TUESDAY TRENDS: Oct. 30, 2007

By Brian E. Clark

RISING

Sonic and Merge

Madison-based Sonic Foundry and West Allis-based Merge Technologies
have been named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, a list ranking the
fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications and life sciences
companies.

Sonic Foundry, a provider of streaming media software, ranked 125th on
the list, with five-year revenue growth of 1,363 percent. Merge, a
developer of medical imaging software and services, ranked 453rd with
five-year revenue growth of 292 percent. Sonic shares closed Monday at
$2.42, down from a 52-week high of $51.15. Merge shares closed
yesterday at $3.24, down from a 52-week high of $8.16.

MIXED

Battle between banks, credit unions

The long-simmering fight between the Wisconsin Bankers Association
(WBA) and the rival Credit Union League has heated up again. It bubbled
to the surface this spring, when the WBA issued a report highly
critical of credit unions. Since then, cyberspace has been filled with
charges and countercharges.

The squabble may ultimately play out in the Legislature, with the WBA
hoping to strip the state’s credit unions of their exemptions from the
state’s corporate income tax. It’s a break worth between $10 million
and $40 million, depending on which side is doing the calculating.

For its part, the credit unions say they deserve their tax breaks
because they’re doing a good job of serving low- and moderate-income
customers. But they also say there’s nothing wrong with doing business
in higher-income areas, something that Congress approved in 1998.

*See the WBA website at http://www.wisbank.com/ and the
League’s site
at http://www.theleague.coop

*See the WisBusiness.com story at
http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=109049

FALLING

John Jazwiec

The outspoken and controversial CEO of Brookfield-based RedPrairie
Corp., who has been the subject of negative media attention, has
resigned and plans to move back to Chicago by the end of the year.

John Jazwiec, who alleged his family was robbed and held hostage by a
shotgun-wielding home invader last month, claims he wasn’t forced to
leave the software development firm and that he’s not moving to another
job.

Jazwiec, who threatened to move the company from Wisconsin last year,
didn’t call police, but he did e-mail Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett about
the alleged incident and said he and his East Milwaukee neighbors would
begin providing for their own security and they were considering
“de-annexation” from the city. Jazwiec ultimately filed a police
complaint about the incident, but later withdrew it.

In announcing the departure, board member David Golob praised Jazwiec
for his nearly five years of service – which saw the company’s revenues
rise from $40 million to $250 million annually.