By Brian E. Clark
RISING
Neenah corporate jobs
Plexus Corp. will move its corporate headquarters to a new $18 million
office building on the site of the former Glatfelter paper mill in
downtown Neenah.
The four-story, 94,000-square-foot office building will bring 325
employees into Neenah’s central business district.
Plexus will become the third multinational company, joining Alta
Resources Inc. and Bemis Co. Inc., to establish its corporate
headquarters in downtown Neenah since 2004. The downtown has realized
$52 million of investment in the past four years.
MIXED
Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines
Delta and Northwest are combining in a nearly $18 billion stock trade
that will result in the globe’s largest airline. Experts say it will
affect air travel around the world.
The new company will be based in Atlanta and be led by Delta CEO
Richard Anderson. It will go by the name Delta.
The deal could also mean AirTran Holdings may reopen its effort to buy
Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines. AirTran lost out in a bid to acquire
Midwest last year. A Texas company was the successful bidder, with
Northwest owning a minority share.
FALLING
Madison-area jobs
The Madison corporate headquarters of Famous Footwear is moving to St.
Louis and taking 270 jobs with it. The company’s distribution center,
which employs 130 people in Sun Prairie, will remain open.
Famous Footwear, which has been owned by St. Louis-based Brown Shoe
Co., was started in Madison in 1960. Brown Shoe said it will receive
more than $40 million from Missouri for the move.
Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said Madison’s economy remains strong,
though he acknowledged being “very disappointed” by the Brown Shoe
decision. The mayor said he had traveled to St. Louis to “make the
case” for Madison.
But Mark Bugher, board chairman of the Greater Madison Chamber of
Commerce, was more philosophical about the Famous Footwear loss.
“We understand that there will be disappointments along the way and
that the overall economy in Madison will lose a Famous Footwear once in
a while, but you’ll also pick up companies that you don’t expect,” said
Bugher, director of Madison’s burgeoning University Research Park and a
cabinet member under former Gov. Tommy Thompson.
In another blow to the Madison economy, Madison-based Sub-Zero Freezers
& Wolf Appliances says it will furlough more than 200 full-time
employees at two of its Wisconsin locations later this month.
Charles J. Verri, vice president of human resources, said the Sub-Zero
layoffs will occur during the week of April 21 and will affect workers
at the company’s Madison and Fitchburg facilities as well as those in
Phoenix.
Verri said that the layoffs are due to a decline in retail sales in the
appliance industry and a buildup of inventory. Sub-Zero and Wolf have
more than 1,700 employees in the Madison and Phoenix areas.
