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Milwaukee Business Journal
Lawsuit targeting small-business grant program is tossed
A judge has tossed a lawsuit targeting Progressive Insurance and small-business funding platform Hello Alice for a grant program offered to Black small business owners.<\p> The decision, handed down by the U.S. District Court for Northern Ohio, found plaintiff Nathan Roberts, owner of Cleveland-based Freedom Truck DIspatch LLC, lacked the standing to sue the companies over a grant program it offered to Black small-business owners to purchase a new truck.<\p>
Game store takes over restored Downer Avenue book shop space
All-day tournaments and live-action role play attracted a strong crowd during the first weekend of Old Guard Games, where owner Ben Checota spent the last year renovating the 1913 building that the store calls home on Milwaukee's east side.<\p> The 4,200-square-foot retail building features an additional 1,000 square foot of space for game play at 3132 N. Downer Ave. Checota purchased the building in 2022 and worked to restore it to its original style and structure, enchanted by its history as a mercantile with stores that pre-dated the Downer Avenue retail scene by about 25 years, he said.<\p>
Riverwest brewpub closes suddenly after nearly a decade in business
Company Brewing, a brewpub in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood, abruptly closed on Tuesday night.<\p> The brewery's operators posted the closing on Facebook. Company Brewing at 735 E. Center St. opened in May 2015. <\p>
Former head of a $3B GE HealthCare unit named medtech's interim CEO
Flywheel Exchange Inc., a Minneapolis-based company that helps physicians and medical researchers manage imaging data, selected health care technology veteran Hooman Hakami as interim CEO after its former CEO and board member stepped down in April.<\p> Jim Olson had served as Flywheel's CEO since 2018.<\p>
How Lakefront ended up purchasing a Kenosha brewery
Lakefront Brewery founder and president Russ Klisch wasn't planning to purchase another Wisconsin brewery this year.<\p> It wasn't something the craft brewer had considered in its over 30 years in business until about six months ago. That's when the owners of Public Craft Crewing Co. in Kenosha reached out. They told Klisch that they planned to retire and if the 299-person capacity brewery, restaurant and events space in downtown was of interest.<\p>
Homebuilders prep next phase of large Grafton subdivision
With construction and sales well underway on nearly 200 single-family homes and ranch-style condos in Grafton, the project’s developers are preparing for a second section of the neighborhood that will add upwards of 150 more housing units in the area. <\p> Developer Robert “Bob” Tillmann is proposing 130 single-family lots and 28 condo units on 100 acres on the west side of Grafton, according to a village of Grafton staff report. The subdivision would be called Hawks Ridge but it would in effect be an extension of the adjacent Stonewall Farms subdivision, Tillmann said.<\p>
West Allis bioscience plant plans $75M expansion
A bioscience plant in West Allis could undergo a $75 million expansion that would help increase the plant’s capacity by 60%.<\p> The proposal calls for a two-story, 52,000-square-foot expansion of the plant at 9015 W. Maple St. for new production equipment, according to documents in the agenda packet for the May 29 meeting of the West Allis Plan Commission.<\p>
Resume gaps aren't the dealbreaker they once were, but there's a catch
Job seekers worried about gaps in their resume might still have to deal with some pushback from hiring managers, but the market today has become more forgiving to such openings than it once was.<\p> According to a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey, while 36% of hiring managers said they might be deterred by applicants' unexplained work gaps, the vast majority (95%) believe there are valid reasons to explain career gaps. The top reasons cited were health issues, staying home with a child, going back to school and caring for an elderly parent.<\p>
Snack plant in Franklin to get $8M investment for tortilla chip line
Campbell Soup Company will spend $8 million to add capacity for Late July tortilla chips produced at its Franklin bakery, where the company anticipates adding 40 jobs.<\p> The tortilla chip investment is in addition to recent investments in the Franklin plant to launch and increase production of the new Goldfish Crisps snack line, a company spokeswoman said Tuesday.<\p>
State officials reveal who won federal EV funds for new charging sites
Wisconsin will use federal funds to offset the costs of 53 electric vehicle charging stations in the state, nearly half of which will be at Kwik Trip locations.<\p> The funds come through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers' office. In total, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation said it awarded $23.3 million of the more than $78 million the state is expected to receive across the next five years.<\p>
Mirus Bio of Madison to be bought by Merck unit in $600M deal
Mirus Bio LLC, a biotechnology company in Madison, is being sold to MilliporeSigma, the Burlington, Massachusetts-based U.S. and Canada life science business of Merck KGaA in Darmstadt, Germany, for $600 million.<\p> The deal was announced May 23 by MilliporeSigma and Gamma Biosciences, the live sciences platform of private equity firm KKR that has owned a controlling stake in Mirus Bio since 2021. The transaction is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2024, subject to U.S. regulatory approvals, as well as other customary closing conditions. <\p>
The AI boom is coming for these at-risk manager roles
For years, front-line workers have worried about automation taking their jobs. It may end up being middle managers who are most in danger.<\p> Companies are gaining access to new artificial-intelligence tools and capabilities at the same time many are re-assessing their operations in a challenging post-pandemic economic environment. That combination of potential new efficiencies and a desire for cost savings is putting management-level employees in the crosshairs.<\p>
Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Milwaukee Children's Choir to merge
The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music plans to merge with the Milwaukee Children's Choir to ensure the choir's ongoing operation.<\p> Both organizations' boards of directors voted unanimously to pursue the merger between the oldest community music school in the state and the choral music education organization, according to a press release. The move will help preserve the Milwaukee Children's Choir by "fortifying resources, consolidating expertise and expanding opportunities for formal choral instruction," the announcement says.<\p>
Florence Eiseman sees bigger potential for annual warehouse sale
Iconic designer children’s-wear maker Florence Eiseman continues growing its e-commerce revenue, but the Milwaukee-based company recently rediscovered the power of the annual sale at its hometown warehouse, with plans to enhance it.<\p> This year’s warehouse sale in April drew an estimated 5,000 deal-seekers over three days. The event has emerged as an unanticipated growth vehicle for Florence Eiseman, said Ben Krejci, who has been CEO since June 2023 after three years cultivating Florence Eiseman’s e-commerce presence.<\p>
Chase Tower seeks to refill office space, debuts renovated lobby
With a newly transformed lobby and recently added building amenities, the owners and brokers of downtown Milwaukee's Chase Tower are hopeful they can attract the next company that decides to relocate to the city.<\p> The 22-story office building at 111 E. Wisconsin Ave. is about 60% occupied, and its listing brokers are in active negotiations with new companies that could help refill the tower by leasing more than 80,000 square feet, according to Colliers International | Wisconsin vice president Jenna Maguire.<\p>
Froedtert & Medical College clinic planned for Cedarburg
A Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin primary care clinic is planned to open in Cedarburg in spring 2025.<\p> The new clinic will provide internal medicine and pediatric care services at N69 W5269 Columbia Road. The building previously was occupied by a BMO Bank branch that closed last year.<\p>
Oconomowoc penthouse with private terrace listed for $3.2M: Open House
A barely lived-in luxury condo in downtown Oconomowoc hit the market earlier this month for $3.2 million. The penthouse unit features a massive private terrace with views of the area's lakes.<\p> The unit sits atop the Fowler Lake Village condo building, which was built in 2021. It spans 3,200 square feet on the interior with two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. There's also a 1,700-square-foot outdoor terrace. <\p>
Buffalo Wild Wings sets opening for suburban to-go restaurant
A Buffalo Wild Wings Go restaurant opens this weekend in Glendale as the sports bar chain continues to expand its to-go locations in southeast Wisconsin.<\p> The new location opens at 6969 N. Port Washington Road at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, according to a press release.<\p>
BRP makes nearly 300 layoffs at Racine County plant
BRP Inc. laid off 298 employees in two rounds of job cuts at its Sturtevant plant, with the company citing softening consumer demand for the recreational boat industry.<\p> The Quebec, Canada-based company filed a mass layoff notice Thursday with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The notice said BRP laid off 150 employees in March and another 148 on Thursday in Sturtevant.<\p>
Lakefront Brewery agrees to buy Kenosha brewery
For the first time in its history, Lakefront Brewery plans to acquire another Wisconsin brewing company. <\p> Founder and president Russ Klisch told the Milwaukee Business Journal on Friday that the brewery has signed a letter of intent to purchase Public Craft Brewing Co. in Kenosha. The move comes as Public Craft Brewing's ownership plans to retire. <\p>
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