(WisBusiness) FRI News Summary — 5 Sept. 2008

From WisBusiness.com …

— Gov. Jim Doyle touted Wisconsin’s continued commitment to education, research and knowledge at the opening of the $134 million Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research East Tower on the UW-Madison campus.

Doyle yesterday congratulated university officials for their persistent pursuit of the project, even through times when it was unclear whether ratification would be possible.

“Even when times are not so good and even when the state budget picture doesn’t look great, it is still crucial that we move forward on major investments in the state that will be here for decades and decades and decades to come,” Doyle said.

See the full story:
http://www.wisbusiness.com

— John McCain and Sarah Palin today are hitting the suburban Milwaukee community of Cedarburg — the first campaign stop for the Republican ticket since the conclusion of the Republican National Convention.

After McCain’s speech last night, Wisconsin’s delegates headed back to their Minneapolis hotel, then on to the 50th floor of the nearby IDS Tower for a late-night party to close out the convention. The party, scheduled to run from 11 p.m. until 2 a.m., was held at the Windows on Minnesota restaurant, which offers a panoramic view of downtown Minneapolis.

The event was sponsored by TransCanada, Canadian National, Wal-Mart, MilerCoors, Novartis, Amgen, the Forest County Potawatomi, We Energies, Xcel Energy and 3M.

Catch up on other happenings at the RNC in the WisPolitics.com Republican National Convention blog: http://blogs.wispolitics.com/gopconvos/

— Register now for Monday’s WisBusiness.com luncheon featuring Georges Rioux, Canadian Consul General to Chicago. Rioux will discuss Canada’s business relationship with Wisconsin and other Midwest states.

The price for lunch is $19. Call the Madison Club to register at (608) 255-4861. The luncheon starts at 11:45 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m.

— And this is the last day you can get discount ticket prices for the Sept. 19 health care event in Madison titled “Diagnosing a Policy Fix to U.S. Health Care,” featuring state, national and Canadian experts.

See more: http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=135065

****************************************
THANKS TO OUR WISBUSINESS SPONSORS

****************************************

QUICK LINKS
Use these links to jump directly to a news summary topic
Technology | Biotech | Economy | Manufacturing | Labor | Small Business | Investing | Real Estate | Agribusiness | Transportation | Retail | Regulation | Tourism | Utilities | Health Care | Financial Services | Management | Business Columns |

Press Releases
· Bemis Company: Bemis Company to Present at Wachovia 2nd Annual Transportation and Packaging Conference
· Fitch Ratings: Fitch Rates Northern States Power – Wisconsin’s First Mortgage Bonds ‘A+’
· Midwest Airlines: Announces Progress on Restructuring Plan
· RedPrairie: Levin Furniture selects RedPrairie WMS to improve labor productivity and gain distribution efficiencies
· Rexnord: Rexnord Names Darryl Mayhorn President, Aerospace Group
· Roche NimbleGen: Roche NimbleGen’s Revolutionary Sequence Capture Technology Now Available for Use in Research Laboratories
· UW Madison: ‘Great Idea or Real Business Opportunity?’ Explored at WARF’s Gilson Series Event

For these and more releases visit http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Content=82


TOP STORIES
*************

MillerCoors faces legal battle in Ohio: MillerCoors LLC is facing a court fight in Ohio over its attempt to trim costs by cutting beer distributorships. Beverage Distributors Inc. of Cleveland and AFP Distributors Inc. of Glouster in southeast Ohio have asked U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson in Columbus to block the brewer from breaking their franchise agreements. MillerCoors said in separate Aug. 19 letters that it was terminating the distributorships effective Sept. 25 under an Ohio law allowing such an action when ownership changes hands. The distributors sued the brewer last week in response.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OH_MILLERCOORS_DISTRIBUTORS_WIOL-?SITE=WIMAD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Wolf Appliance, Menards recall products: A pair of Wisconsin companies are voluntarily recalling products because they pose burn hazards to consumers, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission announced Wednesday.
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/09/01/daily28.html

Midwest to use Republic service: Midwest Airlines is arranging for Republic Airways to provide some of its service on a dozen smaller jets, resulting in more “temporary furloughs” that now number in the hundreds of Midwest personnel, the company announced. Jan Schnedorf, chairman of the Midwest Airlines unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, immediately blasted Wednesday’s announcement as “catastrophic news” for the pilots and other workers at Midwest.
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/GPG03/809050695/1247

Businesses can still apply for flood recovery: Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation is seeking businesses that want to apply for flood recovery funding that may become available through the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. The special Community Development Block Grant program is designed to provide low-cost, easy-access financing to businesses affected physically or economically by the June floods, according to an FCEDC press release. The funding may be up to $20,000 per business in the form of a zero percent loan with up to two years of deferred payments.
http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/FON0101/809050456/1289&located=RSS

NewPage: More demand for product may save mill: A spike in orders, a drastic price drop in energy and raw materials, and stricter enforcement of laws to help U.S. companies compete fairly against overseas manufacturers. If these three things happened now, it would keep the NewPage mill in Kimberly open, a company spokeswoman said Thursday.
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/APC0101/809050542/1004&located=RSS

SAFC Pharma to expand again in Madison: A pharmaceutical products subsidiary of Sigma-Aldrich Corp. has announced plans for a $30 million expansion of its Madison operations. In its third expansion of its Madison site in recent years, SAFC Pharma said it will buy 15 acres in Verona, near the Madison production site where it makes high-potency active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPI), for construction of a 45,000-square-foot plant for large-scale production.
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/09/01/daily27.html

************************************************************
WISBUSINESS FEATURED COLUMNISTS

GREGG HOFFMANN: Contributor, WisBusiness.com

TOM STILL: President, Wisconsin Technology Council

JENNIFER SERENO: Senior manager, Wood Communications Group

STEVE JAGLER: Executive editor, Small Business Times

TOM BURZINSKI: IT executive and consultant
************************************************************

TECHNOLOGY (back to top)
– How will Google Chrome change the user experience on the web?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13641_3-10033549-44.html

BIOTECH (back to top)
– Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research opens first tower
http://www.madison.com/tct/top5/303479

ECONOMY (back to top)
– Oshkosh: City Hall working to fix poor image in business community
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/OSH0101/809050487/1128&located=RSS

– New initiative says it’s ‘Better By the Bay’
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/GPG03/80904146/1247

– Sales tax referendum survives veto
http://www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=20&date=9/4/2008&id=45666

MANUFACTURING (back to top)
– Blast blame: Explosion case set as Falk, Brennan fault each other
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/09/08/story2.html?b=1220846400^1695424

– Delegation will head to Detroit to try to save Janesville GM plant
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=791150

– Ladish unit ships landing gear to Goodrich
http://www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=20&date=9/4/2008&id=45667

– Four Dane county exercise companies merge
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/303525

SMALL BUSINESS (back to top)
– New business eager to please wide range of customers
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/OSH0101/809050488/1128&located=RSS

– Spicing up College Avenue in Appleton
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/APC0301/809050577/1979/OSH03

– Waukesha, Racine counties team up on business loans
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=791174

INVESTING (back to top)
– TDS, U.S. Cellular moving to New York Stock Exchange
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/303392

REAL ESTATE (back to top)
– Astronautics seeking new HQ site
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/09/08/story3.html?b=1220846400^1695450

– Pabst complex owners want to create improvement district
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=791153

AGRIBUSINESS (back to top)
– Logging show focuses on fuel
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/APC03/809050580/1028/APC03

TRANSPORTATION (back to top)
– August deadliest month so far on Wisconsin roads
http://www.sheboyganpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/SHE0101/809050511/1062&located=RSS

– Workers chip away at College Avenue bridge in Appleton
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/APC0101/809050548/1979/FON03

– AirTran passenger traffic rises in August
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/09/01/daily32.html

RETAIL (back to top)
– Mayfair considers moving Boston Store
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/09/08/story1.html?b=1220846400^1695405

REGULATION (back to top)
– Audit confirms mishandled funds at YES under Breyer’s tenure’
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/APC0101/809050582/1004&located=RSS

– Federal regulators order small engine makers to cut emissions
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=791152

– Pipeline firm sues over tower denial
http://www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=20&date=9/4/2008&id=45669

UTILITIES (back to top)
– Neenah cuts water to plant
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/APC0101/809050564/1004&located=RSS

HEALTH CARE (back to top)
– Chinese docs collaborate with Clinic
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/MNH0101/809050452/1732&located=RSS

FINANCIAL SERVICES (back to top)
– Entrepreneurs, inventors to focus on financing
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080904/MAN03/80904072/1397

MANAGEMENT (back to top)
– Former P-C editor lands publisher post
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/APC03/809050584/1028/APC03

– Nick wins Athena Award
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/GPG03/809050696/1247

– Rexnord names unit president
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/09/01/daily31.html

BUSINESS COLUMNS (back to top)
– John Oncken: Green County dairy tour showcases young farmers
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/303459

Media Partners
Channel3000
Small Business Times
Madison Magazine
BusinessWeek

National Business Roundups ( back to top)
–YAHOO FINANCE: http://finance.yahoo.com/
–CNBC BUSINESS NEWS: http://www.cnbc.com
–ABC BUSINESS NEWS: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/business/
–GOOGLE NEWS: http://news.google.com/news/en/us/business.html

(c)2008 WisBusiness.com.
All rights reserved. Reproduction or retransmission of this publication, in whole or in part, without the express permission of WisBusiness.com is prohibited. Unauthorized reproduction violates United States copyright law (17 USC 101 et seq.), as does retransmission by facsimile or any other electronic means, including electronic mail.