From WisBusiness.com …
–Tourism Secretary Kelli Trumble declares that despite $4-a-gallon gas, the state’s resorts, hotel owners and tourist vendors are “very optimistic” and that summer reservations appear “very strong.”
She tells “UpFront with Mike Gousha” that the tourism agency has shifted marketing resources from the Michigan market to take advantage of what she calls a closer-to-home trend with travelers.
Get video and audio links from the Memorial Day weekend show:
http://www.wisn.com/upfront/16389434/detail.html#video
— Midwest Airlines will begin charging a $20 fee on June 16 for customers choosing to check a second bag. Other airlines have announced similar policies and American has said it will charge for the first bag in June.
Midwest travelers can continue to check one bag up to 50 pounds and with outside dimensions totaling up to 62 inches at no charge. Exempt from the second-bag fee are active members of the U.S. military and Midwest Miles Executive members. Wheelchairs, walkers, strollers, child car seats and other mobility-assistive devices are also excluded.
Customers will pay the second bag fee at ticket counter check-in. Payment procedures for kiosk check-in are being developed and will be available later this summer. In the meantime, extra staff has been added at Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport, the airline’s home base, and other locations to accommodate the new procedure.
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Press Releases
A. O. Smith Receives C-TPAT Tier III, Highest Security Status for Importing Companies
At the Synapse: Gene May Shed Light on Neurological Disorders
Aurora St. Luke’s Opens Two Retail Stores to Serve Patients’ Medical, Convenience Needs
Baylake Corp. Foregoes Dividend
Bicyclists Pedal for Pledges to Support Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers
Busy Summer Ahead for UW-Madison Construction Projects
Governor Doyle Announces Winner of the 25th Annual Virginia Hart Award
Governor Doyle to Act on Legislation to Strengthen Protections for Great Lakes
Hartwell Fellowship Aids Childhood Asthma Research
Kalahari Resorts Offers Safety Splash Tips as Families Dive Into Summer
Kimberly-Clark Announces Price Increases for U.S. Consumer Products Businesses
Local Company Plants Hope on Chicago’s South Side
Main Street Downtown Revitalization Program Marks 20th Anniversary
Michael J. Berns, CPA, Named Chief Financial Officer for Wisconsin Manufacturer – Wildeck, Inc.
Miller Lite Bottle Caps Equal Cash for MDA This Summer
Miller Lite Launches Comprehensive Soccer Program Featuring CONCACAF Champions League(TM) Partnership
Sluggish U.S. Economy Driving Consumers and Businesses to Unique Wisconsin Shopping Model
Stoughton Road Revitalization Project Wins National Neighborhood of the Year Award
WAUSAU Financial Systems and ClairMail Partner to Provide Mobile Lockbox Functionality
Wisconsin Ethanol Coalition to Launch Statewide Radio Ad Campaign
For these and more releases visit http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Content=82
TOP STORIES
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Capitalists venture to Wisconsin: Kind invites new-business backers to learn of, invest in state startups… It’s not exactly a beaten path for venture capitalists. But 10 financiers from firms as far-flung as Palo Alto, Calif., and Boston will visit western Wisconsin today at the invitation of U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-LaCrosse). From 10 different firms, the venture capitalists will meet with more than 30 young companies in Chippewa Falls and River Falls, participate in panel discussions, and have lunch in Menomonie with Chancellor Charles Sorensen at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. “It is a start, and I’m not promising anything to anyone, but just getting Wisconsin on the radar map in the venture capital community is important,” Kind said.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=755053
Ashwaubenon’s Fosber America continues to expand: Company adding 10 workers, $1.4M in construction… Fosber America keeps growing. The corrugated machine company is adding $1.4 million worth of new construction at its 1333 Parkview Road plant and will increase employment this year by 10. It is the fourth expansion since the company was founded in 1988, said Brian Van Hout, who is overseeing the construction for Fosber. “This expansion is all about catching up with the growth,” said Jeff Pallini, president of Fosber America. Fosber, at 1333 Parkview Road in the Ashwaubenon Industrial Park, manufactures machines for making corrugated paper products. It is a subsidiary of Fosber S.p.A. of Lucca, Italy, the papermaking capital of Europe.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/GPG03/805270460/1247
Madison bio-giant: Promega helped put Madison on the world’s biotechnology stage: If the Madison area has earned a reputation as a biotechnology hot spot, one huge reason is Promega Corp. “For people in Madison, it ‘s the granddaddy of biotechnology, ” said Carl Gulbrandsen, managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). Promega is 30 years old this year but it ‘s not just longevity that has earned a worldwide reputation for the company and its founder, Bill Linton, or the fact that some of its products have been popularized on TV. The Fitchburg company distributes more than 2,000 products used for life science research, has sales offices in 13 countries and manufacturing branches in San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Shanghai, China; and Seoul, South Korea.
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/287973
New immigration rules are affecting Wisconsin Dells: Some Wisconsin Dells employers are facing an international labor shortage this summer because of changes to a national temporary guest-worker program and the weak American dollar. Tommy Bartlett Show & Exploratory General Manager Tom Diehl is feeling the change. “We have 27 (foreign workers) this year,” Diehl said before the Tommy Bartlett Show opened its season Friday night. “Usually, we have no less than 60.” The nationwide crunch among tourist-town employers comes after Congress failed to renew a provision that exempted returning foreign guest workers from counting toward the limit of 66,000 per year. Without the exemption, applications for the H-2B visas were filled remarkably fast this year.
http://www.gmtoday.com/news/front/topstory06.asp
Doyle set to sign Great Lakes Compact: Wisconsin will soon be the fifth state to legally join the Great Lakes Compact, which many call an historic accord that will protect one of the world’s most precious natural resources. Governor Jim Doyle is scheduled to sign the agreement on Tuesday, joining Illinois, Indiana, New York, and Minnesota as well as both Canadian Provinces of Quebec and Ontario. But all eight Great Lakes states must approve the policy and Congress must ratify it before it becomes law. The Compact creates unprecedented protections for the Great Lakes and ensures their continued availability for regional economic growth. It will ban long-distance diversions and provide a framework for ensuring sustainable water use in the Great Lakes basin.
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=642&yr=2008
Wisconsin workers’ wages less than national average: A new report puts Wisconsin workers’ wages less than the national average. In a Department of Labor report released last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the average weekly wage earned across the United States is $818. But no counties in Wisconsin match that figure and the closest is Waukesha County. Residents there average $814 week. Central Wisconsin ranges from $558 in Clark County to $767 in Wood County for average weekly wages earned. Alec Loftus, a spokesman with the Department of Workforce Development, says the state is working to raise wages by training a highly skilled work force.
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/05/26/wi/2wi26.txt
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WISBUSINESS FEATURED COLUMNISTS
– GREGG HOFFMANN: Contributor, WisBusiness.com
– TOM STILL: President, Wisconsin Technology Council
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TECHNOLOGY (back to top)
– Drug, high-tech companies clash over patents
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=755095
– Hospitals expand use of surgical robots
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/WDH0101/805270576/1981/WDHnews
– Web TV firm shuts down
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/288137
BIOTECH (back to top)
– Fall of ethanol from favor
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/288257
– Ethanol Group Responds to Criticism with Radio Campaign
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=644&yr=2008
– Firm enters world of drug trials
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=754554
ECONOMY (back to top)
– Building a bridge to Vietnam
http://www.gmtoday.com/news/local_stories/2008/May_08/05242008_13.asp
MANUFACTURING (back to top)
– Manitowoc Co. declares dividend
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/APC03/805270402/1028
LABOR (back to top)
– Students test drive careers, earn cash at summer jobs
http://www.madison.com/wsj/topstories/288223
– Marathon County wages far short of U.S. average
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/WDH0101/805270579/1981/WDHnews
– Dells businesses facing labor shortage
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/288171
– DBA: Loss in Immigrant Labor Means Loss for Local Economy
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=645&yr=2008
SMALL BUSINESS (back to top)
– Dream flight becomes business reality
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/APC03/805270401/1028
– Walker’s Point Il Mito restaurant closed
http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/05/19/daily53.html?surround=lfn
INVESTING (back to top)
– Scanlan named vice president of M&I Wealth
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080526/GPG03/805260511/1247
REAL ESTATE (back to top)
– Younkers settlement unlikely for Green Bay
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/GPG0101/805270479/1978/GPGnews
– 500,000-square-foot development considered near Milwaukee’s Bradley Center
http://www.gmtoday.com/news/local_stories/2008/May_08/05242008_15.asp
– Local housing market doesn’t seem to have troubles of national trends
http://gazettextra.com/news/2008/may/25/local-housing-market-doesnt-seem-have-troubles-nat/
– East side gets more condo conversions
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=755062
AGRIBUSINESS (back to top)
– Highway 83 project will hit local farmers hard
http://www.gmtoday.com/news/local_stories/2008/May_08/05242008_01.asp
– Arlington Research Farm to Begin Milking in New Facilities
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=643&yr=2008
TRANSPORTATION (back to top)
– Wisconsin gets roads set for nasty weather
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/288163
– Midwest Airlines will also charge for 2nd checked bag
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/287941
– Door County’s Quarterdeck Marina gets
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/GPG03/805270468/1247
– Winging a deal
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=755065
RETAIL (back to top)
– Food pantries seeing more nontraditional clients as food prices rise
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/288226
– Northeast Wisconsin wineries boom
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080526/APC03/805260477/1028
– Brookfield plans for the future of busy corridor
http://www.gmtoday.com/news/local_stories/2008/May_08/05242008_07.asp
– Regulations would run off onto retail projects
http://www.dailyreporter.com/item.cfm?recid=20048670&snippet=t&forward=%2Fitem%2Ecfm%3Frecid%3D20048670%26snippet%3Df
REGULATION (back to top)
– FCC weighs in on cell phone contract fees
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/288000
– Madison Alderman Wants To Expand Chicken Ordinance
http://www.channel3000.com/news/16398476/detail.html?treets=c3k&tid=2651032357813&tml=c3k_7am&tmi=c3k_7am_1_07000205272008&ts=H
– Area communities, Brown County sign business agreement
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/GPG0101/805270462/1978/GPGnews
– Feds: Asian restaurateur hired, housed illegals
http://www.gmtoday.com/news/local_stories/2008/May_08/05242008_02.asp
TOURISM (back to top)
– Resort offers $40 gas cards to lure in tourists this summer
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WI_RESORT_GAS_CARDS_WIOL-?SITE=WIMAD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
– EAA asks Oshkosh for nearly $2 million for new buildings
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/288199
– Tourism drops in Winnebago County
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/OSH0101/80526028/1987
UTILITIES (back to top)
– Lawn watering to be restricted
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=755099
– Utility back-bills residents
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=754722
– Farm Bureau Seeks Solutions to Stray Voltage Disputes
http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=637&yr=2008
HEALTH CARE (back to top)
– State On Track To Save $63 Million In 17 Months On Prescription Drugs
http://www.channel3000.com/news/16398518/detail.html?treets=c3k&tid=2651032357813&tml=c3k_7am&tmi=c3k_7am_1_07000205272008&ts=H
– Senior boom could burst hospitals’ seams
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/WDH0101/805270580/1981/WDHnews
– Area hospital staff honored
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/GPG03/805270467/1247
– Mental Health Complex on track for upgrades
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=755067
FINANCIAL SERVICES (back to top)
– Even Lewis Ranieri, a mortgage securities expert, couldn’t escape losses
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/288256
MANAGEMENT (back to top)
– Firm wants to make it easy to be green
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/288179
– Schenck Business Solutions wins public service award
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/GPG03/805270466/1247
– CEO pay clearer but still cloudy
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=754550
BUSINESS COLUMNS (back to top)
– Kathy Fredrickson: It’s time to let someone else share their expertise
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080526/APC0701/805260472/1436/APC03
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