Volume 2 - Issue 30 - Circulation 3,500 Week of 07.23.09 to 07.30.09
Always Online at WisconsinDevelopment.com

Madison Area - July 23, 2009 - In what proponents see as a sign of growing strength in the local tech sector, nine companies focused on biotechnology and information technology recently became tenants of University Research Park or its Near East Side offshoot, the Metro Innovation Center. They include two finalists in this year's Governor's Business Plan Contest and three companies relocating to Madison from other states. Products being developed by the new tenants include technology used in cancer screening, fiber-optics development and the making of veterinary drugs...

Ken Notes: I wrote a column on "Growing Our Own" a few months ago. I believe we will see more new jobs from growing companies. Of course once they grow we need to keep them here. My article is HERE.

Madison - 07/24/2009 - I have seen "The Greenest City in Europe" and lived to tell about it. I know what you're wondering: Did one of the Madison area's more likeable conservative thinkers take an unlikely carbon-neutral, Al Gore-approved "green vacation" in Europe this summer? Has he finally starting thinking globally so he can act locally? Did some mysterious transformation take place at the edge of the Black Forest?...

Ken Notes: I have issues here! I write a positive article, Vision from the Forests of Germany, about the Mayor and Freiburg and I get bupkis. Rick Berg pens far less flattering things and gets a free trip to Germany. Life is not fair. I may have to cancel my Isthmus subscription!

Dodgeville - JUL 27, 2009 - When Lands' End last month asked the city of Dodgeville if it could use Harris Park for no charge the day before its annual sale in the park, the City Council rejected the request on a 7-0 vote. That's not surprising. A Richland County Circuit Court judge ruled in May that the city over-assessed the apparel retailer's 202-acre corporate headquarters....

Madison - JUL 27, 2009 - Despite several flashy Downtown hotel proposals, the commercial credit crunch has withered what a year ago was a bountiful crop of proposed Madison area hotels. Three new hotels are opening this summer, but four other projects have been postponed or scrapped due mostly to financing problems. New hotels include Cambria Suites, 5045 Eastpark Blvd., which opened Thursday; Sleep Inn & Suites, 4802 Tradewinds Parkway, which opens Wednesday; and Fairfield Inn & Suites, 2702 Crossroads Drive, which opens Aug. 13....

Wisconsin - 7/30/2009 - Gov. Jim Doyle has presided -- certainly not by choice, but just as certainly all the same -- over a rapid and radical deindustrialization of Wisconsin, and he needs to get serious about preserving the jobs and industries that are essential to the state's future. Let's be clear at the outset that the collapse of the state's manufacturing sector is not entirely Doyle's fault...

Ken Notes: Again we need not to point fingers but instead start shaking hands as we point out the value of doing business in Wisconsin. If we spent half as much money working with the companies who are here now doing great things as we spend trying to lure new companies or prevent companies from leaving we would be in great shape. We have a lot to offer and it is not necessarily cash.

Madison - 7/27/2009 - Despite several flashy Downtown hotel proposals, the commercial credit crunch has withered what a year ago was a bountiful crop of proposed Madison area hotels. Three new hotels are opening this summer, but four other projects have been postponed or scrapped due mostly to financing problems. New hotels include Cambria Suites, 5045 Eastpark Blvd., which opened Thursday; Sleep Inn & Suites, 4802 Tradewinds Parkway, which opens Wednesday; and Fairfield Inn & Suites, 2702 Crossroads Drive, which opens Aug. 13....

Madison - July 25, 2009 - The Langdon Street House Gutted By Fire Has Been Razed, Will Remain Green Space For Now.The historic Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house at 237 Langdon St., destroyed by an early morning fire in May 2008, was razed this week with the site's future still unknown. Ryan Sugden, vice president of operations for the Sigma Phi Epsilon Alumni Board, said the fraternity just recently reached a settlement with the insurance company....

Madison - 7/28/2009 - The owner of the Malt House Tavern has won his battle to create an outdoor seating area for the craft beer bar at 2609 E. Washington Ave. City officials had wanted the Malt House to repave its parking lot and make other landscaping improvements before issuing a conditional-use permit to allow tavern owner Bill Rogers to set three picnic tables outside. Rogers had estimated the costs to comply at over $80,000...

Ken Notes: Hope we helped...

WISCONSIN - This is a comprehensive data base of all business professionals in development, planning, government, commercial real estate, architecture, construction, and service providers to business. Any professional may enter his or her own business card for free. FutureWisconsin is Wisconsin's own social networking data base to promote new business in the state...

Ken Notes: Network with professionals doing business in the state...

Wisconsin - July 28, 2009 - Midwest governors met in Chicago on Monday in a show of unity as they push for an eight-state, high-speed rail network - agreeing to set up a group that will coordinate the states' bid for a share of $8 billion in federal stimulus cash for such projects. The one-day gathering, billed as a Midwest High Speed Rail Summit, otherwise offered few new details, including how much it could cost to build the system that would connect 12 metropolitan areas with Chicago as its hub. Some estimates say it will cost at least $10 billion. Governors from eight states - Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio - had already pledged to work together to build the network, saying it would help reduce road congestion and lower greenhouse gas emissions...

Ken Notes: Imagine what the Midwest could do with 8 billion dollars addressing a comprehensive transportation system including rail. We could become the distribution hub for North America. I like the rail idea but as far as bang for buck I'm not as sure especially when there is no way to get around once you get their.

Wisconsin - JUL 25, 2009 - The prospect of linking Madison to Milwaukee, Chicago and Minneapolis by high-speed trains holds great promise. But there is work to be done before Wisconsin can conclude that high-speed rail would be a cost-effective investment. The problem is: Evidence suggests the Doyle administration, in its rush to take advantage of federal stimulus money, fails to recognize the importance of doing the homework...

Ken Notes: I have to agree with this analysis. I served on the State Rail advisory committee in the late 90's and we spent over a year looking at this issue and the variables are extensive. The most obvious is that the corridor is owned not by the State but rather private rail companies. I want a great passenger rail system but this project needs a lot more people at the table.

Madison Area - July 26, 2009 - Hotel Builders In And Around Madison Are Feeling The Pinch Of Recession, But Some Projects Are Still Getting Built.Despite several flashy Downtown hotel proposals, the commercial credit crunch has withered what a year ago was a bountiful crop of proposed Madison area hotels. Three new hotels are opening this summer, but four other projects have been postponed or scrapped due mostly to financing problems. New hotels include Cambria Suites, 5045 Eastpark Blvd., which opened Thursday; Sleep Inn & Suites, 4802 Tradewinds Parkway, which opens Wednesday; and Fairfield Inn & Suites, 2702 Crossroads Drive, which opens Aug. 13....

National - 7/30/2009 - The Internal Revenue Service is warning taxpayers to only take the first-time homebuyer tax credit if credit is due, or it could cost you dearly. The IRS has 24 ongoing criminal investigations into fraud regarding the misuse of the first-time homebuyer tax credit, which allows up to an $8,000 credit to a taxpayer buying a home for the first time (past homeowners also can qualify under certain circumstances)...

Ken Notes: Brokers, agents and loan officers need to put this on their radar screen as well. I can hear in now, "But my agent said"...

Wisconsin - JUL 29, 2009 - Wisconsin manufacturers with ideas for incorporating green energy into their plants can apply for a share of $28 million in low-interest loans approved for allocation to the State Energy Program from federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds...

WASHINGTON - 7/27/2009 - New U.S. home sales rose by the largest amount in more than eight years last month, in another sign the housing market is finally bouncing back from the worst downturn in decades. The Commerce Department said Monday that sales rose 11 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 384,000, from an upwardly revised May rate of 346,000....

Ken Notes: There are many more variables here than a simple figure reveals. Foreclosures, price reductions, unloading excess inventory, and buyers who have been waiting.

Recent commercial property listings from PropertyDrive.

Wisconsin - More than $336 million in federal stimulus money has been allocated to counties, cities, towns and villages in Wisconsin. Of that total, about $124 million has been allocated through the state Department of Transportation for road, bridge and transit projects. And more than $48 million in Housing and Urban Development funds has been allocated...

Ken Notes: Great Resource

Madison Area - July 28, 2009 - A unique environmental space just south of Madison may soon get more than $8.3 million in capital improvements, including more trails, as part of a plan to expand recreational opportunities in an area owned by more than eight different agencies. Over the next month, authors of the master plan for the Capital Springs State Recreation Area (CSSRA) are inviting public input on the proposal, including a public presentation and listening session scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29. "We hope we have a lot of people come out," said Chris James, a park planner with Dane County. "A lot of people, in the start, came out and gave ideas. Hopefully a lot of those same people will come now and see what we've done and will give us comments to help create a plan to meet the most people's needs."...

Ken Notes: This park is sort of a hidden gem within easy biking distance of Madison. Camping will be a welcome addition.

Middleton - 7/30/2009 - In an unusual move, two Middleton property owners are considering a land swap to enable new construction in an area targeted for redevelopment. Harbor Athletic Club, 2529 Allen Blvd., is proposing a multilevel facility at the old Sentry grocery location across the street....

New Glarus - July 27, 2009 - New Glarus Woods State Park gets by with a lot of - not a little - help from its friends. Among other projects, the Friends of New Glarus Woods have helped create an outdoor classroom in a restored prairie, built a wheelchair and stroller accessible nature sidewalk through the woods, created a playground that fits in beautifully with the surrounding natural world. And volunteers help coordinate nature talks nearly every Saturday night at the 431 acre state park in northern Green County...

Ken Notes: The playground alone is worth a road trip if you have kids, and if not the new brewery is a playground of another kind.

The seller of real estate is required to file a Real Estate Transfer Return (RETR) with the County Register of Deeds when recording deeds of property conveyances. State statutes require those returns to be filed electronically beginning July 1, 2009. Below is a link to the electronically filed Real Estate Transfer data as of July 1st 2009 and forward. The data will be updated on a weekly basis...

Ken Notes: This link is a regular feature of WDN...

Wisconsin - 7/29/2009 - Better financial results for the quarter ending June 30 didn't stop a few stockholders from expressing their anger at Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin officials at an annual meeting Tuesday. The parent company of AnchorBank reported a net loss of $11.8 million, or 56 cents per share, down from a $43.3 million loss during the prior quarter....

Treasury Department Debt to the Penny Link
CNN Money Scorecard
Government Recovery Website
Wisconsin State Budget Google News

Create a vibrant, innovative and prosperous entrepreneurial business climate, nurturing, connecting and celebrating entrepreneurs and their companies...

Ken Notes: A valuable resource worth visiting for all businesses in the state. A special thanks for BizStarts for compiling and sharing the resource!...

Madison - 7/29/2009 - Madison's jobless rate climbed to 6.6 percent in June, up from 6.2 percent in May, according to figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Labor. Statewide, the jobless rate was 9.2 percent in June, up from 8.7 percent in May. The national unemployment rate in June was 9.7 percent...

July 24, 2009 - July 24, 2009 - Let the stimulus begin! Madison will start spending American Recovery and Reinvestment Act construction project money on Monday, as city and federal politicos break ground for a bike and pedestrian bridge over Aberg Avenue, the last segment to be completed for the Starkweather Creek bike path...

Ken Notes: If we are spending this much on pedestrian friendly systems we need to incorporate it into our marketing plans. Bike conventions, more special events, tourism, and more companies like Saris, Trek and Pacific Cycle. All the new hotels should have a bike rental program.

Middleton - July 27, 2009 - Opposition is building in Middleton over plans to blacktop a section of trail through the popular Pheasant Branch Conservancy. The city is looking to update its bicycle and pedestrian plan, with the current proposal calling for an asphalt trail running next to an existing crushed limestone trail. Middleton city officials say a paved trail would allow bicyclists, people in wheelchairs and other users to enjoy more of the 500-acre preserve on the city's north side. The new bike/ped plan is also designed to connect isolated neighborhoods with the rest of the city...

Ken Notes: Some days you just can't win.

Madison - August 2009 - Eight great neighborhoods...

Wisconsin - This section allows you to access any of our current space needs and acquire some brief detail regarding each. You'll notice that in addition to posting our current RFPs and RFIS, we are listing other significant needs for which we are seeking space....

Ken Notes: Brokers should check this often...

Madison - July 26, 2009 - Baymont Inn & Suites, 4202 East Towne Boulevard, completed an $850,000 renovation project earlier this month that included new signs, paint, awning, entrance, roof and landscaping. The project, which began in the spring of 2008, was the most extensive since it was built as an Exel Inn in 1974, said general manager Aaron Hanus. "We were open throughout the entire process," he said....

- July 23, 2009 -

Middleton - 7/24/2009 - To pave or not to pave: that was the question facing a string of citizens who lined up to speak during a public hearing at Middleton City Hall last week. On Tuesday, July 14, dozens of residents appeared before the city's plan commission, voicing impassioned opinions about whether or not to pave the west and north segments of the Pheasant Branch Trail within the conservancy bearing the same name...

Verona - 7/27/2009 - The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District is still considering building a new water treatment plant in the southern part of Verona. It's been a possibility for several years, but a decision could be coming soon. Jon Schellpfeffer, MMSD's chief engineer and director, gave a presentation to the Verona Town Board at its July 7 meeting to update officials on long-term plans MMSD has been developing for Madison's Far West side. MMSD is a few months from completing its 50-year master plan - a general outline of what the sewer district will need to build or expand to keep up with increasing sewage demands resulting from development in the Madison area....

Fitchburg - 7/28/2009 - Where should new houses be located in rural Fitchburg? That's a topic being addressed by the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, which will develop guidelines for clustering houses in rural areas. It's the latest development in an often contentious relationship with rural landowners, many of whom have chafed under restrictions imposed by the city..

Stoughton - 7/23/2009 - Built during World War I, the Fourth Street Dam is undergoing a rehabilitation project designed to ensure the viability of the city landmark for generations to come. Since mid-June, a construction crew from Marshfield-based Staab Construction has been working on the multi-faceted project, which includes replacing the two huge gates - called tainter gates...

Milwaukee - July 30, 2009 - A $34.5 million proposal to buy and redevelop 84 acres of the former Tower Automotive Inc. site, and to make other nearby improvements, has been delayed to give the city comptroller's office more time to review the plan. The comptroller's office will make a recommendation to the Common Council. The council's Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee could hold a special meeting Aug. 31 to consider the matter, said Jim Scherer of the Department of City Development. The full council could then consider the matter at its Sept. 1 meeting...

Wisconsin - July 23, 2009 - Unemployment in Beloit is nearly 19 percent, more than twice the state figure and the worst in Wisconsin. The state Department of Workforce Development said Wednesday that Beloit's unemployment rate was 18.6 percent in June, up from 18.1 percent the previous month. It was 7.7 percent last June. Racine was second-worst at 16.6 percent, followed by West Bend, Janesville and Manitowoc, all above 13 percent. Of the state's 72 counties, unemployment rates improved in 11, worsened in 57 and stayed unchanged in four. Dane County had the best figure at 6.3 percent. The worst was Menominee County at 15.6 percent....

Ken Notes: This is sad because many of these cities have some of the best workforces in the country.

Germantown - July 29, 2009 - Cambridge Major Laboratories will dedicate a new manufacturing plant Today that greatly expands its capacity. The expansion signals that Cambridge Major, a supplier of active ingredients to the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, intends to compete aggressively in an area where Asian companies are taking more market share. Cambridge Major spent more than $40 million on the facility...

Ken Notes: As business professionals, we need to send Mike Major (CEO) a thank you note for doing business in Wisconsin. If someone could forward him a copy of this I'd be grateful. Their press release is HERE.

Milwaukee - JUL 29, 2009 - he Milwaukee Common Council on Tuesday gave final approval of a detailed plan development for the proposed Rivianna development. Rivianna Development Group LLC, which includes developers Bob Schultz and Harry Drea, want to build a building on a vacant lot in the Fifth Ward at 236 S. Water St. with three 15 story...

Ken Notes: This project will be tracked by the FutureWisconsin.com ProjectTracker. Watch for details...

Milwaukee - July 29, 2009 - Housing prices in the Milwaukee area decreased 11.86 percent in May compared to a year ago, according to newly released data from First American CoreLogic and its LoanPerformance Home Price Index (HPI). The national decline in housing prices appears to be slowing, according to the report. National housing prices fell 9.2 percent in May compared to a year ago representing the smallest year-over-year decline recorded in 2009 and the lowest since December 2007, according to May's decline was a 0.5 percent improvement over the 9.7 percent decline in April...

Eau Claire - July 29, 2009 - RAI Stone Group, a Minneapolis financial services firm, is moving its head office to Eau Claire, the company announced Tuesday. The company, which was founded in 2008, will relocate its five-person staff to Eau Claire, and will hire five to seven more people immediately. RAI Stone estimates it will hire 50 people in the Eau Claire area over the next three years...

Mt. Pleasant - July 29, 2009 - Shanghai-based China SINB Group recently purchased 54 acres of land along Highway 11 in Mt. Pleasant in Racine County. SINB is a diversified holding company that is comprised of several units, including heavy steel industry, heavy equipment manufacturing, property development, deep water port development, international trade and financial investment. The company has not announced specific plans for the property in Mt. Pleasant, but the site could provide a base for SINB's business units in North America. Alternatively, the Company is considering further development of the site as a business park...

Milwaukee - July 28, 2009 - The vacancy rate for the Milwaukee downtown office market hit 19.1% at the end of the second quarter, according to a report released Tuesday by Colliers International. The U.S. average for downtown office vacancy rates was 13.74% for the three months ending June 30, compared with 11.14% from the year-earlier period, said Boston-based Colliers International, a network of commercial real estate brokerage firms that includes Milwaukee's Colliers Barry...

Milwaukee - JUL 28, 2009 - Plans for a controversial apartment building will proceed at the Hide House complex, in Milwaukee's Bay View area, following today's Common Council vote. The council voted 10-4 to approve historical designation for the older portion of the Hide House, formerly the Greenebaum tannery, 2625 S. Greeley St. That designation applies to the portion of the Hide House, built in 1898, that developers General Capital Group and Joseph Property Development are converting to artist studios and other uses....

South Milwaukee - JUL 29, 2009 - Organizers of the Milwaukee area's newest farmers market are hoping for an encore performance of last Thursday's debut - part of the city's efforts to revive a lagging downtown. A bumper crop of local residents showed up to buy fresh vegetables, flowers, hand-crafted jewelry, baked goods, pierogi and Polish sausages from 20 vendors at the corner of 11th and Milwaukee avenues...

Sussex - July 27, 2009 - Beer wholesaler W.O.W. Distributing Co. plans to expand its Sussex facility, a move that will add 25 jobs. The Sussex Plan Commission has approved a proposal to add 106,150 square feet to W.O.W.'s 156,628-square-foot facility, at W222 N5700 Miller Way. That project includes a 60,000-square-foot warehouse addition, and 30,000 square feet of additional offices, according to village records....

Menomonee Falls - July 27, 2009 - Construction of a new Woodman's Foods in Menomonee Falls could hurt other retail development plans in that community, according to a recent article in Menomonee Falls Now, a sister publication....

Ken Notes: article is HERE.

Milwaukee - JUL 26, 2009 - Tearing down the Park East freeway spur was a daring and progressive move, many urban planners will tell you. What we've got, though, as we wait for residential, office, retail and entertainment development to take root, is a swath of open land. Some call it an eyesore. Several artists, though, call it an opportunity. In:Site, a temporary public art organization, has created a project featuring 11 art installations on 16 blocks of the Park East corridor. Watch as these installations take shape over the course of the summer....

A single source for all economic development news for Greater Madison and beyond. Wisconsin Development News, (WDN) is published weekly by Ken Harwood.

Available to commercial brokers, developers, financial professionals, community planners, public officials, the press and others who have expressed an interest in Wisconsin development. All stories should link to their original source in the original context. These pages may contain advertising, and I encourage patronage of both our sponsors and the related advertisers and publications I link too.

We link to Editorial and Opinion articles each week, this does not suggest we agree with the stance of the author. The "Ken Notes" items are the opinion of our editor. We will include any comments or feedback sent to WDN. Ken also writes a monthly column for Capitol Region Business Journal and other state publications.

The focus for WDN is to create a positive view of economic development for the Greater Madison Region. The publication will also feature news from around the state, nation, and world that offers insight to policy, trends, and projects that may be of interest to the reader.

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Ken

Kenneth Harwood
WisconsinDevelopment.com LLC
P.O. Box 930234
Verona, WI 53593-0234
608.334.2174
ken@wisconsindevelopment.com