— In Chicago for a national wind energy conference, Gov. Jim Doyle pointed to the experience of Wisconsin Rapids as an example of how wind energy is creating jobs in this recession. He said Wisconsin Rapids is transforming from a paper-making manufacturing town to one that will soon be home to a large wind turbine blade factory with more than 400 workers. “We really appreciate wind power,” Doyle said during a national news conference at the American Wind Energy Association’s WINDPOWER 2009 conference and exhibition in Chicago. “The Midwest, I believe, can serve, can be much of the answer to America’s energy problems.” Doyle joined the governors of Iowa, Michigan and Ohio, along with Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in talking Tuesday about how wind energy is helping communities that have lost manufacturing jobs. Read more from the conference: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.Iml?Article=157744 — The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Pfizer announced that they have signed a license for human embryonic stem cell patents for the development of new drug therapies. The WARF license provides Pfizer the rights to work with the cells for drug research and discovery. “Pfizer’s stem-cell R&D goal is three fold: to use human cells as tools in our drug discovery efforts, to improve the safety of new treatments and most importantly to move towards cell therapy,” said Ruth McKernan, chief scientific officer of Pfizer Regenerative Medicine.. “The benefit to public health could be tremendous as we pursue our discoveries to advance the treatment of debilitating diseases.” “We are pleased to enter into this licensing agreement with Pfizer,” said Carl E. Gulbrandsen, managing director of WARF. “Pfizer’s access to this key intellectual property may have far-reaching benefits for both public health and Wisconsin’s growing biotechnology industry.” — BizTimes Milwaukee reports that Sussex-based Quad/Graphics Inc. is laying off another 140 employees this week, as slow orders and economic conditions continue. The cuts will be made from Quad’s national workforce, but most will be in Wisconsin, where it has its largest operations, said Claire Ho, a company spokesperson. The layoffs will be made in the company’s pre-press and QuadTech operations, she said. Read more in a BizTimes story: http://www.biztimes.com/daily/2009/5/5/#quad-graphics-to-lay-off-another-140-employees — A business data security site is now available from TDS Telecommunications Corp. to help educate customers about the proper methods for protecting a business. The TDS Security Center includes information for small and medium-sized businesses and includes methods, both free and paid, to increase security immediately. Site features include a free PC scan, a free network security test, a collection of articles on security, a glossary of terms, and a link to the security blog of TDS vendor F-Secure. Visit the site: http://www.tdstelecom.com/bizsecurity Read more about the new site: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.Iml?Article=157714 — Attendees can learn more about a successful model for campus entrepreneurship from Charles Hoslet, managing director of the UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations, at the Thursday, May 14 meeting of the Wisconsin Innovation Network in Milwaukee. The meeting will be held at Brookfield Suites Hotel and Convention Center, 1200 S. Moorland Road, just off I-94 in Brookfield. Registration and networking begins at 11:30 a.m., lunch at noon and the presentation at 12:30 p.m. The cost is $10 for students, $25 for WIN members, $35 for non-members and included with WIN corporate memberships. See details: http://www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/Events/win/index.aspx?ID=674 — Community leaders and organizers, local government officials, federal and state agency professionals, businesses, and community development specialists interested in strengthening Wisconsin’s rural communities are encouraged to attend Wisconsin Rural Summit 6. The event is due to be held Friday June 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The theme of this year’s summit is: Rallying Communities: Re-frame, Re-build, Innovate! See details: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.Iml?Article=157708 TOP STORIES Quad/Graphics to lay off 140 more employees: The cuts will be made from the Sussex-based company’s national workforce, but the majority will be in Wisconsin where the firm has its largest base of operations. The layoffs will be made in the company’s pre-press and QuadTech operations. Pfizer, WARF reach accord on stem-cell drug therapies : Pfizer Inc. on Tuesday announced a licensing agreement with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, or WARF, for the development of drug therapies using human embryonic stem cells. PDQ Food Stores sold to employees: With 550 employees and 46 stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and California, the company became 100 percent employee-owned as of last Thursday, PDQ spokesman Phil Troia said Tuesday. Laid off to get reprieve from Associated Bank: Associated Bank said Tuesday it will allow some unemployed customers to defer up to a year’s worth of mortgage payments.
************************************************************ See commentary from around the state and columns from WisBusiness contributors Jennifer Sereno, Kevin McKinley, Tom Burzinski, Gregg Hoffmann, Tom Still and Steve Jagler: ************************************************************ TECHNOLOGY (back to top)
BIOTECH (back to top)
ECONOMY (back to top)
MANUFACTURING (back to top) – Papermaker Appleton unfazed by sales decline – Miller Lite sales keep falling – Spectrum Brands reports loss of $60.4 million – Kohl lobbies to keep Chrysler plant open in Kenosha – Strattec increases reserves in response to Chrysler bankruptcy – Harley to focus strategy on women, minorities – Stevens Point brings back ‘Nude Beach’ brew
LABOR (back to top)
REAL ESTATE (back to top) – UWM lakefront plan draws opposition – Northwestern Mutual to sell Maryland apartment site
AGRIBUSINESS (back to top) – Regional Farm Production Costs Decline Three Percent in April – Thousands of Gallons of Milk Missing From Cheese Plant – Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center Gets New Manager – Hartung Brothers sells fertilizer division
TRANSPORTATION (back to top)
REGULATION (back to top)
TOURISM (back to top)
UTILITIES (back to top) – Wisconsin Energy sees fall in sales
FINANCIAL SERVICES (back to top) – Mortgages tougher to secure
MANAGEMENT (back to top) – CEO tells shareholders the lender avoids ‘train wrecks’
PRESS RELEASES (back to top) For these and more releases visit http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Content=82 |
Quick links
WisBusiness sponsors Media partners National business round-ups |
(c)2009 WisBusiness.com.
All rights reserved. Reproduction or retransmission of this
publication, in whole or in part, without the express permission of
WisBusiness.com is prohibited. Unauthorized reproduction violates
United States copyright law (17 USC 101 et seq.), as does
retransmission by facsimile or any other electronic means, including
electronic mail.
