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Milwaukee Business Journal
Frontier Airlines drops most change fees amid pricing overhaul
Frontier Airlines, which launched two new routes from Milwaukee last week, is leaning into a pair of new federal rules that respond to record-level airline complaints.<\p> The Denver-based airline Friday unveiled a “New Frontier” that promises more transparency and better customer service.<\p>
Festa Italiana to focus on Sicily, food, wine for 2024 festival
Festa Italiana returns to Henry Maier Festival Park on May 31 for the first time since 2019, and with it comes a range of changes in attempt to increase attendance and get out of the red.<\p> The Italian cultural festival has been hosted on the grounds of the Italian Community Center for the 2022 and 2023 editions. The Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the festival in 2020 and 2021. The festival has operated at a financial loss since before the pandemic.<\p>
CEO to retire at snowplow manufacturer
Snowplow manufacturer Douglas Dynamics Inc.’s president and CEO Bob McCormick will retire from the company in July and the company has named board chairman Jim Janik to serve as interim president and CEO.<\p> The Milwaukee-based manufacturer (NYSE: PLOW) of Western-brand snowplow blades said McCormick informed the board of his intention to retire from the company and the board. McCormick will remain as a consultant to assist with the leadership transition through the end of 2024, Douglas Dynamics said.<\p>
Allegations of unfair labor practices disputed by The Trade owner
The Trade Hotel Workers Union has filed three allegations of unfair labor practices against parent company NCG Hospitality just days after the proposed bargaining unit announced its formation.<\p> In a statement Monday, the hotel's owner and manager NCG Hospitality disputed the allegations.<\p>
Activist investor buys over $1B in Johnson Controls stock: Bloomberg
Johnson Controls International had no comment Monday on a report from Bloomberg News that Elliott Investment Management, which is known for its shareholder activism, has acquired over $1 billion worth in Johnson Controls shares.<\p> Bloomberg cited people familiar with the matter and reported Elliott Management’s intentions were unclear. <\p>
Two dockless scooter firms ink permanent deals for Milwaukee service
Though dockless electric scooters have become a staple in Milwaukee over the past handful of years, their use was only for a limited time — until Friday.<\p> The city of Milwaukee and the Department of Public Works announced the launch of a permanent dockless e-scooter program Friday. The news comes after three pilot studies were conducted by the DPW between 2019-23.<\p>
Wine distributor starts small with a big league name — Dusty Baker
Big League Distributing LLC has a double meaning behind its name for the three partners launching the Mequon business.<\p> For co-founders of Big League Distributing — James Burnett, Larry Hisle Jr. and Kris Mehta — the sports reference is obvious since their first product is coming from California’s Baker Family Wines, co-owned by former Major League Baseball player and manager Dusty Baker and winemaker Chik Brenneman.<\p>
Are investors re-entering the housing market after two-year retreat?
Investors could be launching a bit of a comeback in the U.S. housing market — although the reversal of fortunes comes amid a strategy shift for many investors in the face of low inventory. <\p> Purchases by investors grew 0.5% on a year-over-year basis in Q1, according to analysis by Redfin Corp. (Nasdaq: RDFN). Redfin defines an investor as any buyer whose name includes LLC, Inc., Trust, Corp. or Homes, or any buyer whose ownership code on a purchasing deed includes association, corporate trustee, company, joint venture or corporate trust.<\p>
Cranes in the sky show area construction firms are busy: The List
With multiple cranes in the sky in downtown Milwaukee and numerous large-scale builds underway throughout the metro, area construction firms have no shortage of work. <\p> The area's largest construction companies are working on high-profile projects like Northwestern Mutual's $500 million north office building modernization, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater's $78 million renovation, a $26 million neonatal intensive care unit at ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital and a $153 million cancer research building for the Medical College of Wisconsin.<\p>
French cuisine restaurant opening at The Corners of Brookfield
Inspired by a passion for Parisian brasseries, Milwaukee restaurateur Kristyn Eitel has planned the opening of her latest concept, Margaux, at The Corners of Brookfield.<\p> Eitel will host a series of soft opening and media events in May before opening to the public on June 1 at 20111 W. Bluemound Road.<\p>
Red Lobster files Ch. 11 after closures that included Tosa restaurant
The parent company of Red Lobster, which abruptly closed dozens of restaurant locations last week, including one in Wauwatosa, has filed for for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief.<\p> The filing comes less than a week after the Orlando, Florida-based seafood restaurant chain Red Lobster shuttered nearly 50 restaurants nationwide and auctioned off their contents, <\p>
Sushi restaurant planned at Crossroads Collective food hall
A new location of the Colorado-based Awi Sushi is expected to open at the Crossroads Collective food hall this summer.<\p> The location would be the second in Milwaukee in 2024. A first, owned by Cheraty Par, opened in March at 755 N. Water St., inside the space occupied previously by The Dogg Haus, which closed in 2020.<\p>
Home with dance studio, dog wash station lists for $2.99M: Open House
A Tudor-style Mequon home on Lake Michigan hit the market earlier this month for $2.99 million. It features a dance studio, a theater room with surround sound, a dog-washing station and a bar. <\p> At 8,899 square feet, the home has five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and two half-baths, as well as a hearth room, a study and a large bonus room above the 3.5-car garage. Click through the slideshow above to see photos.<\p>
The Trade Hotel employees organizing to join union
Employees of The Trade Milwaukee Hotel on Thursday alerted its owner and manager, NCG Hospitality of Middleton, of their intention to unionize.<\p> The workers, under the name Trade Hotel Workers Union, organized with the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Union (MASH), which represents roughly 1,000 hospitality workers at Fiserv Forum, in Deer District and in downtown Milwaukee, according to a MASH press release. <\p>
Tax credits awards include Historic Mitchell apartments proposal
A project that would add 51 apartments and eight townhomes, including many affordable units, near Milwaukee's Historic Mitchell Street is among the local winners of this year's federal and state housing tax credits.<\p> The Historic Mitchell Residences development by Cinnaire Solutions Corp. and Zuwena Cotton of BBE Investments and Development LLC was awarded $1.19 million in federal housing tax credits, according to a Thursday announcement from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.<\p>
Some employers are weighing a six-day workweek
Editor's Note: Welcome to The Playbook Edition, a look at stories, trends and changes that could affect your business and career. Want more stories like this in your inbox? Sign up for The Playbook newsletter. <\p> Given how some hiring managers view them and the unique pandemic-fueled hurdles they've faced, Generation Z's debut in the workplace has certainly come with some challenges. <\p>
Another local grocery store will reportedly shut its doors
The Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Brookfield is reportedly closing after more than a decade in that spot.<\p> The Elmbrook Plaza location, at 2315 N. 124th St., will close June 15, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report. The store opened in 2012.<\p>
Milwaukee Bucks get nod for major worldwide esports event
Bucks Gaming and MKEsports Alliance’s upcoming event, Cream City Convergence, just hit an industry high for an esports competition that could also lend the city a hefty tourism boost.<\p> The Milwaukee Bucks announced that Cream City Convergence has been selected as a Capcom Pro Tour event, making it one of just three tournaments in North America chosen to be a qualifier for the increasingly popular Capcom Cup for fighting game esports worldwide. With the selection, Cream City Convergence becomes the first esports event run by an NBA team to work with a major esports organizer, while also helping raise Milwaukee's international profile and opening the door to thousands more visitors, and their spending dollars, to the region.<\p>
At Power Breakfast, Baird CEO says firm building a 'global brand'
As Baird expands its visibility around Milwaukee by adding its name to the city's skyline and buying the naming rights for the convention center, chairman and CEO Steve Booth sees the financial services firm continuing its growth locally and around the world.<\p> Booth, in an interview with former Milwaukee Business Journal editor-in-chief Mark Kass, discussed the rise of the Baird brand in Milwaukee, the future of the company in the city and the upcoming Republican National Convention.<\p>
Why officials think Microsoft will follow through on data center plans
"Under-promise and over-deliver" has been a motto for Microsoft Corp. as it plans a multibillion-dollar artificial intelligence data center campus in southeast Wisconsin. <\p> That is, perhaps, because it's building on land previously slated for Foxconn Technology Group — a company that notoriously did the opposite. <\p>
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