Volume 2 - Issue 33 - Circulation 3,500 - Week of 08.13.09 to 08.20.09
About This Publication - Always Online at WisconsinDevelopment.com
Warren and Madison - 8/14/09 - Atty Michael Polsky has been appointed the Receiver of the Three Bears Hotel and Indoor Waterpark & Jellystone Resort in Warrens Wisconsin. Brian Wolff and Joe Weirick of CB Richard Ellis have been assigned to market and dispose of the property. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a hotel, waterpark and campground resort properties located on a total of 145.14 acres. These properties can be sold
individually. The property is located off Interstate 94, midway between Chicago, IL and Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. It is being offered without a price on a bid basis.
Ken Notes: You have to see the brochure on this one. What an amazing piece of property. This would make a great corporate retreat or conference center. BROCHURE HERE.
Madison - 8/18/2009 - The most visible empty lot on bustling Williamson Street could soon become a three-story, 31-unit apartment building with retail space on the bottom floor. Developer Scott Lewis and CMI Inc. are proposing a $3.3 million makeover at the corner of Williamson and Baldwin streets, across from the Crystal Corner Bar...
Wisconsin - AUG 17, 2009 - Just released equalized property values for the State of Wisconsin show a decline in total property values in the state for only the second time in 50 years. Ken Harwood with WisconsinDevelopment.com suggests, "These figures are used by communities to collect property taxes in the state. A decline will either mean less revenue or higher tax rates for communities. If the State maintains limits or caps on rate increases this could present real challenges for the communities and schools in Wisconsin"
Ken Notes: Related Links:
Changes in Equalized Values for Selected Cities
History of Equalized Values
Changes in Equalized Values by Class of Property
County Rankings in County Order Growth in Equalized Value
Wisconsin - AUG 17, 2009 - Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D) has decided against seeking a third term in 2010, a decision that opens up another competitive gubernatorial contest in the upper Midwest...
Ken Notes: I have an op-ed on what a new Governor should focus on in BizTimes and an upcoming CIREX Digest HERE. This may be reprinted.
Other Links:
Governor Doyle Website
Google News On Governors Announcement
Madison - 8/18/2009 - For almost two years, Madison's branch of the Internet giant Google has operated quietly. When the company moved last August to a permanent office at 301 S. Blount St., it had a public coming out ceremony with Madison officials, but operations since have been under the radar. This seems appropriate, however, given that the approximately 10-person office focuses primarily on behind-the-scenes hardware and software designed to help Google run faster...
Ken Notes: Again a UW tie brings a major player to the area. We need to foster these relationships as much as we can.
Madison - 8/18/2009 - What if the prospective Edgewater developer took a whole different direction with his plan for the hotel on Lake Mendota at Wisconsin Avenue and Langdon Street? What if he put aside the idea of dominating the site with an 11-story tower and instead tried to make the new hotel invisible - make it blend into the natural setting?...
Ken Notes: A very interesting read, but I have to ask if economics was considered as this vision unfolded. The Edgewater project is tracked on FutureWisconsin.com/ProjectTracker.
Wisconsin - 8/18/2009 - Milwaukee-based Marshall & Ilsley, Wisconsin's largest bank, is at risk of failure because of a high percentage of nonperforming loans, according to a report in Bloomberg News. M&I was named in the report as the largest U.S. bank with nonperforming loans making up 5 percent or more of its holdings. Regulators say that when the percentage of bad loans reaches that level it can wipe out a bank's equity and threaten its survival...
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...
Madison - 8/18/2009 - Waukesha-based businessman Scott Acker admits he was warned about trying to get quick approval from the city of Madison for a giant new restaurant and sports bar inside University Square. "Now I know what everybody meant," says Acker, who is pursuing a $4 million, three-floor development inside the mixed-use complex at the corner of West Johnson and Lake streets...
Ken Notes: Ouch. I watched the first hearing and think the developer would have come back with some good ideas but to not have the meeting is unfair to both Scott Acker and the community.
Evansville - Aug 19, 2009 - AMCORE Bank announced on Wednesday morning that Union Bank & Trust in Evansville will be buying two AMCORE branches. The branches are in New Glarus and Belleville. The deal includes approximately $21 million in loans and $36 million in deposits and sweep accounts. The transaction is expected to close late in the fourth quarter of 2009. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed....
Wisconsin - 8/17/2009 - When economic development experts talk about a post-recession Wisconsin, they're usually focused on anything "tech" -- whether it's biotech, info-tech or medical tech. But a new report from University of Wisconsin-Extension suggests that agriculture remains a key component of the state economy, generating nearly $60 billion in sales and providing more than 350,000 jobs in 2007. ...
Ken Notes: Agriculture is the backbone of the state. We need to support farmers and seek new outlets for production. I also think we should at least explore agri-tourism. The new brewery at New Glarus and the Wollersheim Winery are great examples of destination attractions.
Madison Area - 8/15/2009 - In a closet-sized room on the second floor of the Network 222 building in downtown Madison, computers from the nation's ninth largest teleservices firm are flickering silently but incessantly, handling up to 1,200 phone lines at the same moment.Headquartered at 222 W. Washington Ave. with call centers in Monroe, Whitewater and Eau Claire, Charlton employs more than 1,100 people statewide, including 25 in Madison. With some 400 workers, the firm's Monroe call center is the second-largest employer in Green County...
Ken Notes: Again an industry with huge potential and great employment opportunities. Neenah and the Fox Valley also has a huge presence in field. Next time you track a package or book a Disney Hotel you are probably talking to an old neighbor of mine (Ken was the former Mayor of Neenah) -- of course if you ask about the weather it will be 78 and sunny even in February. We have also lost a few large call center players like Lands End.
Wisconsin - AUG 19, 2009 - Wisconsin lost more than 31,000 manufacturing jobs between June 2008 and June 2009, for a record-breaking overall drop of 5 percent, according to an industry directory. The Wisconsin Manufacturers Register, published annually by Manufacturers News, reported this week the state lost 31,296 industrial jobs and 413 manufacturing companies during that 12-month period. It was the sharpest decline recorded in the past 25 years, the company said....
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
Dane County - 8/13/2009 - Foreclosures almost doubled in July in Dane County compared to a year earlier, but they did fall from June, RealtyTrac reported. The online foreclosure listing company said 216 foreclosure filings were made in Dane County in July, up from 110 in July 2008 but down from 296 in June...
Ken Notes: Again I will note that we are a little behind the curve in this area. Madison has fared better than most regions but will still experience some additional downturn.
Wisconsin - Aug 19, 2009 - Homes sales and home prices fell in Wisconsin during the second quarter, compared to the second quarter of 2008, according to a report from the Wisconsin Realtors Association. Home sales in the state were down 10.5 percent during the second quarter, which exceeded the 5.3 percent decline in the Midwest and 2.9 percent national decline for the quarter. However, the state's first quarter decline was an improvement from its 19.2 percent decline for all of 2008, compared to 2007, and the 22.6 percent decline in the first quarter of 2009, compared to the first quarter of 2008....
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...
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!...
Wisconsin - 08/14/2009 - John Peck, only half-joking, suggests Wisconsin's longtime slogan, "America's Dairyland," may need to be updated. The new slogan: "The Land of 10,000 Animal-Waste Lagoons." He also offers this nightmare scenario: "Can you imagine tourists driving up to Door County," asks Peck, executive director of Family Farm Defenders, a national organization based in Madison, "and having to endure the stench from manure lagoons produced by factory farms?"...
Ken Notes: Wisconsin needs to create a model to support the family farmer. It is one thing to suggest mega farms or mega stores are bad, but in the end it is the economy of scale that will drive the ship unless we level the field. Coops are a good example of things that work. How about tax deductions for the first 200 cows in any herd. Limit farmland property tax exemptions to 500 acres.
Janesville - AUG 19, 2009 - In more bad news for Janesville, Sanford Corp., a subsidiary of Newell Rubbermaid in Atlanta, confirmed Tuesday it will close its Janesville manufacturing facility, known for decades as the Parker Pen Co., and move its operations to other locations with excess capacity...
Ken Notes: This is too bad. I actually collect Wisconsin Made Parkers. At one time the world wrote with a Parker and several of the most important documents in the world were signed with a Wisconsin made Parker.
Fitchburg - 8/19/2009 - If all goes according to plan, the former Badger School will be the site of a major initiative for intensive urban agriculture, featuring community gardens, rooftop greenhouses, edible landscapes, demonstration sites, renewable energy and more...
- 8/13/2009 - Tax Increment Financing District (TID) 4 is back with a new name and a slightly different look. Informed earlier in the summer that TID 4 did not meet Department of Revenue specifications, the Middleton City Council on Tuesday, Aug. 3 voted unanimously to create TID 5 - a district virtually identical to its predecessor but with a handful of properties removed...
Verona - 8/19/2009 - A $2.5 million plan to improve Reddan Soccer Park will be presented to the public next week at the Verona Public Library. The Madison Area Youth Soccer Association, which has been leasing the county-owned land on Cross Country Road for almost 12 years, is hoping to draw bigger tournaments, host more games at the high school level and above and improve conditions for its current events. It's the next big step in the evolution of the 60-acre park, which has been fixed up as far as MAYSA's army of volunteers can go, said executive director Chris Lay....
Fitchburg - 8/13/2009 - The architect who will design Fitchburg's library said it might differ dramatically from the preliminary conceptual design that has received mixed reviews from residents. And, yes, the architect, Joe Huberty wants to hear from you before he designs it, which will take just a few months. Huberty, who works for the firm Engberg Anderson...
Gays Mills - August 16, 2009 - After 51 years on the banks of the Kickapoo River, Lois Mickelson has made up her mind: she'll take a government buyout of her Gay Street home and move to higher ground. Two years ago, the 76-year-old lost her furniture in a flash flood. She was inundated again just 10 months later. "I'm not really looking forward to it, because I love living down here," Mickelson said. "But I just can't deal with it anymore."...
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 Area - AUG 19, 2009 - It was a packed house at the Wisconsin Innovation Network's monthly meeting Tuesday to hear featured speaker Jim Laudon, who heads Google's Madison office...
Madison - August 12, 2009 - Six businesses seeking millions in city financial assistance for development projects, including two major Downtown hotels, ignored Madison's lobbying law, a former City Council member says.
Brenda Konkel, a council member from 2001 to 2009, claims that businesses and their lobbyists failed to register with the city clerk, didn't file expense statements and made other violations while seeking support for projects or city tax incremental financing (TIF) assistance. Konkel filed complaints against Hammes Co., which is seeking to redevelop the Edgewater Hotel; Marcus Corp., which is considering a hotel to serve Monona Terrace; Kraft Foods; Madison Development Corp./Orbitech; Danisco USA; and Pellitteri Waste Systems, which are undertaking projects or making improvements...
Ken Notes: I am confused, these developers made every effort to bring their projects to the city in the light of public opinion, worked with the city officials and mayor to get direction and guidance, and now we are suggesting they violated lobbying rules designed to prevent them from making deals behind closed doors.
Wisconsin - August 20, 2009 - In the spring of 2008, Jason Weaver appeared headed to a $22 million payday. Then a $30 million acquisition of his social media marketing business fell through, and he ended up scrambling to raise enough capital to keep Sway Inc. running. "That probably was the best thing that happened to me because, when you're forced to shoot for your dinner every month, you get really creative," said Weaver, 38, founder and chief executive officer of Middleton-based Sway....
Milwaukee - Aug. 19, 2009 - Women's Wear Daily reports today that Kohl's Corp. is looking at a site in Manhattan, in the Columbus Circle and Times Square areas. The report cites real estate sources, and is not confirmed by Kohl's. The company has a policy of not commenting on sites until they are well along into the development process...
Ken Notes: This is a good idea -- look how well going to Chicago worked for Lands End and Famous Footwear loves Missouri. When will companies learn there is an ethic in Wisconsin that is good for business...
Milwaukee County - Aug. 19, 2009 - Work began Wednesday on the first phase of a $6.2 million rebuilding of Johnsons Park, 13 acres of historic but neglected green space on the city's north side. Milwaukee County Parks Director Sue Black called the project between N. 17th and 20th streets at Fond du Lac Ave. "the only one of its kind" because it involves rebuilding a park from border to border...
Sheboygan - Aug. 17, 2009 - Herman Miller Inc. is expected to add up to 150 jobs in Sheboygan as it consolidates its Washington-based furniture business with the Nemschoff Inc. health care furniture business it bought this summer. Gov. Jim Doyle's office announced the move, which will consolidate much of the Zeeland, Mich., furniture manufacturer's health care production in Sheboygan....
A Full Service Consulting Firm
Milwaukee - Aug. 14, 2009 - Java Dave's, a chain of coffeehouses based mainly in the Southwest, has opened its first Milwaukee store, at 1401 N. King Drive, just across the street from Manpower Inc.'s headquarters. Java Dave's, which also sells dessert items, opened Monday, and will have a grand opening this coming Monday, Aug. 17. The coffeehouse is leasing space at Park Enterprise Lofts, a Gorman & Co. apartment development that includes street-level commercial space...
Shorewood - Aug. 19, 2009 - A commercial building at 4312-4334 N. Oakland Ave., Shorewood, is undergoing a major facelift: a $400,000 facade restoration, according to Village Manager Chris Swartz. The project is getting half of its funds from the local business improvement district, which is financed by Shorewood business property owners, and a tax incremental financing district, Swartz said. The latter district provides cash from the village, which is repaid through property taxes on property improvements and other new developments....
Germantown - Aug. 18, 2009 - Kessler's Diamond Center has paid $2.8 million for a 2.86-acre Germantown property which will house its operations now located in Menomonee Falls, according to broker Brian Gingrass, of Commercial Property Associates. Kessler's bought the former La-Z-Boy Furniture Gallery, at N96 W16920 County Line Road, which will be remodeled into a new 21,000-square-foot building to house a store, offices and goldsmith shop...
Brown Deer - Aug. 18, 2009 - A historic Brown Deer neighborhood with a mix of older storefronts could see some improvements, starting next year, according to sister publication Brown Deer Now. Known as the Original Village, the neighborhood is west of N. Green Bay Road and south of W. Brown Deer Road....
Aug. 15, 2009 - Twenty-five years ago, Rosemary Sparks moved into a four-bedroom condominium in the northern reaches of the city because it was affordable and convenient with lots of trees and open spaces. Located on 55 acres, the 576-unit condominium development, the largest in the state, sits at Brown Deer Road and extends to Allyn St. to the north, N. Swan Road to the east and N. 95th St. to the west. It was called North Meadows then....
A single source for all economic development news for Greater Madison and beyond. Wisconsin Development News, (WDN) is published weekly by Ken Harwood.
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Kenneth Harwood
WisconsinDevelopment.com LLC
P.O. Box 930234
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