— Though April unemployment showed slight improvement across the Midwest (except Ohio), mixed economic signs persist in the Federal Reserve Board’s June Beige Book. The Beige Book is an anecdotal look at economic conditions across the country. Although auto sales inched up in May, auto industry bankruptcies and poor demand for heavy trucks and machinery produced further job losses in Midwestern states. The Fed’s Beige Book reported that hiring remained low outside of education, healthcare, and technical fields such as engineering and information technology. See more in a new WisBusiness story: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=161346 — A former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic told state business leaders that Eastern Europe has one of the most hospitable investment climates in the world. “These are stable democracies,” Rick Graber told WMC’s Leadership Summit at the Chula Vista Resort on Wednesday. “Eastern Europe is the best way to access Western Europe. “They are important voices in EU and NATO, good friends of the United States, and in residents of Eastern Europe have memories of Communism that are extremely vivid and will not return to the past.” Graber told the summit that businesses will find “cheap skilled labor in already-industrialized countries.” Read more from Graber’s speech: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=161354 — Members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation met on Capitol Hill with officials from General Motors to make their case for the embattled car company to maintain its presence in the Badger State as it retools in the wake of its massive reorganization. “We felt that we got a lot of good information and we’re looking forward to continuing our efforts,” said U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Milwaukee, after the Wednesday afternoon meeting. “Each of us made the case for Janesville. We know how important this is to our community,” said U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville. See more from the meeting: http://blogs.wispolitics.com/dcwrap/2009/06/janeville-area-delegation-meets-with-gm.html — Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee Co. Exec. Scott Walker and two legislators on Wednesday panned a Joint Finance Committee-approved plan for regional transportation authorities. State Sen. Jeff Plale, D-South Milwaukee, said there is a “great amount of consternation about the way the JFC cobbled together the RTA provision.” “It’s like they put Frankenstein together but used all the bad pieces,” Plale quipped to about 180 people attending a WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com forum on the future of southeastern Wisconsin transportation. The plan is now before majority Assembly Democrats but could get changed during the final weeks of the process making the budget for the next two years. See more from the forum: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=161389 TOP STORIES Rockwell to shutter plants in Iowa, Georgia: Rockwell Automation Inc. plans to shutter factories in Sumner, Iowa, and Dublin, Ga., in 2010, leaving more than 300 workers without jobs. Plexus partners with Coca Cola on new variety of soda fountain: Plexus Corp. on Wednesday announced a partnership with The Coca-Cola Co. to make a new fountain dispenser that can put out more than 100 different branded beverages from a freestanding machine. Wisconsin lawmakers make case for Janesville GM plant: Four congressional lawmakers from Wisconsin made a pitch to General Motors Corp. executives Wednesday to retool the company’s Janesville plant to make smaller cars. Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl, and Reps. Tammy Baldwin and Paul Ryan met for about an hour in Kohl’s office with Troy Clarke, who heads GM’s North American Division, and Tim Lee, vice president of manufacturing, to discuss the company’s plans.
************************************************************ See commentary from around the state and columns from WisBusiness contributors Jennifer Sereno, Kevin McKinley, Tom Burzinski, Gregg Hoffmann, Tom Still and Steve Jagler: ************************************************************
ECONOMY (back to top) – Dealers’ inventory low as supply-demand gap closes
MANUFACTURING (back to top)
LABOR (back to top)
REAL ESTATE (back to top) – Proposed ‘sensible’ DNR shoreland zoning rules protect lakeshores – Metro-area home sales declined in May, but Realtors are busy – Light industrial building planned for south side
AGRIBUSINESS (back to top) – Lower crop supplies could mean higher food prices
TRANSPORTATION (back to top) – Business Beat: Midwest high-speed rail plan appears on track – Fox Cities transit authority would be reinstated
RETAIL (back to top) – New restaurant, new retail planned at Bayshore
UTILITIES (back to top)
HEALTH CARE (back to top) – Aurora opening Summit clinic early
FINANCIAL SERVICES (back to top)
MANAGEMENT (back to top) – Alma mater to honor Baird’s Purcell – Waukesha County Museum overhauls board PRESS RELEASES (back to top) For these and more releases visit http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Content=82 |
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