(WisBusiness) THURS News Summary — 12 Feb. 2009

From WisBusiness.com …

— Seeking less confrontational relations with state government, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce used its legislative lobbying day to roll out a draft of a new collaborative approach to improving the state’s business climate. WMC plans to get input from business, education, agriculture, organized labor and policymakers as it finalizes the “Moving Wisconsin Forward” plan.

But the new approach was met with some hesitation during a question-and-answer session after the rollout, which came during Wednesday’s Business Day in Madison. WMC’s leaders heard concerns that the business lobby may not be doing enough to lower taxes.

James Buchen, WMC’s vice president of governmental relations, responded: “We had a lot of debate on tax issues. We made a goal to get out of the top ten. Let’s start with baby steps maybe, and for a variety of reasons and actions, we’ve seen some tax cuts, we’ve held the line when other states didn’t, so we’ve made some improvements.” Buchen acknowledged that the state could not bend as far as business leaders wanted, “given the fact that they’re running such a large deficit.”

— Speaking later at the same event, Gov. Jim Doyle said with the economic difficulty the state and nation are facing, it’s time to come together and end partisan bickering.

“We can’t afford the old partisan games and we can’t afford the name-calling,” he said.

Doyle also said his 2009-11 budget will include “hundreds of millions” in additional cuts to state operations as the state does the same as businesses across the state to bring costs under control in a difficult economy. “We’re going to have to cut everything that moves,” Doyle said.

— Appearing separately at a Business Day in Madison legislative panel, Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald urged WMC members to fight the proposed stimulus package that Doyle and Dem legislative leaders released today. Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, repudiated the idea of “extending a hand across the aisle,” especially in light of what he termed an anti-business approach offered in the stimulus package.

Joining Fitzgerald on the panel, Joint Finance Co-Chair Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, told the crowd WMC had contributed to the “degradation” of Wisconsin’s reputation for clean government.

Miller urged members to “revisit how you participate in this political process. I want to challenge you to make Wisconsin better.”

See WisBusiness coverage of Business Day in Madison: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=148875

— Lawmakers hope to get the state stimulus package to Gov. Jim Doyle by late next week, giving them only a handful of days to push through legislation that would place a new assessment on hospitals, impose combined reporting on business taxes and approve the streamlined sales tax initiative.

The package announced by statehouse Dems Wednesday also includes $125 million in lapses for state agencies and the expansion of various tax credits.

The Joint Finance Committee will begin deliberations on the bill Tuesday, the same day Doyle will unveil his 2009-11 budget bill.

The target date set for delivering it to the guv’s desk: next Friday, Feb. 20.

See more state budget news in the WisPolitics Budget Blog: http://blogs.wispolitics.com/budget.html

— The Wisconsin Biotechnology & Medical Device Association has announced a name change to BioForward. The organization also is implementing a new logo and tagline: “Where innovation and opportunity connect for Wisconsin.”

The new name, tagline and logo were developed after a planning process that began last summer. BioForward soon will launch a new web site that provides enhanced functionality and new resources for its members, including a career center, searchable member database and legislator feedback tools.

See the press release for more: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=148782

— UW-Madison math graduate student Erik Andrejko has developed “Themeseekr” – http://themeseekr.com – a now commercially available service that helps collect, categorize and analyze qualitative data from surveys.

And while Andrejko built Themeseekr specifically for a UW-Madison project, word-of-mouth marketing led him to a half-dozen new clients, including a larger-scale current project for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards.

Themeseekr applies some of the group tagging and “crowd-sourcing” techniques common in social media software to give users a new way to harness the value of open-ended questions in surveys.

See more from UW-Madison: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=148841

— Watry Industries has notified the state about 22 layoffs in Sheboygan, likely to happen over the next 60 days.

See the state filing: http://www.wisbusiness.com/1008/090212watry.pdf

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REGISTER NOW: FOCUS ON MIDWEST ENERGY CONFERENCE II
Feb. 23, 2009 at Monona Terrace in Madison

Conference includes: U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin; Obama environmental adviser Howard Learner; Gary Mar, Alberta’s official representative to the United States; and David K. Owens, executive vice president of business operations at the Edison Electric Institute. For more information, see a recent press release: http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=147100

Sponsors for this event include Xcel Energy, American Transmission Company, Virchow, Krause & Company, the Wisconsin Petroleum Council, Alliant Energy and Dominion. The government of Canada and Wisconsin Environmental Initiative are event partners.

The event is open to the public. Individual tickets cost $75 each. Tables are available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis at a cost of $600. Student discounts also will be available. The ticket price includes food.

For more information or to register, contact Jim Greer at 608-237-6296 or greer@wispolitics.com.

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THANKS TO OUR WISBUSINESS SPONSORS

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Press Releases
· ActionCOACH of Elm Grove, Waukesha County Chamber of Commerce: Groups announces joint program for business coaching for women
· AG Van Hollen: Opposes bill that would surrender to Congress the authority to regulate Wisconsin’s state workforce
· Alpha Source, Inc. / Access Battery, LLC: Class 2 battery packs licensed with Health Canada
· Bay Area Diamond: Donates bracelets to cancer survivors
· Beloit College: Garick Inc. CEO featured at City Center Seminar Series Feb. 12
· BioForward: Wisconsin Biotechnology & Medical Device Association is now BioForward
· Burger Boat Company: Burger Yacht Sales announces the addition of Ron Tedeschi
· Centrose: Receives additional investment financing
· Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese: Becomes “the big cheese” with a major plant expansion and growing sales
· Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection: Farm Center encourages dairy producers to scrutinize expenses to survive challenging economy
· Gov. Doyle: Unveils first step towards economic recovery
· Quarles & Brady: Attorneys receive ‘FIVE STAR: Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Manager’ honor for 2009
· Savant Capital Management: Lands national trade publication cover story – article explains how Savant attracts and retains employees
· Seroka: Launches PRIME Planning to provide no-cost evaluations of area businesses’ marketing strategies
· Stateline World Trade Association: Program for February 2009 — (1) International contract disputes & (2) The 10+2 importer security filing rule
· Summit Credit Union: Announces new lineup of free educational seminars
· UW-Madison: Graduate student’s software innovation helps harness brainstorming
· VersiFit Technologies: Chicago Public Schools & VersiFit Technologies team to build “next-generation” K12 performance management system
· Wisconsin Growth Capital Coalition, Thrive: Support investor tax credit expansion in state stimulus
· WMC: “Moving Wisconsin Forward” plan aims to protect Wisconsin jobs
· WMEP: TLX Technologies Retains Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership to deliver enterprise business transformation project

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


TOP STORIES
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Nestle project to add 150 jobs in Eau Claire: City officials say a planned expansion of the Nestle USA plant in Eau Claire will triple the size of the operation and add about 150 jobs.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090212/GPG03/902120651/1247

Forecast shows recession will stay put in Upper Midwest through 2009: The economic downturn in the Upper Midwest will continue through 2009, with the unemployment rate predicted to hit 14 percent in parts of Michigan by the end of the year, according to the latest forecast from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20090212/APC03/902120576/1028

Neenah Enterprises closing California plant: Management of Neenah Enterprises Inc., the parent company of Neenah Foundry Co., said Wednesday that it will close its Gregg Industries Inc. plant in El Monte, Calif., because of the poor economy and declining sales.
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/02/09/daily49.html

Modine debt default threatens firm’s future: In a regulatory filing to delay its next quarterly report to regulators, Modine Manufacturing Co. raised the possibility that it may not be able to continue as a “going concern” because of a default on its debt requirements.
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/02/09/daily41.html

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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
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BIOTECH (back to top)
– TomoTherapy posts increase in sales
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/438111

– Biotech group changes name to BioForward
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/437971

– Mach One executes MPC acquisition
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/02/09/daily38.html

ECONOMY (back to top)
– Rockwell to buy Rutter assets
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090212/GPG03/902120652/1247

– Proposal would expand tax credit to invest in young companies
http://www.jsonline.com/business/39447927.html

– Media outlets support ad campaign to boost Milwaukee business
http://www.jsonline.com/business/39470832.html

MANUFACTURING (back to top)
– Lower sales for Leinie’s, other craft brewers in 2008
http://www.jsonline.com/business/39445812.html

LABOR (back to top)
– Shifting Gears: Former Menards manager heads into the kitchen
http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20090212/APC03/902120560/1028

– Capital Chaplains helps stressed workers
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/438065

SMALL BUSINESS (back to top)
– Family business installing slides at hotel water park
http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-news.asp?id=BJ5IODNLIAM

INVESTING (back to top)
– NewPage Corp. to release fourth-quarter anf full-year results
http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20090212/APC03/902120568/1028

– Moody’s cuts Charter rating, cites bankruptcy expectation
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/437987

REAL ESTATE (back to top)
– Federal regulator seeks housing foreclosure halt
http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20090212/APC03/902120580/1028

– Dane County foreclosure filings hit record in January
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/438079

AGRIBUSINESS (back to top)
– Farm Center: Producers Need to Scrutinize Expenses To Survive
http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=186&yr=2009

– Expansion completed at Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/438074

– Waterloo cheese producer expands
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/02/09/daily48.html

TRANSPORTATION (back to top)
– SkyWest profit down; Midwest now owes $9M
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/02/09/daily40.html

RETAIL (back to top)
– Stripped malls: Local buildings left empty after businesses liquidate, move out
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090212/GPG0101/902120661/1978

– Westgate Hy-Vee gets go-ahead from Plan Commission
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/437614

TOURISM (back to top)
– Attanasio: Salary cap would level playing field for Brewers
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/02/09/story14.html?b=1234155600^1774503

UTILITIES (back to top)
– Consultant hired to reconsider need for new transmission line
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/437723

FINANCIAL SERVICES (back to top)
– Blackhawk Bancorp profit down 31 percent
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/02/09/daily46.html

BUSINESS COLUMNS (back to top)
– Daniel Bice: Associated Bank plans its own fiesta after bailout party
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/39476367.html

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National Business Roundups ( back to top)
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