Category Archives: Local Business

September 9, 2013 · 5:54 am

Growing Locally: Sorce Martial Arts Invests In Downtown South Milwaukee

We need more businesses like Sorce Martial Arts in downtown South Milwaukee.

The studio has announced an expansion and remodeling project made possible by the Sorces purchasing the building they call home at 926 Milwaukee Ave. Learn more in this news release, and on the studio’s Facebook page.

From the release …

Sorce Martial Arts opened its doors in 2004 with about 1,600 square feet of training space and 50 students. In 2007, the school grew to more than 120 students and was expanded to approximately 3,300 square feet. The latest expansion will nearly double the training space to serve the school’s current enrollment of approximately 220 students, two full-time and three part-time employees. Completion of the renovation is expected later this year.

Thanks to the Sorces for choosing to expand in South Milwaukee, and let’s hope they have many more years of success at 10th and Milwaukee Avenues.

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August 24, 2013 · 8:49 pm

Mark Your Calendars: South Milwaukee Health Fair Set For Sept. 5

We love special events at the South Milwaukee Downtown Market. A big one is coming up — the South Milwaukee Health Fair on Thursday, September 5.

Learn more about this partnership with South Shore Family Chiropractic in this press release.

And if you  haven’t been to the market lately, stop by. We’re having a terrific fifth season. And be sure to like us on Facebook!

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August 6, 2013 · 1:37 pm

New Job For Tim Sullivan

Tim Sullivan, the former head of Bucyrus International, is heading to Pennsylvania to become CEO of Gardner Denver Inc.

The Business Journal has the story.

Here is the press release. From it:

“I am enthusiastic about leading Gardner Denver and I am confident in the near- and long-term potential of the business,” said Mr. Sullivan. “Gardner Denver has a highly diversified business portfolio of market-leading products and solutions, strong customer relationships and a passionate team of highly talented employees. Under Michael’s leadership, the Company expanded its global footprint and leveraged its best-in-class technologies to become a worldwide industry leader. I look forward to working closely with the Board and leadership team to refine the Company’s strategy, enhance performance and build upon the Company’s positive momentum. I believe Gardner Denver is very well positioned to capitalize on the many opportunities ahead.”

 Post your comments below!

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August 1, 2013 · 11:19 pm

Enjoy A Little South Milwaukee At The Wisconsin State Fair

Like most people, we have our Wisconsin State Fair routines — regular stops we make as we visit each year.

The big slide. Something from the Wisconsin Products Pavilion. Cheese curds. Cream puffs. Lemonade. The animal barns. The pig races. Maybe the sky glider. Those are just a few of the ways we enjoy the fair.

I’ll be adding a couple other attractions to that list this year.

First, Parkway Floral has a space in the Horticultural Building.

And Patrick Cudahy is celebrating 125 Hours of Bacon — with a local flavor. From the Patrick Cudahy Facebook page …

We’ll be celebrating our 125th anniversary with “125 Hours of Bacon” from August 1-11. Each day we will be at the fair handing out free bacon treats, coupons, recipes and more. Stop by and get your picture taken in our Say Hey Photo Booth. We’ll be there all day through the duration of the fair. And don’t miss Patrick Cudahy Day on August 9th for a day of delicious samples, cooking demonstrations, entertainment, giveaways, and more! Check out the schedule for details on Patrick Cudahy Day.

The South Milwaukee connection: Emerald City Catering is providing bacon-themed samples at the Patrick Cudahy booth throughout the fair, including a couple really unique ones on August 9: maple bacon- and cream cheese-stuffed French toast and Celebritzza (cheese sauce, bacon, ham and pepperoni on a pizza crust). The local caterer is also providing the “world’s largest bacon-shaped cake” on that day. 

Be sure to stop and smell the bacon (and the flowers).

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July 31, 2013 · 9:34 pm

South Milwaukee Dunkin’ Donuts Project Moves Ahead

South Milwaukee is getting closer to getting a double-D.

The Plan Commission on Monday discussed the proposed Dunkin’ Donuts location at Chicago Avenue and Drexel Boulevard and recommended approval of the conditional use permit necessary for the project to the South Milwaukee City Council.

I expect the council will consider this at our next meeting on Tuesday, August 6.

Company officials said they’d like to begin construction on the 1,900 square-foot store (with drive-through) as soon as possible.

The store is planned for an outlot to the existing Aldi’s, Dollar Tree and Little Caesar’s Pizza. There are five other Dunkin’ Donuts within 10 miles of South Milwaukee, but the closest is on Layton Avenue near the airport.

What do you think of this project? Post your comments below!

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July 24, 2013 · 9:37 pm

Another Tough Quarter For Caterpillar; More Job Cuts Coming?

Caterpillar’s second-quarter earnings report was another ugly one, with profit declines and a cut in the company’s annual earnings projections.

Of bigger concern: The potential for more job cuts. From the story in USA Today:

He said the company already has temporarily closed factories and had rolling layoffs. “We’ve taken significant action already, and we will be taking additional cost reduction measures in the second half of 2013,” he said.

Caterpillar cut its global full-time work force by more than 10,000 people compared with the second quarter of last year. The company had 122,402 employees at the end of June. The temporary work force also dropped by 9,633 during the quarter.

Also, check out coverage from Reuters, Bloomberg and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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July 9, 2013 · 10:07 pm

Cudahy Teen Charged In Robbery Of South Milwaukee’s King’s Row Liquor

A 17-year-old Cudahy boy has been charged in the alleged May armed robbery of King’s Row Liquor in South Milwaukee.

Nathan Warrix faces one count of armed robbery and has his preliminary hearing set for July 17 in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. He is subject to electronic monitoring until then, court records show.

Here are the case details.

Warrix also has several other oustanding charges, including another felony charge for drug possession and several misdemeanor charges for retail theft, online court records show. I’ll keep you posted … and congratulations to the South Milwaukee Police Department on the arrest.

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June 27, 2013 · 10:09 pm

Reports: Caterpillar To Move Welding Work To South Milwaukee

Caterpillar’s Bay View welding operation, called an “overflow plant” for Caterpillar, employs about 60 to 70 workers.

From the Milwaukee Business Journal story …

Caterpillar Inc. will discontinue welding operations at its small Milwaukee facility and shift the work to its South Milwaukee factory, the company said in an email Thursday.

Caterpillar said the decision is not expected to result in additional job cuts beyond the previously announced indefinite layoffs of 260 production workers at the South Milwaukee plant due to weakness in the mining sector.

Peoria, Ill.-based equipment manufacturer Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) has its global mining equipment headquarters in Oak Creek.

Caterpillar’s Milwaukee welding operations are located within the Chase Commerce Center, 3073 S. Chase Ave., in the Bay View neighborhood.

“Due to current business conditions and demand for products made in the Milwaukee area, Caterpillar has informed its employees that it will consolidate welding work now conducted in the Milwaukee facility with similar welding work conducted in South Milwaukee,” Caterpillar said in an emailed statement to The Business Journal. “As we move forward this year, the company will conduct an orderly transition of the work from the Milwaukee location to South Milwaukee.”

Here is Milwaukee Journal Sentinel coverage.

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June 21, 2013 · 9:31 pm

Rest In Peace, Midas Mike

My family has some go-to local businesses in the South Shore.

For Mexican food, it’s Azteca, hands down. For Chinese, it’s China Chef. For hardware, it’s South Milwaukee Ace. For groceries, it’s Pick ‘n Save or Piggly Wiggly. Parkway Floral, Donn Powers Jeweler, Studio One Art Glass, Green Flag Racing … the list goes on.

There is another one that’s been at the top of this list for us for years: Cudahy Midas. We go nowhere else for car repairs.

Why? Because I know we will get great customer service, affordable repairs, quality workmanship and, perhaps most importantly, straight talk from Mike Surprenant and his crew.

So it came as a shock today when I took our van in for an oil change … only to hear that Midas Mike had passed away unexpectedly on June 9 from a heart attack. He was 52. What a tragic loss, made even more tragic by Mike’s hard work on improving his fitness in recent months, working through Anytime Fitness in Cudahy.

He leaves behind a wife, four children and a grandchild — and a legacy of running a business the right way.

He will be missed. Rest in peace, Mike. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family, friends and employees.

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June 12, 2013 · 8:10 pm

More On The South Milwaukee Caterpillar Deal

A day after United Steelworkers in South Milwaukee agreed to a new six-year deal with Caterpillar, reaction and details are coming in.

Check out coverage in the Business Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Wall Street Journal.

From the Business Journal …

Cheryl Maranto, Marquette University associate professor of management, was unsurprised it was a close vote, considering United Steelworkers Local 1343 made deeper concessions than the company.

“I think the fact that the company was willing to at least provide a few concessions was an important signal that it wasn’t just, ‘We have the power, we’re going to slam it down your throats,’” Maranto told me. “I still think it was probably a pretty bitter pill for workers to swallow, but I think the company was smart in giving enough to allow the union to save face and to enable them to kind of move on.” … 

Caterpillar called it a “fair, reasonable and comprehensive agreement.”

This marked the first contract negotiation between the local union and Caterpillar since it acquired the former Bucyrus International Inc. for $8.8 billion in 2011. Caterpillar has a reputation for tough negotiations with its unionized factories.

“This would be a bad Bucyrus contract, but it’s one of the better Caterpillar contracts we’ve seen,” Winklbauer told me.

Also, the Business Journal is reporting the contract includes a provision not allowing Caterpillar to use temporary workers in South Milwaukee — “a significant win” for employees.

And the Winston-Salem Journal has a story on the Caterpillar annual meeting in North Carolina, including comments from the CEO.

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June 11, 2013 · 8:40 pm

Deal Reached: South Milwaukee Steelworkers Approve Caterpillar Contract

United Steelworkers at the South Milwaukee Caterpillar plant have approved a new six-year contract that reportedly freezes wages and pensions but offers a signing bonus.

Check out coverage in the following …

And here is information from Caterpillar’s negotiations website.

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June 10, 2013 · 10:03 pm

What’s Cooking At The Farmers’ Market: Emerald City Catering BBQ Show Set For Thursday

A quick shoutout for this Thursday’s special event at the South Milwaukee Downtown Market … from our Facebook page.

Just in time for Father’s Day….

Steve Ozbolt “OZ” creator of the BIG BOSS BBQ SAUCE and owner of South Milwaukee’s Emerald City Catering will be our featured speaker. Oz will have four grilling shows at 3:30/4:30/5:30/6:30, with two rotating themes. BBQ 101 and Desserts on the Grill.

Sweet or Savory, whatever your preference, there will be samples to try.

>>BBQ 101 – OZ will explain the differences between charcoal and propane cooking; grilling vs. BBQ; safe cooking; how to prepare meats for the grill and give you some great recipie ideas.

>>Desserts on the Grill – OZ is thinking beyond the s’Mores and will give you easy dessert ideas that you can make right on your grill and delight your guests.

**BRING LAWN CHAIRS**

I’m glad Steve can join us. It’s always nice to partner with an award-winning business at the market! 🙂

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June 9, 2013 · 8:14 pm

Comings And Goings Downtown

Update: Just heard from Hometown Sports Cards, and they are still at 916 Milwaukee Ave., just now at the back of the building.

Unfortunately, more goings than comings …

Kelly Driving School has closed its location at 723 Milwaukee Ave. — it looked completely empty when I drove by today — and will now hold classes at South Milwaukee High School. Learn more at the Kelly website.

As for new businesses, it looks like a new pet supplies and food store is coming to downtown. Zen Pets South Milwaukee has a sign in the window at 913 Milwaukee Ave. advertising dog, cat, bird, and small animal food and supplies. It also advertises a “mindful holistic happiness center … a place for inner peace and wellbeing.” Not sure what that means.

The store, located next to Dowling Community Acupuncture, is expected to open in August. Learn more on its Facebook page.

Not sure if it’s related to Zen Computer Center a few doors down …

Of course, Spirits is also expected to reopen soon.

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May 30, 2013 · 10:20 pm

Caterpillar, Steelworkers Reach Tentative Agreement … Again

The United Steelworkers and Caterpillar have tentatively agreed to a contract for workers at the South Milwaukee plant.

That’s according to various reports and the labor negotiations update website. A union ratification vote is set for June 11.

You will recall that the Steelworkers voted down the last six-year deal earlier this month. We’ll see if things are different this time around.

Check out coverage from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Chicago Tribune, and the Wall Street Journal.

I’ll keep you posted.

 

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May 28, 2013 · 9:25 pm

A Revealing Review Of South Milwaukee

I’m always interested in how others perceive South Milwaukee, as outsiders’ opinions are critical if we’re going to attract new residents, businesses and visitors to our fair city.

So I took note when The Onion’s A.V. Club — the only straight-laced part of the popular, and hilarious, satirical newspaper — stopped by recently for a “Summer Road Trip.” The results? Not too flattering, especially around our downtown area.

Take a look … and post your comments below.

Part of my goal as an elected official: Work to improve perceptions of our city. Tell our story. And, this piece aside, we do have a good story to tell in South Milwaukee. We can make it even better.

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