move to the 55th Street building), additional space was necessary in order to better serve clients and allow a more functional work environment for Bentley employees,” said Thomas Bentley III, CEO of the construction services firm.
The move increased the company’s office space by 4,500 square feet, and offers immediate access to its yard division, which had been separately located on Milwaukee’s East Side during the company’s occupancy of the 55th Street site.
The new layout also provides a more systematic subcontractor takeoff room, Bentley said, and also features a history room that showcases the company’s 153 years of existence.
Sharp Packaging Systems of Sussex has moved its sales offices and shipping operations to its new building at N62 W22632 Village Dr., Sussex. The building was acquired from A&V, Inc., on April 2, and has since been renovated. The building is adjacent to Sharp’s existing main plant facilities on Sussex Road.
Marvin Hansen of The Ogden Co. assisted the buyers with the purchase of Sharp’s latest building acquisition. Kurt Van Dyke of the James T. Barry Co. represented the sellers.
Continued growth gave rise to the need for a new facility opened in West Allis in June 1999. That acquisition was the first part of a major expansion project that increased overall capacity by 30%. The newest building adds another 32,950 square feet and will be used primarily for warehouse and shipping. The building also includes approximately 5,600 square feet of office and a machinery showroom and demonstration area.
The company has recently made substantial investments in additional blown film extruding and bag converting equipment to increase its production capacity in Sussex.
Paul and Virginia Scarberry started Sharp Packaging (www.sharppackaging.com) in 1984. Sharp expanded on a once-exclusive process building its own converting machines that make a continuous rolls of plastic bags, that are pre-opened on one side.
Today, Sharp Packaging employs approximately 150 people.
Raven Golf, a manufacturer of custom golf clubs and components, has moved from Muskego into its new corporate headquarters and testing facility in New Berlin. This one-of-a kind technology center will be unique in the fact that Raven Golf encourages its wholesale customers as well as the general public to come try its golf clubs on its brand-new driving range. The Tech Center is at 19300 W. Cleveland Ave.
“We wanted to create a truly unique situation where golfers can not only get fit for clubs, but get educated directly from the manufacturer on why those clubs will benefit them,” said Tony Miller, president of Raven Golf (www.ravengolfclubs.com).
The Tech Center building will house Raven’s offices, warehouse, production facility, and retail showroom. The retail showroom and the driving range will be open seven days a week.
Zeppos & Associates (www.zeppos.com) has moved from 735 N. Water St. to 400 E. Mason St. in downtown Milwaukee. The firm, founded in 1994 with three employees, now has 16. “The new office has a larger reception area, an additional conference room and increased visitor parking options, which are essential to meet our business needs,” said Kris Naidl, vice president of the firm.
The building at 400 E. Mason is at Mason’s intersection with Milwaukee Street, and is now being called the Monroe Building. It is undergoing considerable renovation. The building currently houses the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, and will be home to a law firm and an accounting firm.
Adtec Staffing has moved to Suite 300 in the Wehr Building at 10201 W. Lincoln Ave. in West Allis. The company’s services include temporary and temporary-to-hire placements, direct hire, payrolling, and software testing.
JL Business Interiors have moved to 515 Schoenhaar Dr. in West Bend. The business sells new, used and refurbished office furniture, and provides interior design, CAD layout and specifications, delivery and installation services.
TriCast, Inc., a national prescription drug data analysis and modeling firm, and Flex Scripts, its insured pharmacy benefit subsidiary, are moving to the Milwaukee County Research Park in Wauwatosa, according to TriCast president Greg Rucinski. The firms’ new address will be Suite 300, 10200 W. Innovation Dr.
Haack Whelan Kruger, an integrated marketing and design firm, has relocated its offices to 301 N. Water St., Suite 360, in Milwaukee’s Third Ward.
The Russ Darrow Automotive Group has moved its Nissan line of vehicles from the Super Store on North 76th Street in Milwaukee to its dealership at 9201 W. Brown Deer Rd., also in Milwaukee.
New businesses, new owners
Dan Mowbray has started a business and institutional furniture supplier, Pro Wisconsin (www.prowisconsin.com) in Milwaukee. Mowbray had been a national product manager for a catalog company “and saw great products made here in Wisconsin,” he said. “I decided to form a business that would capture that quality and keep customers and suppliers close to home.” The firm is in Suite 836 at 735 N. Milwaukee St. in downtown Milwaukee. Mowbray worked with the Small Business Development Center at UW-Milwaukee in creating his business plan.
Marc Modrow and Joe Dusick have started marcjoseph, a home furnishings store in the historic downtown area of Brookfield, 2930 N. Brookfield Rd.
Custom Power Technology of Menomonee Falls has purchased the design, manufacturing and service rights to the Thor Technology Corporation Series 7000 AC Flux Vector Servo Control, in addition to inventory and manufacturing equipment, as part of an asset buyout.
Custom Power Technology is a designer and manufacturer of custom motor control and power-converting equipment for OEMs. It is at N93 W14475 Whittaker Way.
Briohn Building Corp. of Pewaukee has formed Briohn Design Group, an architectural design company, with architect Bruce Angeli leading the group.
Integrated Solutions Group has been started at 7505 N. Berwyn Ave. in Glendale. The business is offering technical, marketing and sales support by integrating various communications tools into computer-based programs. Richard W. Wiese, founder, is serving as president. He had earlier served as executive vice president of General Graphics Corp. in Milwaukee.
Patrick Balistreri has purchased Al’s Window Cleaning Co. and changed the name of the firm to Al’s Window Cleaning and Building Services. He bought the company from Jeff and Julie Ausprung. Jeff Ausprung’s father Al Ausprung started the firm in 1957. Balistreri had been with Employment Times (a Small Business Times publication), and had earlier been co-owner of a local commercial cleaning company.
The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) division at R.A. Smith & Associates in Brookfield has been restructured. GIS staff now function within their own division, apart from 3D visualization and scanning. Alissa Bails has been promoted to GIS division manager.
Rocore Industries of Franklin has acquired the operating assets of the Honeywell International oil cooler and heat exchanger operations based in Burkesville, Ky. and Indianapolis. Rocore is a manufacturer of industrial cooling packages, off- and on-highway radiators and power-generation radiators. Its Franklin location is 9845 S. 57th St. It also operates in Dallas, where it recently acquired the engine-oil cooler and heat-exchanger assets of Dana Corporation’s Long Automotive business.
Merit Investment Group of Hales Corners has changed its name to Warnke/Nichols Ltd. The investment firm (www.warnkenichols) was co-founded in 1993 by William R. Warnke and Steve R. Nichols.
Tom Precia and Pete Aisbet have launched Integrated Risk Solutions, a new risk management and insurance brokerage firm based in Delafield. The firm is certified as a minority business enterprise. Precia, who has been in the insurance industry for 18 years, is serving as president and CEO of the new firm. He most recently was executive vice president of HNI Insurance and Financial Services. Aisbet is serving as executive vice president, and had also been at HNI.
C.P. Gauger, Inc., a Milwaukee-based developer of relational database systems, has purchased General Graphics, a Milwaukee-based graphic arts and publishing company. The acquisition has led to creation of a new electronic publishing division at CPG, and has increased the firm’s employment to almost 100. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. CPG was founded in 1953. Its clients include Harley-Davidson, Rand McNally, Wells Mfg. Corp., and Aldrich Chemicals.
July 20, 2001 Small Business Times

Orion Lighting and Energy Services of Plymouth has named Stephen Heins to the newly created position of director of marketing and communications. He had earlier been marketing director for NorthNet, an Internet service provider from Oshkosh. Heins is a member of the Governor’s Telecommunications Taskforce for Wisconsin.
Nancy Deptolla has been named to the newly created position of director of public relations at Charleston
Orwig, Inc., in Hartland. Deptolla was vice president of public relations at Milwaukee agency Hoffman York before joining Charleston
Orwig. She has also managed public relations for the power systems and plumbing product lines of Kohler Company and was manager of employee communications at Allis-Chalmers.
Patricia Schroeder, Covenant Healthcare’s senior vice president of clinical performance, has been named chief nursing officer for Covenant Healthcare. She has published six books on nursing and health care quality, the last of which was translated into German, Dutch and Korean. For the past 16 years she has served as editor of the Journal of Nursing Care Quality, by Aspen Publishers. She has also practiced for 10 years as a nursing and health-care quality consultant in the United States, Canada and Europe. Schroeder received her bachelor of science in nursing and her master of science in nursing from the Marquette University College of Nursing, and her master of business administration from the Marquette University College of Business.
Heather M. Barrie has been hired as director of marketing at the Milwaukee law firm of Godfrey & Kahn. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Ripon College and an MBA from UW-Milwaukee. She had earlier been director of client development and communications at the law firm of Quarles & Brady.
Beth McCleery has been named director of provider relations at St. Francis Hospital in Milwaukee. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver.
Ken Evason has joined Jacobus Wealth Management of Wauwatosa as president and CEO. He had earlier been with Clarica U.S., Inc. (formerly Mutual Group U.S.). Concurrent with Evason’s assignment, Nicholas C. Wilson, who had served as president for the past five years, was appointed vice chairman.
John Donahue has been named a shareholder in the Milwaukee law firm of Quarles & Brady, working in the Employee Benefits Group. He had earlier been with Weiss Berzowski Brady & Donahue.
Mike Germain has been named vice president, Midwest, for Franchise Foodservice of Oak Creek. He will be based at the chain restaurant distributor’s Columbus, Ohio, facility.
Paul Roller has assumed the newly created position of chairman of Miller Brands in Wauwatosa, as part of the implementation of a management succession plan for the beverage distributor. Roller, majority owner of the firm, had been serving as chief executive officer. Steve Johnson, who has been serving as vice president for sales, has become president and chief executive officer. Mike Gallagher, formerly vice president for operations, is now executive vice president. Dave Neville, formerly division sales manager, has succeeded Johnson as vice president for sales. Roller will maintain a small portion of ownership in the business. Johnson and Gallagher’s current ownership will increase, while Neville has acquired an equity investment in the company. In addition, Miller Brewing Co. has purchased an equity position of approximately 5% in Miller Brands, at 1400 N. 113th St. Roller began his tenure as CEO in 1994 when a similar management succession plan was implemented involving previous majority owner Kirby Lewis. Johnson has 17 years of experience with Miller Brands. He has a bachelor of science degree in marketing from Arizona State University and is currently chairman of the Wisconsin Wholesale Beer Distributors Association. Gallagher has been with Miller Brands for 20 years and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master of business degree from Marquette University. Neville has been with Miller Brands for 13 years where, as the on-premise division manager, he has managed sales to taverns, restaurants and clubs. He holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Marquette University.
Jeri McClenaghan-Ihde has joined the Milwaukee-based architectural and interior design firm of Eppstein-Uhen Architects as senior project manager. The firm also announced that Bret Tushaus has been named director of information technology and a principal in the firm. He has been with the firm since 1995, having obtained a master’s degree in architecture from UW-Milwaukee.
Four Points by Sheraton Milwaukee Airport has named Susan Kainz as sales manager. She had previously been with the Radisson hotels.
Maysteel of Menomonee Falls has announced that Doug Parentice has joined the company as marketing manager while Bill Hurst has joined as engineering manager of the Electric Utility Products & Enclosures Group. Parentice had been with Leeson Electric, where he was marketing manager. Parentice earned his B.A. degree at Denison University and an MBA at Wake Forest University. Most recently, he was product development manager for switchgear products at Cooper Power Systems, where he had worked for 20 years. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from the University of South Carolina.
John L. Stearns has been named president of Ideal Financial Services. He joined the firm in 1993 as a loan officer. In 1996 he was promoted to the position of manager and vice president.
Marie Crockett will lead New School Development Consulting, a newly created consulting service providing support to charter school developers. The operation has been created by YW Community Education Center, a subsidiary of YWCA of Greater Milwaukee.
July 20, 2001 Small Business Times, Milwaukee

P. Lynn Balinas has been promoted to the position of executive vice president of Charleston
Orwig, Inc., in Hartland. He has been vice president and director of client services of the marketing communications agency. Balinas joined the firm in 1997.
Frederick R. Klug has joined Merchants and Manufacturers Bancorp of New Berlin as vice president of business development and finance. Klug holds an MBA, magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Superior Services/Onyx Waste Services has promoted Paul R. Jenks to the position of president and chief operating officer of the Milwaukee company. Jenks joined Superior in 1998 as senior vice president and special assistant to the president. In February 2000 he was promoted to chief operating officer of Superior and senior vice president of Onyx North America, Superior’s corporate parent. He takes over from Bill Dietrich.
Tony Ingles has joined CG Schmidt, Inc., in Milwaukee as a senior project manager. Ingles is a graduate of Gateway Technical College with a degree in civil/structural engineering and brings more than 15 years of construction management experience to CG Schmidt.
Dean Devine has been named chief information officer at TriCast, a Milwaukee-based pharmaceutical data risk-analysis firm.
Becky Boese has joined Ledger Bank as business development banker in the bank’s Glendale office. She has been in the financial industry for 15 years.
Frank A. Nuck has joined Business Associates of Germantown as an associate of the consulting firm that deals with troubled companies. Nuck, a native of Milwaukee, graduated with honors from UW-Milwaukee in 1974 and from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul in 1986, with a corporate and transaction-oriented law degree.
Jeffrey A. Olsen has been promoted to the position of senior vice president and chief lending officer at Delafield State Bank. He had been vice president of business banking at the bank, and had earlier been with Mitchell Bank and with M&I Bank.
Amanda Schauer has been named project manager at Voss Jorgensen Schueler construction firm in Waukesha.
Chadd M. Frank has been promoted to the position of assistant vice president and commercial banking officer at Waukesha State Bank, which he joined in 1998. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration-finance from Marquette University.
Roger Michelson has joined Lied’s Nursery in Sussex as vice president of landscape operations.
Joseph O’Grady Jr., M.D., has been named medical director of Phoenix Care Systems of Milwaukee, a national provider of individualized care for emotionally disturbed and developmentally delayed persons. O’Grady had been medical director for Willowglen Academy in Milwaukee, a subsidiary of Phoenix Care Systems.
David Anglehart has joined MSI General Corp. of Oconomowoc as construction superintendent. He had been with B&H Refrigeration of Yuma, Ariz.
Bill Budzien has joined Frank F. Haack & Associates of Wauwatosa as chief financial officer. He has been in financial management for 20 years, is a CPA and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago. The firm has also named Christine Steeno has vice president for human resources. She joined the firm last summer as director of human resources.
John Lohre has joined Port Washington State Bank as director of wealth management services, a new position in the bank. He was most recently vice president and senior trust officer for U.S. Bank and had earlier been with the Milwaukee office of Biltmore Investors Trust, an office of Johnson Heritage Trust Co. Lohre is a graduate of Marquette University Law School and Marquette University Business School, and is a licensed real estate broker.
John Stricker has been named director of the Bureau of Business Development in the Division of Economic Development in the state Department of Commerce.
Rick Doerflinger has joined Bukacek Construction of Racine as project manager. He was most recently branch manager with Block Iron & Supply in Franklin.
Paul Lucey has joined the Milwaukee office of the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich as a partner. Lucey concentrates his practice on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights. Lucey received a B.A. with distinction in 1974, and a J.D., cum laude, in 1985, from the University of Wisconsin; and an A.M. from Harvard University in 1978.
The United Way in Waukesha County has hired Andrea Urban as its new director of communications and marketing. Urban had been with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as a graphic designer and special-event planner. She also worked recently with the Golf Foundation of Wisconsin as its director of administration.
July 6, 2001 Small Business Times, Milwaukee

James R. Mueller has been named president of Frank F. Haack & Associates in Wauwatosa. Mueller, president of the insurance brokerage’s Employee Benefits Group, has been with the firm for 16 years. William R. Haack, who became president and CEO of the firm in 1987, now serves as chairman and CEO of the 126-person firm.
Dan Chovanec has joined CG Schmidt, Inc., in Milwaukee as an assistant project manager. He graduated from UW-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering.
The Milwaukee office of Michael Best & Friedrich has admitted eight associates to the firm’s partnership.
Alexander P. Fraser practices in the areas of corporate finance, securities, and franchise and distribution law, with emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, commercial lending and venture capital. Fraser is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UW-Madison, where he earned both his undergraduate degree and his M.B.A. in finance, investments and banking. He received his law degree from New York University. Gordon P. Giampietro’s practice includes commercial litigation, product liability defense, and federal constitutional issues. He served as law clerk to Judge Rudolph T. Randa of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin from 1992-1995. Giampietro is listed in Who’s Who in American Law. He received a B.A. in 1988 and a J.D. in 1992 from Catholic University. Judith M. Hecker is a member of the tax group. She received a B.A., cum laude, in 1970 from Vassar College, a J.D. in 1973 from Cornell Law School and an LL.M. in taxation in 1988 from the University of Bridgeport Law School. Linda S. Moroney provides tax and corporate advice to health-care institutions and tax-exempt organizations. She is admitted to practice law in Wisconsin and Iowa. She received a B.A., summa cum laude, in 1991 from Buena Vista College and a J.D. with honors in 1994 from the University of Iowa College of Law.
Kathleen A. Rinehart focuses her practice primarily on higher education law. She entered the legal profession following a career as a teacher in Illinois, where she served as a master teacher, advisor and president of the New Trier Education Association. Following law school, Rinehart served two terms as the law clerk for Judge Janine P. Geske of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Currently, she serves as general counsel on several campuses and as an advisor on human resource issues and in strategic planning to other higher education institutions. Rinehart received a B.A. from Marquette University, an M.A.T. from University of Chicago and a J.D. from Marquette University Law School. Katherine W. Schill’s practice is devoted to commercial and intellectual property litigation. Schill clerked for Judge Willis P. Whichard on the North Carolina Supreme Court for one year before joining Michael Best & Friedrich. She received a J.D., cum laude, from Duke University School of Law in 1994 and a B.A., cum laude, from Duke University in 1990.
Derek C. Stettner focuses his practice on intellectual property matters, with an emphasis on securing patent, copyright, and other intellectual property protection for software, business method, electrical and electro-mechanical inventions. Stettner worked as a law clerk for the Office of Unfair Import Investigations for the U.S. International Trade Commission. He has also worked as an engineering technician for the U.S. Army Armament, Munitions and Chemical Command, where he modified military specifications and analyzed the safety of military systems. Stettner is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He received a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1990 from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center, where he was a member of the Intellectual Property Law Association. James Patrick Thomas focuses his practice on civil litigation with a concentration in business disputes and real estate actions. He was admitted to practice law in Wisconsin in 1993. He received a B.A., summa cum laude, in 1989 from the University of North Dakota, and a J.D., cum laude, in 1993 from the University of Minnesota.
The Hays Group of Wisconsin has added the services of Cherif Hafez as vice president. His prior industry experience includes production and servicing of property/casualty accounts at AON in Milwaukee for five years, as well as new business production and claim management responsibilities at Wausau Insurance Company for eight years. Hafez has a bachelor’s degree in economics from UW-Madison and a master’s in business administration from Marquette University.
Tim O’Connell has joined Poblocki Paving Corp. of Wauwatosa as a project manager. He holds a civil engineering degree from UW-Plattville with an emphasis on construction and transportation.
Mark S. Diestelmeier has been appointed as the recruiting shareholder of the Milwaukee law firm of von Briesen, Purtell & Roper. He has been with the firm since 1991 and has been a shareholder since 1998. He will now develop and direct the Law School Recruiting Program for the firm.
Kathleen Meulmans has been named as the new executive director of Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful. She had been with the Volunteer Center of Waukesha County, where she had been executive director for four years.
Lori Syverson has been named membership services director for the Western Raquet Club, Elm Grove. Prior to joining the organization, she had developed the retail food division of Albanese’s Originale.
William G. Piernot has been named president and CEO of Wiscraft, Quality Production By The Blind, in Milwaukee. Piernot, who replaces John Baumgart, had been vice president of operations for a privately held manufacturer of lighting products. Baumgart is serving as president of Associated Industries for the Blind. Piernot holds an MBA from UW-Whitewater in 1984 and an undergraduate degree in economics from UW-Madison in 1977.
Jim Utech has joined Marx
McClellan Thrun in Milwaukee
as associate creative director. He
was senior art director at Blue Horse, also in Milwaukee.
David A. Banmiller has been named president and COO of Sun Country Airlines, based in the Twin Cities. Bill La Machia Jr., who had held the title of president, will serve on the board of directors as well as the executive committee and will remain as CEO. La Machia will focus on other La Machia family business holdings, including the Mark Travel Corp. of Milwaukee.
Home Care Medical, of New Berlin, has hired Terrilynne Koepke as contracting manager. She has 16 years’ experience in health-care administration, including the last four at Blue Cross and Blue Shield United of Wisconsin. She replaces Kathleen Kuchler, who is retiring.
Gary Losey has been hired as human resources manager at Raabe Corp., in Menomonee Falls. He had previously been with Warren Industries in Racine, where he was also director of human resources. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
STS Consultants, of Milwaukee, has hired Dennis R. Lawton as senior hydrologist and environmental department manager. Lawton, who has been in the industry for 25 years, holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from Valparaiso University and a master’s in geology from UW-Milwaukee.
Jeff Faralli has joined Celtic Advertising in Brookfield as art director. He had previously been with Bader Rutter & Associates, where he also served as art director. He holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from UW-Stout.
Thomas R. Gerdes has joined Ozaukee Bank as vice president representing Raymond James Financing Services. He has 22 years’ experience in the investment industry, including consulting with B.C. Ziegler & Co. and Bank One Trust.
Jocelyn Ertel has been named to the newly created position of communications coordinator at DuFour Advertising in Sheboygan. She has been with the firm since 1996.
April 27, 2001 Small Business Times

Connie Christensen has been named director of sales and marketing at Lakeside Staffing Services/Covenant Clerical in Milwaukee. She has been president of C.C. and Company, a consulting firm focusing on employee motivation.
Carl Sheeley has been named president of Fontarome Chemical in St. Francis. Michel Combe, who had been company president since 1993, exchanged his administrative role to concentrate on Fontarome’s synthetic organic chemical laboratory and international sales and marketing. The French-born Combe is the founder of Fontarome-USA. Fontarome Chemical is the sister facility of Fontarome, S.A., with headquarters near Paris. Sheeley received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1985 from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, and attended the MBA program at the University of Connecticut. He joined Fontarome Chemical in 1991 as plant manager and was named vice president in 1997.
T-3 Group, a Milwaukee contracting firm, has added Tad E. Bulin as a project manager for its multi-family division. He has been in the construction field for 17 years, and holds degrees in construction administration from UW-Madison and light building construction from UW-Platteville.
Bottomless Closet Milwaukee, a non-profit organization that provides used career clothing to low-income women entering the job market, has hired Nichole Gladney as its first full-time executive director. She had previously been development coordinator for the 9to5 National Association of Working Women.
The Zimmerman Design Group, Wauwatosa, has announced the following promotions: Douglas Barnes and John Sabinash, both vice presidents, to shareholders; Lisa Jansen, John Klett, Joseph Pepitone, Ralph Ruder and Joseph Schultz, to vice president; Stuart LaRose, Al Lotter, Kurt Zimmerman, to senior associate; and Mark Flasch, Mark Hauschel, Michael Herriges, David Kornitz, Roger Kuick, Jeffrey Mathews, Jon Molkentin, Kevin O’Donnell, James Olson and Robert Whitmarsh, to associate.
Visual Systems of Milwaukee has hired Sara Lindsey as marketing coordinator. She had previously been at the Bradley Corp. in Milwaukee, where she coordinated trade show activities and corporate promotions and special events. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute, Ind.
Art Josetti has been appointed corporate secretary at the New Berlin insurance agency HNI. He has been with the company for 14 years and is currently a vice president in its commercial insurance division. The firm also named Jim Natalizio to its executive committee. He joined the firm in 1988 and currently serves as its CFO.
Raabe Corp. of Menomonee Falls has hired Mathew Piette as production manager and has appointed Kevin James as sales service representative. Piette had been with Summit Packaging in Racine. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from UW-Madison and a master’s degree in engineering management from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Dean P. Delforge has been elected as a shareholder with The Schroeder Group Attorneys At Law, a Waukesha-based business law firm.
Matthew L. Kiefert has been named vice president of McClure Engineering Associates in Milwaukee. He is the division manager of the Milwaukee office of the firm. The company has also added Carl Rowlands as a project manager.
The Milwaukee law firm of Boyle Fredrickson Newholm Stein & Gratz has brought on Peter C. Stomma as a shareholder. He is a 1991 graduate of Drake and was previously with Jansson, Shupe, Munger & Stomma in Racine.
Margaret Skocir has been named administrator of The Lutheran Home’s Harwood Place campus in Wauwatosa while Michele Grall has been named marketing and promotions director, effective June 1. Harwood Place is a retirement living community. Skocir has served as director of nursing at The Lutheran Home for the past five years. She is a registered nurse with a master’s degree in nursing from Marquette University.
April 13, 2001 SBT

H2D of Milwaukee has hired Terry Lutz as art director. She has held graphic-design positions at Strong Capital Management, Marshall & Ilsley Corp., and Marshfield Clinic. She is graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.
Brian W. Ballweg has joined The Hays Group of Wisconsin as director of Property Loss Control. Ballweg’s previous experience includes four years at the Milwaukee office of Willis, where he was a property loss control account engineer. Prior to Willis, Ballweg was with FM Global for 11 years where he served as a property loss control engineer. He has a bachelor of science degree, with a major in industrial engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He earned his Professional Engineer designation in November 1992.
Timothy Richman has been promoted to regional vice president – Oncology and Rehabilitation Services for Covenant Healthcare System. He has served as the vice president for Covenant Rehabilitation Services since 1994. In his new role, Richman will be working with each of the Covenant hospitals – St. Francis, St. Joseph’s, St. Michael and Elmbrook Memorial – and the Covenant ambulatory programs in continuing to build cancer care services throughout southeastern Wisconsin.
David Golladay has been named vice president and director of client services at Sprecher Bertalot & Co. in Milwaukee. His background includes responsibilities as national brand manager for both Airguide Instruments and Minn Kota Marine accessories, and as account mananager for agencies in Atlanta and in Michigan. Sprecher Bertalot has also named Michael Vojvodich as senior art director. He had previously been with Brady Marketing Group and Grey Sunder Prescher. He holds a degree in graphic design from UW-Milwaukee.
John Regent-Smith has been promoted to the position of vice president of operations at Coakley Bros. in Milwaukee. The firm also named Jerry Le Sage as vice president of household goods, and Darwin Lauterbach as manager of the modular furniture installation division.
Eve K. Romersi has been promoted to the position of manager at Scribner, Cohen and Co., a CPA and advisory firm in downtown Milwaukee. Romersi, who holds CPA and MST designations, has been with the firm for six years. She is a graduate of Duke University and received a master’s degree in taxation from UW-Milwaukee. She is a member of TEMPO, the AICPA and the WICPA, and serves on the board of directors for the Task Force on Family Violence.
Raabe Corp. of Menomonee Falls has hired Dave Bobeck as inventory control manager and has promoted Dana Jazdzewski to the position of sales coordinator of the manufacturer of exact-match touch-up paints and custom packaging services. Bobeck is a certified purchasing manager and is also certified in production and inventory management. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Maryland. He is an active member of the Association of Production and Inventory Control. He had previously been a buyer at Harley-Davidson Motor Co. in Milwaukee. Jazdzewski has been a member of Raabe’s sales team for the past two years. Before that, she was with Liberman Printing in Milwaukee, serving as inside sales manager.
Robert Medved has been appointed president of Cannella Response Television in Burlington. Medved will continue to head the firm’s media department. He joined the firm in 1994. Company founder Frank Cannella will continue with the firm, working with new business opportunity manager Kent Strong. The company provides consulting, management and media-buying for the informercial industry.
John Buteyn has joined the staff of Fontarome Chemical in St. Francis as manager of the company’s Quality Assurance/Quality Control department. He had previously been with Aldrich Chemical in Sheboygan Falls, Abbott Laboratories in Chicago, and Lubrizol Corp. and BO America, both in Ohio. Buteyn, a 1976 graduate of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., received a doctorate in analytical chemistry in 1984 from UW-Milwaukee.
Equitable Bank, based in Wauwatosa, has announced the following promotions: Jenny Foglia to vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer; Denise Kalina to corporate secretary; Mary Jasinski to assistant vice president-controller; Helen Kidd to investment center manager; and Christine Shehow to customer service manager.
WAGO Corp. has promoted Robert Mehalick to the position of marketing manager. He had previously served as zone manager for the eastern United States for the German-based firm, which has its US headquarters in Germantown. The firm also has named James J. Bachle to the position of electrical products manager. He had previously served as zone manager for the western US.
Batteries Plus has appointed Michael Lehman as vice president for information technology. He has been with the Hartland-based company since January 2000, serving as director of MIS. He holds a bachelors’ degree from Carroll College in Waukesha and an MBA from Marquette University.
Greg Cottone has been appointed construction support manager at Roman Electric Co. in Milwaukee. He had been a project manager for another electrical contractor, but had been with Roman in the early 1990s.
T-3 Group of Milwaukee has promoted Raymond V. Zukauskas to the position of vice president of Tenant Improvements and Public Projects. He has been in the construction industry since 1982, and holds an MS in engineering management and a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Jeff DeSpears has joined Voss Jorgensen Schueler, a general contracting and construction manageement firm in Waukesha, as project manager. He has more than 23 years of construction experience in facilities management. He had previously been facilities director for the Shorewood School District, and had earlier held that position at Alverno College in Milwaukee and the University School of Milwaukee. He holds a master’s degree in management and a bachelor’s degree in industrial management.
MLG Management has announced the following promotions: Gary Knowski, senior vice president – Wisconsin; Mary Binder, director of property management – accounting; Ray Balfanz, vice president; and Sean Sciurba, assistant property manager.
MLG Commercial has announced the following promotions: Jim Hartung, vice president, industrial brokerage; Sean Osborne, vice president, retail brokerage; Wayne Rappold, vice president, office brokerage; Mike Fox, vice president, development; and Pat Connor, senior vice president, Appleton.
Reilly Hage has joined Advance Hydraulics of St. Francis as marketing coordinator. Hage holds a degree in marketing from UW-Milwaukee.

Wauwatosa-based Delta Communications has acquired the Technical Services Group of EXCELtech of Waukesha.

"We are now able to offer, in addition to our traditional wide-area offerings, technical support for Microsoft, Citrix and other application software, plus physical installation of cable plants, computer-room equipment and telephone systems," said Spencer A. Thomason, owner of Delta Communications.
The acquisition gives Delta considerable growth opportunity, Thomason said. While Delta has offered services have primarily focused on linking facilities, the company can now offer services for communications within facilities. "We’ll be able to offer services from the network all the way down to the desktop," he said.
Delta Communications, founded in 1973, offers communications products and systems, and related support for businesses, such as local and wide-area networking, voice data integration, and fiber optics. It employs seven people at its offices at 11617 W. Blue Mound Rd.
EXCELtech has been in business for more than 12 years, with its prime focus on CAD/CAM software. The Technical Services Group handles repair and technical support for computer and communications systems. Located at Waukesha at highways JJ and 164, the Technical Services Group has five people.
Both locations and staffs will be maintained, Thomason said. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

– Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer & Associates of Milwaukee has formed a strategic alliance with Arc Design Resources of Rockford, Ill. Through the alliance, the firms will jointly pursue civil engineering projects in targeted regions of Illinois.
Arc Design, established in 1993, has 19 employees and has public and private clients of its civil engineering services. It has about $2 million in annual revenue.
Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer & Associates is a multi-disciplined engineering firm with offices in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Madison and Chicago.

– UltraServe Corp., a computer consulting firm based in Menomonee Falls, and Integra Systems of West Allis will merge. UltraServe, founded in 1995, has primarily provided mainframe operating systems installation, maintenance and upgrades. Integra Systems is a six-year-old firm specializing in small systems network design, connectivity and applications development.
The two companies have had a longstanding partnering relationship, according to James A. Erdahl, president of UltraServe. "We’ve referred business to each other for several years as our customers have required solutions outside of our areas of expertise."
Patrick McHugh, president of Integra Systems, noted the merger would eliminate duplicated costs of sales, marketing and office functions.

– Trinity Employment Services of Brown Deer has formed a new ownership group based on a succession plan initiated by the firm’s founder, Robert E. Holton, who will remain an advisor to the firm.
Steven J. O’Brien, formerly vice president for operations, is now president. David L. Burmeister, formerly branch manager, is now vice president. James T. English, formerly controller, is now CFO. Kenneth Wisniewski is now branch manager. The firm focuses on industrial, clerical and white-collar job candidates. It plans to expand into new staffing and HR market segments.
Trinity has offices in Waukesha, South Milwaukee, Brookfield and Brown Deer.

While Pabst Farms will be the big one, plenty of other development is under way

While the city of Milwaukee boasts of the information technology capabilities of its redeveloped downtown office structures, developers in Waukesha County are outfitting their new spec buildings from the ground up to be Internet-ready. But one of the hottest projects bears the name of one of the men that made Milwaukee famous.
"Probably the most exciting thing we’ve got going now is the Pabst Farms development in Oconomowoc," Bill Mitchell, executive director of the Waukesha County Economic Development Corp., said. "There will be a residential component to that, but most of it will be commercial."
Wispark Corp. is the developer of the Pabst Farms property. About half of the project area is part of a new Tax Incremental Finance (TIF) district, which will allow property taxes from users to be earmarked for infrastructure improvements to the sites. When the TIF is closed in 20 years, Pabst Farms would include retail stores, office buildings, suburban-style industrial parks and about 1,000 homes.
Another Waukesha County hot spot is the Moorland Road exchange with I-43 in New Berlin. The interchange is the site of the Westridge Business Park and the Towne Business Park. It is there that Luterbach Construction of New Berlin is erecting several speculative office/light industrial buildings, and GMR Marketing, a major-event marketing firm, is building its 70,000-square-foot headquarters building.
In the nearby Moorland Commons development, a new Target store is atypical in that, due to the city’s architectural requirements, it uses brick as a major architectural feature, according to development director Steven Hoese.
"The developer is creating a Target store unlike any other in the nation because we asked them to. There is room for three outbuildings and several additional businesses in the same strip as the Target," Hoese said. The area is also the site of a new Baymont Inn & Suites and, according to Hoese, may also see a Holiday Inn Express.
A number of developers have projects either slated or under way in the county.
Inland Companies is working on a 35,000-square-foot build-to-suit in Hartland. It hopes to break ground this spring. Inland also has slated a 32,000-square-foot project in the Gateway West Business Park in Brookfield. The Brookfield property will be built to suit with spec space attached to it. According to Scott Welsh of Inland, "We’ll start if the economy holds in. If the economy slips a little we’ll hold off on that. I personally think we’ll be OK."
According to company president Kevin Wahlgren, the development firm Wahlgren-Schwenn is involved in a 130,000-square-foot distribution center in Hartland for Lang Companies, a large locally-based producer and marketer of early American-theme memorabilia.
Wangard Partners has recently completed the first phase of a three-phase development at Eastgate Business Center in Brookfield at 131st Street and Lisbon Road.
According to Dan Jessup of Wangard, the development is "basically a three-phase 200,000-square-foot tech building development. Phase One is completed at 51,000 square feet, and available immediately. Phase Two is under construction at 68,000 square feet and scheduled for availability in spring of 2001. Phase Three will be started on a schedule to be determined. Features include redundant fiber-optic capability, the potential for two different electrical grids and a parking ratio of five spaces per thousand square feet of space. This development is high-end office and warehouse space. For this type of product you typically have two parking stalls per thousand square feet. We figure that it’s single story and it has an image element to it, so there’s likely to be more office build-out than warehouse. A typical percentage of office to warehouse space is 20% office and 80% warehouse. The ratio on this product might even be the inverse of that. This property is geared toward people who rely on image, and look for that in a facility. We’re going for technology users, and also distributors looking for image and requiring some warehouse capabilities."
Recent infrastructure improvements will also benefit the development.
"They just did a lot of revamping of 124th and Capitol," Jessup notes. "There were hundreds of thousands of dollars of road improvements, and we’ll benefit from that."
Ned Burtell of Inland is the agent for a three-story, 96,000-square-foot Class A office development in Riverwood Park, near Highway J and Riverwood Drive, Pewaukee. The project started entirely as a spec job, but as the steel is going up this month, a lease is almost signed for 64,000 square feet on two floors.
"This building features executive underground parking, two fiber providers – Ameritech and Time-Warner – a common conference room and five parking spaces per thousand square feet," Burtell said. "The development was started by Wisconsin Bell and Ameritech, when Ameritech bought land for a call center/corporate operations center in the late ’80s. Since then, they sold their remaining property to developers. We’re targeting tech companies like Sysco Systems, Compaq Computers and Smith Barney."
Burke Properties is developing the new Westbrook Corporate Center in Menomonee Falls. The development will take place in two phases, with a total of 125 acres in a TIF district.
"We’ve actually had two buildings under construction that are pretty interesting," said Paul Votto of Burke. "There is a 17.3-acre site that was sold to Kelch Corp., which is based in Cedarburg. This is a replacement for an existing facility they have in Mequon. The first building is 150,000 square feet. Another deal is for a 5.5-acre site for MERO Structures. They are based in Germantown, and this 40,000-square-foot building will be a replacement for their headquarters and manufacturing facility. We just started marketing this park in the middle of 2000. Of course we are also in negotiation with a number of other clients at this point."
Unlike some other developments in the area, Votto said the company is not specifically targeting Internet-dependent businesses with Westbrook Corporate Center. "We’re not specifically installing high-speed Internet, but it is certainly available. We’ve been assured by Ameritech that high-access lines are available as needed," he said.
MLG Commercial’s Waukesha County activities include a 76-acre development in Sussex – The Sussex Business Park and the 200-acre Sussex Corporate Center.
"We already have a number of committed companies," Andy Bruce of MLG said. "These include a large distribution facility. Multiple sites are available and appropriate for manufacturing and light industrial users. This business park includes the typical quality protective covenants found in most MLG projects with specific attention paid to protecting trees. We have just recently broken ground and installed roads in the park."
Telecommunications vendors to the project are putting in state-of-the-art Web connections, according to Bruce.
"It’s been our experience that in a location like this there are a number of vendors providing high-quality telecommunications. We generally facilitate that as opposed to getting involved in providing telecommunications ourselves," Bruce said.
Meanwhile, MLG has been busy elsewhere in Sussex with a light industrial manufacturing park development.
An MLG Commercial development in Hartford, the Cottonwood Commerce Center, is filling up, mostly with local companies. According to Sam Dickman of Dickman Co., one of the 45,000-square-foot Spancrete buildings has 9,000 square feet left. The buildings have docks and drive-ins with 20-foot clearance.

Reuse remains king in the city; urban areas remain active development spots

Downtown Milwaukee has seen significant investment in housing and high-tech office space as well as retail and commercial developments, Department of City Development spokesman John Bratina notes.
"Milwaukee has been successful in reusing its built environment. Many older buildings, warehouses and factories are highly conducive for high-tech business development. Over the past year, several buildings have attracted technology-based companies and investment," he said.
Notable developments include:
– The Blatz Warehouse on Market Street that now houses TCG Group, a subsidiary of AT&T.
– The Wells Building, located on East Wisconsin Avenue, houses numerous high-tech companies such as Colo.com, a California-based telecom company.
– The Dye House on East Buffalo Street has recently been sold to a Los Angeles real estate investor who specializes in leasing to data service providers and other high-tech firms.
– The C. Coakley Relocation System Building on South 2nd Street recently became home to Williams Communications.
While many new developments feature information infrastructure like redundant fiber optic suppliers, Bratina said that Milwaukee’s old-style architecture lends itself just as easily to high-tech uses.
"Milwaukee’s classic structures offer advantages to high-tech companies that aren’t available in new modern office towers and business parks," Bratina said. "These structures offer high ceilings that better accommodate telecom equipment, floors that can support more weight per square foot to handle switching equipment and, since these high-tech companies can ill-afford downtime during power failures, space for backup power supply systems.
"These physical characteristics are complemented by the fact that they are strategically located along underground fiber optic lines. Since most of these lines have originated in the downtown area, they provide the connectivity that is critical to high-tech companies."
The $170 million investment in the Midwest Express Center is also paying off for the city, Bratina said, as redevelopment spurred by the promise of increased convention traffic is revitalizing West Wisconsin Avenue, and has led to a 40% increase in hotel rooms in the area.
Riverworks works
Another redevelopment hotspot cited by Bratina is the Riverworks industrial corridor located along East Capitol Drive between the Humboldt Boulevard and I-43.
"The redevelopment of Riverworks began in 1993 when the Northeast Milwaukee Industrial Development Corp., in partnership with the City of Milwaukee and developer Wispark Corp., purchased the former AMC/Chrysler site and created a 33-acre business park," Bratina said. "To date, this public/private partnership has seen 31 of these 33 acres fully redeveloped, representing more than $25 million in new investment and creating or retaining nearly 900 jobs. Riverworks has landed new developments such as Production Stamping and Milwaukee Protective Covering. This year, the City of Milwaukee is expanding the TID to cover four additional parcels that have been targeted for redevelopment. It is expected that these four parcels will attract at least four companies and create more than 100 jobs in the near future."
And in Milwaukee’s industrial valley, redevelopment is taking on a mixed-use flair thanks, in part, to convenient T-1 Internet access.
The intersection of 6th and Canal streets in the Menomonee Valley sits between three emerging areas of Milwaukee, the Third Ward and the emerging neighborhood of Walker’s Point.
Once home to junkyards, bulk storage and other such uses, the east end of the Menomonee Valley promises to be a prime location for business expansion and development.
"In recent decades, the valley has been filled with degrading land uses and proven difficult to navigate," Bratina said. "The current reconstruction of the 6th Street viaduct will slope to the valley floor to form an at-grade intersection with Canal Street, the valley’s main thoroughfare. With this improved access, new development opportunities will be created. Zoning from the I-94 ‘high rise’ bridge to the ‘river’s end’ area to the east has been changed from manufacturing to mixed use. The valley’s land use plan envisions a mix of commercial and residential uses, with supporting retail along the 6th Street Viaduct."
Atlas Development Corp., which was responsible for The Tannery redevelopment at 6th and Virginia streets, recently purchased the vacant 17-acre Reed Street Yards on the other side of the viaduct. That, according to Bratina, will enable high-end development.
"Residential units could be coupled nicely with live-work opportunities, service businesses, ‘back office’ space and even high-tech manufacturing that could make use of T-1 lines buried along the adjacent railroad right-of-way," Bratina said.

Downtown Cudahy set for development
Just south of Milwaukee in Cudahy, spring construction is expected on a $9 million downtown redevelopment project. In addition to a new $3.2 million library in the 3500 block of Barnard Avenue and condominiums, the developer is examining the feasibility of several commercial buildings. The Lakeside Commons project will be designed to create not only a commercial redevelopment district, but also an area of residential development that can support the business base.
"In addition to residential condominiums, we’re building a library connected to condos by a winter garden – a 4,500-square-foot enclosed glass lobby," Paul Votto of Burke Properties said.
"It will connect the two buildings with a meeting/lobby area," Votto said. "That is all in the first phase, which encompasses the 72-unit condo, library and a series of for-sale town houses. On the commercial side, we are doing a feasibility market analysis for the development. We want to determine the marketability of two buildings that would be retail on the first floor and two or three stories of residential above on Packard Avenue. We are the ones doing the feasibility study. But first we are working with our architectural consultant, Engberg-Anderson Design Partnership, to prepare a conceptual plan for the building and the floor space.
"Then we’ll use that plan to do outreach to businesses – starting with those in the area including those who are already affected by the redevelopment. We’ll test the waters in the Cudahy business community itself to determine if there is sufficient demand to go forward with the first building.
"If there is sufficient demand, we would move forward with the first building. Our schedule has us beginning the outreach marketing in April of this year. Hopefully, we will determine the feasibility by the end of summer and determine if we’re going forward. Obviously if we get a strong indication of feasibility, we will move forward even more quickly."
Burke Properties is also involved in the new Cygnet Airport Center building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Mitchell International Business Park -on the east side of the airport.
"We just finished a 70,000-square-foot flex building – multi-tenant industrial building," Votto said. "We entered into a long-term lease for 58,000 square feet with a printing company – Wetzel Brothers, which is currently located in the Third Ward. They will be vacating that space and moving into this facility. There are just over 12,000 square feet remaining. The beauty of these flex buildings is that they are flexible. They could be a warehouse/distribution facility, office space or light industrial. The marketplace is driven by the airport, so naturally we’re talking to small delivery companies."
Design elements in the flex buildings include loading docks at the back, but also a high amount of glass and arch features, Votto said.
"This space can serve as an office, but can also be subdivided," Votto said. "The front can be office space and the back can be manufacturing or distribution. They are built with bays – typically 40 feet wide between columns. That means the space can be divided along those columns. Each section is about 6,000 square feet. That’s what makes it flexible. We can size the space to the needs of the customer."
Speculative coming to West Milwaukee
According to Scott Welsh of Inland Companies, Inland is also involved in a project just off of Miller Park Way and Mitchell Street in the village of West Milwaukee. The 45,000-square-foot office/warehouse/showroom is all speculative, and is being built for Real Estate Recycling, based in Minneapolis.
"We’re not necessarily going for the IT business on this project, but the neighborhood is a little more industrial, and we might get a more industrial type of user," Welsh said. "We hope to break ground in spring."
Inland is also working with Real Estate Recycling on a project near Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee. The build-to-suit facility on the north side of the Airport Spur near 6th and Grange would be a 100,000-square-foot distribution facility. Start of construction will be market-driven, according to Welsh, and could be as early as fall of this year or as late as early 2002.
Dickman Company is involved in a 30,000-square-foot building in St. Francis, which is also driven by ready access to the airport.
"We’ve got industrial/office space – divisible down to 5,000 square feet," Sam Dickman said. "We’re going for people who service the airport – next to the Airport Spur and the Lake Park Arterial. Construction will start in March, and we’re expecting completion in July.
"We are providing parking for two cars per thousand square feet. That’s a lot for a building of this type. The building is tall enough to accommodate a crane in the building if necessary. One tenant we’re looking at needs it, so we may include one."
Dickman is also involved in a development in Oak Creek at the dead-end of Forest Hill Avenue.
"The building is now being constructed at Bell Court in Oak Creek – the project was undertaken on behalf of local investors. There are 6,000 square feet remaining out of 24,000 square feet. So far as tenants, we have Rehab Technologies and Hellmann Worldwide Distributors, Inc. This would be a good home for service-type guys who need warehouse/office space with a dock and a drive-in. We are currently pouring floor for Hellmann – the remaining space is not finished yet."

Franklin park does well
In the city of Franklin, the Franklin Business Park is about 80% sold out, according to Barry Chavin of MLG commercial. But there is still plenty of interesting development activity taking place there.
While a project under way in Franklin by Gleischman-Sumner Co. is not tremendously large, it should be of great interest to small businesses interested in having their own facility. According to Mark Sumner, Gleischman-Sumner created a division called GSSB, LLC, in order to help small business owners get into their own building.
"The idea behind the company is to make available to small business owners the ability to own their own building at a cost to them where their debt service for the project would be comparable to what they’d have to pay in rent," Sumner said.
The company acquired six acres in the Franklin Business Park and subdivided it into four parcels with a total of four buildings. One building is completed as a model and, according to Sumner, a company is already interested in purchasing that model. Construction will be initiated on the remaining buildings this spring.
"We built a city street called Airways Court that serves this four-building campus. We want to give small business owners the chance to build some equity, get some appreciation and enjoy the pride of ownership. Each lot will allow for future expansion space. Based on the people we’ve talked to, there’s nobody that doesn’t like it. We’re targeting anyone who currently is an office user who wants a full office buildout or a mixed-use partial office/partial warehouse or full warehouse. One potential user wants a showroom, a conference room and a warehouse.
"These are quality masonry buildings in any one of a number of material styles, atrium styles, and a choice of different entrances. We offer a full-service building program and arrange financing up to 100% for qualified credit. These buildings will run between 6,000-11,000 square feet. We did market research and no one else is doing it. We had an Internet search done, along with market research in several areas of the country and Wisconsin. Most real estate developers aren’t interested in this segment – they say they can’t make any money doing it. But this is a segment of the market that needs to be served – a segment that includes most of our office tenant companies."
GSSB is undertaking a similar project in Colorado, just south of Denver, Sumner said.
"In Colorado, they have a very cumbersome approval process," Sumner said. "We found it harder to get projects approved there. Something in Wisconsin that might take you 90-120 days could take a year there."
Gleischman-Sumner is also involved in more than 2.5 million square feet of tenant improvements, as well as other projects regionally.
"At the moment we’re working on a couple of build-to-suits that will roll out in the spring – in the city of Milwaukee and in Brookfield," Sumner said.
West Allis eyes big redevelopment
In West Allis, construction of a new village square, grocery store and hundreds of parking spaces in the Six Points/Farmers Market area could begin this year. The conceptual plan is aimed at spawning new retail business in a 44-acre TIF district along Greenfield and National avenues from about 62nd Street to 66th Street.
"The driving factors behind this project were lack of adequate parking and blighted buildings," John Stipl of the City of West Allis said. "The area was built in the 1900s before the automobile was a major factor in everybody’s lives. We need to revitalize all the deteriorated buildings, and also address the issue of inadequate parking."
Stipl said the city will purchase 38 properties, including some vacant lots, some older industrial buildings and some residences.
"This is the first phase of a four-phase project," Stipl said. "In order for the first phase of the project to begin, we need to wait for Pressed Steel to vacate its property, which should happen by early summer. The demolition of the building and environmental cleanup will commence. Jewel-Osco would then open by summer of 2002. The city is now acquiring additional land needed for this phase. This process will take 12 to 18 months."
The resulting development will be mixed-use in nature.
"To the south will be residential, condominiums," Stipl said. "To the east will be commercial and right at the Six Points intersection, we will acquire parking for the back of the commercial areas."
The project is bounded on the west by the Chicago and North Western railroad spur, on the north by Greenfield Avenue, on the east by 62nd Street a block north of National Avenue, on the south by Mitchell Street and West Lapham.
"The neighborhood needs revitalization. It has gone too long without new development. This is an opportunity to clean it up and bring new life to the commercial and retail businesses in the Six Points/Farmers Market neighborhood," Stipl said. "We have looked at commercial projects, we have looked at residential projects, and now this one. Of all the projects we looked at, this one gives us the most tax base."

Northwest side will get high-tech center
Inland Companies is acting as general contractor or construction manager on a number of projects in Milwaukee County, including a high-tech structure south of Milwaukee’s downtown. Just north of Park Place on the city’s far northwest side, Inland will start construction this spring on a building for Park Place Technology Company. The 186,000-square-foot office/showroom/warehouse project will take place in phases, according to Inland’s Welsh.
"The first phase, which will start construction this spring, will be a 67,600-square-foot building. The project is very close to the Park Place development, and is located off of Bradley and I-45," Welsh said. "We are technically not in the Park Place development – this will be its own little high-tech business park. The other two buildings will encompass the remaining space at 59,000 square feet each, with the construction timeline initiated by demand."
The high-tech business development is a category Welsh thinks will see increasing demand.
"We certainly think that there is a high-tech need. Our client is targeting firms like Time-Warner, GE Medical, M&I Data and Brady Corp. These types of companies are looking for that image, location and flexibility," Welsh said. "All have some relation to the Internet and the related technical component that’s important to today’s business. The project is not completely dependent on this sector, but the design of the building will appeal to these high-tech companies. People coming out of school with technical backgrounds want to be in decent buildings, and this desire is an important factor in building choice. The building is a tool to attract qualified job candidates."
Connectivity is a proven attractor for business, according to Welsh.
"One of our developments landed Time-Warner as a client in a very similar fashion," Welsh said. "Their facility is located a quarter mile away from a hub fireline. Being close to that fiberpoint was very important to them."

Capitol Court will completely change
One of the more interesting projects pending in Milwaukee County is the de-malling of Capitol Court. The shopping center opened in 1955, but had fallen on hard times recently. De-malling is a process used elsewhere in the country where mall developments are essentially turned inside out, creating outside frontages for stores.
The City of Milwaukee will contribute $4.5 million in improvements, including landscaping and the extension of West Hope Avenue, West Ely Place and North 56th Street into the de-malled center.
Mark Brickman, president of Polacheck Company, said work could start in the fall of this year on demolition and re-construction of Capitol Court.
"There will be quite a bit of additional retail space, which could be a supermarket and possibly a home improvement center, a number of outparcels and satellite retail," Brickman said. "The outparcels would be good for restaurants, maybe automotive or financial institutions. Satellite retail would be service stores, and maybe some of the retailers currently in Capitol Court would want to stay in the area."
Brickman said Polacheck is "talking with people right now. Some of the space will be committed before construction gets under way, but not all of it."
The most notable tenant of the de-malled development will be Wal-Mart.
Brickman said Polacheck is also involved in the rejuvenation of another older mall development – Point Loomis, at the juncture of South 27th Street and Loomis Road on Milwaukee’s south side.
"Renovation of the Point Loomis shopping center is expected to include a teardown of part of the shopping center and the addition of a new supermarket in its place. We can’t reveal who will be in there," Brickman said.
Just north of Point Loomis, a Wal-Mart store is under construction at the former site of another aging mall, Southgate. The store is expected to be open by press time.