Volume 2 - Issue 4 - Circulation 3,500 Week of 1.22.09 to 1.29.09

Wisconsin - 1/28/2009 - Addressing the state at a dark hour and calling it "a time of sacrifice," Gov. Jim Doyle sought to bolster Wisconsin's spirit Wednesday with the bare planks of his seventh and bleakest State of the State speech. "It is a time when we will be responsible with what we have. This not a time for big new programs," Doyle said in a prepared speech devoid of the splashy spending initiatives unveiled in recent addresses. "What isn't needed will be cut. And unfortunately...

Ken Notes: This may finally be the time to explore economy of scale and real cooperation among units of government. Not to mention public private partnerships.

Madison - 1/27/2009 - Marcus Corp. won't have to include special bike and bus facilities at its proposed 16-screen movie theater complex on vacant land at U.S. 151 and Nelson Road. The Madison Plan Commission Monday night OK'd a rezoning to allow development of a 47-acre parcel on the city's far eastern fringe. Milwaukee-based Marcus hopes to have the entertainment complex, including 12 lanes of bowling and a sports bar, open for the Christmas season of 2009...

Ken Notes: Before the headline grabs you, note that the pedestrian request included a $1.5 million pedestrian/bicycle overpass.

Madison - January 26, 2009 - The $5.3 million remodeling of the fourth floor of the GEF 3 state office building was unanimously approved Monday by the state Building Commission but not without a few questions raised about the price tag.Commission member Terry McGuire said the estimate to renovate 23,840 square feet of the 31-year-old General Executive Facility 3, 125 S. Webster St., "looked more like $200 a square foot," than the $75 per square foot quoted to the nine-member commission Monday by Peter Maternowski of the Division of State Facilities...

Ken Notes: Read this if you want to know why I believe that the private sector should get involved...

NEW YORK - 1/26/2009 - A flood of federal bailout money pushed a private research group's monthly forecast of economic activity unexpectedly higher in December, while a decline in home prices boosted housing sales. Existing home sales rose 6.5 percent in December to an annual rate of 4.74 million units, as the median home sales price plunged 15.3 percent to $175,400 from $207,000 a year ago. The decline is the largest year-over-year drop in records going back to 1968....

Ken Notes: Does anyone else feel like this is a roller coaster and these are the teases before the big drop...

Madison - 1/28/2009 - Third-generation family business Henshue Construction, Inc. is the latest local casualty of the economic downturn. Henshue will lay off approximately 66 employees and permanently close its facility at 313 W. Beltline Highway on March 30, the Department of Workforce Development announced Tuesday....

Ken Notes: We have great workers in the area needing great jobs. We all need to become ambassadors for the area and the state...

Milwaukee - 1/28/2009 - Madison-based Gorman & Company announced that the first new apartment residents will move into its Blue Ribbon Lofts, in the former Pabst brewery complex, on Friday, Jan. 30. The first commercial office tenant, The Albion Group, in the complex moved into their new quarters in the former Boiler House building at 1243 N. 10th St, in the heart of the old Pabst Brewery, over the holidays. More than 25 employees occupy the first floor space, which was completed in late December. ...

Ken Notes: A very nice project! By the way I need some better photos of this project for the web.

Madison - JAN 26, 2009 - The city of Madison's new economic development director appears energetic and knowledgeable -- especially when it comes to regional cooperation and high-tech economic development. The hiring of Timothy Cooley last week suggests Madison is making progress on the important task of encouraging job creation and high-paying jobs...

Ken Notes: Tim will be a good advocate for the city and the region.

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 - 1/28/2009 - The Acacia Fraternity house, a stately three-story Tudor revival built in 1927 at 222 Langdon St., is badly in need of expensive repairs. To pay for the redevelopment, the fraternity has formed a joint venture with the Alexander Co. that calls for a new five-story apartment with 18 units to be built in a gravel parking lot fronting Lakelawn Place....

Monona - January 27, 2009 - The Menards store in Monona could be getting bigger and that could help the redevelopment of the East Broadway corridor. The Eau Claire-based home-improvement company has submitted plans to the city of Monona for a $2 million to $3 million project that would increase the size of the store, create a new drive-thru warehouse and move some businesses to make way for the expansion. The company has purchased four acres of land at 925 E. Broadway, to the west of the store, which is at 6401 Copps Ave. The addition will give the store frontage on the busier Broadway but its main entrances would remain on Copps Avenue...

Wisconsin - 1/28/2009 - Anyone deluding themselves into thinking January 2009 was going to bring some kind of overnight economic miracle is getting a cold dose of reality. The stock market is again spiraling downward, corporate profits are in free fall and the layoff announcements are coming so swiftly it's hard to keep track. Just ask the Wisconsin unemployment office...

Wisconsin - January 25, 2009 - Small business is generally recognized to be a significant component of metropolitan economies and a major generator of new jobs. Consequently, the encouragement of entrepreneurial activity is an important element in many economic development efforts. There are many ways to measure small business. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, Wisconsin had 116,137 small employers in 2005, representing 98 percent of the state's employers and 53.5 percent of its private-sector employment. Some businesses do not have employees, outside of family members. In 2007, Wisconsin was home to 288,000 self-employed (both incorporated and unincorporated businesses)....

Ken Notes: We need to promote the area as a great place to start a small business as well as wine and dine the larger companies. The best way to attract a small start up is word of mouth.

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 - January 22, 2009 - The listing of area building permits is gathered from records filed with planning officials in Madison, Fitchburg, Middleton and Sun Prairie. The listing includes new residential construction, as well as non-residential construction totaling at least $100,000....

Ken Notes: Not many I'm afraid...

Madison - January 29, 2009 - Despite the tough economy, area restaurants participating in Restaurant Week said it has been a good week for business. Maria Guerrero reports. ...

Ken Notes: Mmmm...

madison - 2/29/09 - Only two more days tonight and Friday call Johnny D...

Madison - January 24, 2009 - If Wisconsin ever was in the running for an IBM service center expected to employ up to 1,300 workers, state and local economic development officials weren't aware of it. The computer giant said last week that it was opening the $100 million facility in Dubuque, Iowa, just across the Mississippi River from the Badger state and about 90 miles southwest of Madison. "IBM did not contact us" about the project, said Tony Hozeny, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Commerce....

Ken Notes: I wrote an article about this last November Not on the list.

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...

Madison - Friday, January 23, 2009 - Construction on the new Madison Children's Museum is set to start Jan. 30 at 100 N. Hamilton St. And interior deconstruction is already under way. The museum's remaining hurdle is a fundraising figure of $2.35 million. That is a smaller number now than it was a month ago thanks to a $750,000 challenge grant the museum was awarded from The Kresge Foundation....

Ken Notes: Good project great people! Tough time to look for money. Have I mentioned lately that the Frautchi's should be sainted.

Madison Area - 1/28/2009 - Sharon Blando, a petite 58-year-old grandmother from Milwaukee, lay sedated in the surgery room of the Parfitt Facial Cosmetic Surgery Center in Middleton, her mouth and eyes wide open. The skin on her face had been lifted, tightened and stapled back to her scalp...This is my favorite part." He pulled. Like magic, Blando's wrinkles disappeared...

Ken Notes: Come for a football game stay for a lift...Never mind.

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!...

Verona - 1/23/2009 - The city's Comprehensive Planning Committee apparently is on the right track. The Common Council and Plan Commission had mostly minor revisions and suggestions to offer Monday night at a joint meeting designed to make sure everyone was on the same page. With the meeting marching along at a mostly steady pace in order to keep it under two hours, alders and commissioners didn't generally engage in the sort of discussion that might inspire any serious brainstorming. There were a few notable additions and deletions, but mostly the group asked clarifying questions and nodded along as various committee members ...

Madison - WED., JAN 28, 2009 - Some students, staff and former faculty are upset with a proposal to transform Madison Area Technical College’s Mitby Theater into a welcome center. The recommendation is part of the college’s master plan, a 10-year vision for MATC’s future which was presented before the district board Wednesday night. The plan, still in the conceptual phases, will before go through several more reviews before it is expected to be adopted at a March board meeting...

Ken Notes: Another opportunity for compromise. A more public facility capable of hosting several type of events including theater?

North Madison - 1/24/2009 - If anyone was looking for consensus at a recent hearing about a major road being proposed north of Lake Mendota, they were sorely disappointed. What did take place at a hearing and joint meeting of the Middleton Common Council and Plan Commission on Tuesday, Jan. 13 was a lengthy and lively debate over the North Mendota Parkway's potential impact on urban development, a vast stretch of ecologically sensitive land, and existing landowners....

Madison Area - Monday, January 26, 2009 - New construction in the Madison metropolitan area dropped 13 percent in 2008 from 2007, according to statistics released Monday by McGraw-Hill Construction. Residential construction took a huge hit in 2008, down 37 percent from a year before, while non-residential construction actually went up 10 percent from 2007. Total building dollar figures in the three-county metro area, including Dane, Columbia and Iowa Counties...

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...

Stoughton - JAN 28, 2009 - The Yahara River Grocery Cooperative in Stoughton is getting closer to raising the $30,000 it needs to secure a loan from the county but has just over two weeks to secure the final $10,000. The co-op, which opened at 229 E. Main St. last March, has raised about $20,000 but needs the balance by Feb. 13. That's when the county's Dane County Community Block Grant Commission's Revolving Loan Fund committee will consider giving the co-op a $60,000 loan to pay down debt and purchase more inventory...

Ken Notes: Lets hope they can get this off the ground...

Madison - January 22, 2009 - Movin' Out, Inc., a statewide housing organization, will receive $1.5 million to purchase, rehab and operate 11 units of housing in Madison for tenants with disabilities. Movin' Out will use the funds to purchase and rehabilitate 11 one- and two-bedroom condominium units on Madison's east side to a high standard of accessibility, with new appliances and decor. It was the agency's first try at securing the competitive 811 funding...

Madison - 1/26/2009 - Shares of Madison-based Great Wolf Resorts Inc. rose 7.6 percent Monday after the indoor water park resort company announced that its lenders have agreed to extend a mortgage loan through November, removing a key concern of investors. Great Wolf shares gained 17 cents to $2.39 on Monday...

MILWAUKEE - JANUARY 29, 2009 - The economic recovery plan passed by the U.S. House on Wednesday earmarks about $2.4 billion for Wisconsin and roughly half is designated as state budget aid. The other big chunk — $564 million — is for highways and bridges....

Wisconsin - January 22, 2009 - Department of Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman had a blunt assessment for the latest rise in unemployment figures in Wisconsin. "We will get through this," the secretary said as she released the monthly report, which showed Wisconsin's unemployment rate for December was 5.8 percent, up 0.5 percent from November and 1.2 percent from December 2007...

Ken Notes: We have to take this personally - it is our problem. If everyone reading this created just 10 new jobs...

NEW YORK - 1/27/2009 - The nation's retailers had a rough 2008, but this year will likely be even scarier, according to a sales forecast released Tuesday from the world's largest retail trade organization. Retailers are expected to record a 0.5 percent drop in revenue in 2009, the first annual decline in three decades and perhaps much longer,...

Wauwatosa - January 29, 2009 - No major renovations needed; program to start next fall. Wauwatosa School District officials have found a home for the trade charter school that will be opening for the 2009-10 school year...

Ken Notes: Imagine that using a great building for a great program...

La Crosse - January 27, 2009 - Construction crews this week are preparing to pour the third floor of the Grand River Station, a $20 million confluence of housing, retail and transit hub in downtown La Crosse. But getting to this point hasn’t been without its problems, as the city, developer, architect and contractor struggle with coordination efforts above and beyond a typical building...

Milwaukee - 1/28/2009 - Seven development firms responded to a request for proposals from the city of Milwaukee for the former Army Reserve site in the Bay View neighborhood. The city solicited proposals for the purchase and development of the 5.6-acre site at 2372 S. Logan Ave. The developers that responded to the RFP include: Minneapolis-based Sherman & Associates, Milwaukee-based HD Development, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee-based Direct Current, North Carolina-based Traditional Neighborhood Design, Milwaukee-based New Land Enterprises and Milwaukee-based Vetter Denk. The Department of City Development did not release any details about the proposals submitted by the developers...

Milwaukee - 1/28/2009 - Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp is examining the possibility of redeveloping the 900-space parking structure located to the south of its 42-story office tower in downtown Milwaukee. U.S. Bank hired Brookfield-based Hammes Co. to help create a redevelopment plan for the parking structure. U.S. Bank has been working on the project with Hammes since last fall...

Hales Corners - January 29, 2009 - Highway 100 changes could oust fast-food restaurant. Life without Mickey D in Hales Corners?......

Wauwatosa - January 29, 2009 - Numerous obstacles remain for project to gain approval. The city has plans to demolish four residential buildings to make room for a new fire station on Underwood Avenue, but one resident has proposed moving two of the homes to a property on Wauwatosa...

Janesville - January 29, 2009 - Janesville Road project could prompt owners to make upgrades. Loans, grants, special rezoning options and the expertise of city officials are all available to help property and business owners who will be affected by Waukesha County’s reconstruction...

Brookfield - January 29, 2009 - The city of Brookfield is moving forward with an update to its long-term plan governing redevelopment, transportation, housing and a number of other issues over the next two decades...

Brookfield - January 29, 2009 - A Pennsylvania developer told Brookfield’s Common Council that he was excited about bringing an extended-stay Hyatt hotel to the city, but some neighbors and aldermen at a Jan. 20 public hearing said they had concerns about the need for the hotel and......

Oconomowoc - January 27, 2009- When it comes to supporting rail service between St. Paul, Minnesota and Chicago, Oconomowoc's city leaders are all aboard.. When it comes to supporting rail service between St. Paul, Minnesota and Chicago, Oconomowoc's city leaders are all aboard...

Oshkosh - JANUARY 28, 2009 - The defense division of Oshkosh Corp. has received another multimillion dollar military contract, this one to provide more than 1,700 armor kits for U.S. Army trucks. Oshkosh Defense said Tuesday the contract is worth more than $132 million. The announcement follows three other contracts in recent months worth a total of about $384 million for trucks and armor upgrades...

Pewaukee - January 22, 2009 - The Village Board on Tuesday agreed to begin discussing the possibility of purchasing property for municipal parking downtown.. The Village Board on Tuesday agreed to begin discussing the possibility of purchasing property for municipal parking downtown...

Minnesota - January 29, 2009 - Minnesota could get more than $477 million of the economic stimulus moving through Congress to upgrade its highways and bridges, a welcome boost for the state after a deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis gave the entire nation a wake-up call about the condition of its infrastructure....

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