The Milwaukee Post

14 • Milwaukee Post • May 9, 2014 BUSINESS NEWS BrightStar to provide funding MILWAUKEE – The BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation Inc. announced Monday it will provide funding for three early-stage Wisconsin companies: The Good Jobs Inc., Milwaukee; Fishidy Inc., Madison; and WholeTrees LLC, which is based in Madison and building its produc- tion facility in Spring Green. These three investments total $285,000. The companies were first screened for their ability to create a sufficient number of quality jobs and then passed the commit- tee's investment criteria for their stage of development, according to the announce- ment. BrightStar is a 501(c)(3)-designated non- profit foundation created to facilitate job creation and increase Wisconsin's econom- ic activity by deploying donated funds into equity stakes in early stage, rapid-growth companies. http://brightstarwi.org www.thegoodjobs.com www.wholetrees.com Johnson Controls partnering MILWAUKEE – A partnership between Johnson Controls and the University of Wisconsin-Madison will help to create the next generation of energy storage technol- ogy. The Milwaukee company donated money to create a new laboratory at the Wisconsin Energy Institute on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, according to an announcement. The donation announced Monday includes state-of-the-art battery testing technology, which will allow students, fac- ulty and engineers to study and optimize energy storage systems. The lab, called the Johnson Controls Advanced Systems Test Lab, will support research focused on vehicular and station- ary energy. Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader serving customers in more than 150 countries. www.johnsoncontrols.com Walmart hiring at new location BROWN DEER – Walmart is looking to hire about 300 employees for its new loca- tion that will open this summer at 3900 W. Brown Deer Road. Applications will be accepted 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Interested applicants may also apply online at http://careers.walmart.com. "We plan to hire many of our associates from within the community and are excit- ed to bring good jobs with career opportu- nities to the residents of the North Shore," said store manager Jason Radliff in a statement. The store will hire full- and part-time associates. Through Walmart's Veterans Welcome Home Commitment, the company will offer a job to any qualified veteran who has been honorably discharged within the past 12 months. Since launching the initiative on Memorial Day 2013, Walmart has hired more than 30,000 veterans across the United States and projects that it will hire more than 100,000 veterans over the next five years. Interested veterans may find out more at http://walmartcareerswith- amission.com. The majority of new employees will begin work in July to help prepare the store for its grand opening. www.walmart.com Study: Americans more optimistic MILWAUKEE – Americans are feeling slightly more optimistic about their finan- cial circumstances compared to a year ago, according to a study released by Milwaukee- based Northwestern Mutual. However, that optimism is tempered by the need to close a gap in long-term savings and the continuing effects of the slow- growth economy, the study showed. Forty- two percent of adults ages 25 and older, expect their financial situation to improve this year, though one in five say they still have a lot of catching up to do, according to Northwestern's 2014 Planning and Progress Study. According to the study, one in four adults express feelings of financial insecurity, down from one in three who had similar feelings a year ago. But, the survey also revealed that only 22 percent of adults believe the economy is moving forward. www.northwesternmutual.com Artisan Partners' net income up MILWAUKEE – Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. reported first-quarter net income increased to $8.6 million from $3 million a year earlier. The Milwaukee-based money manage- ment firm said revenue was $201.8 mil- lion, up 143 percent from $83.2 million a year earlier. According to the company, the jump was attributed to higher assets under management, resulting from mar- ket appreciation and client inflows. As of March 31, the company's assets under management were $107.4 billion, the company said. "Our business development results in the first quarter were diversified but biased towards commingled vehicles. Four of our five distribution channels and four of our six investment teams experi- enced positive client cash flows in the quarter. The broker dealer channel has remained an area of strength," said Eric Colson, president and CEO. www.artisanpartners.com Bank Mutual announces dividend MILWAUKEE – Bank Mutual Corp. announced an increase in its quarterly dividend Monday. According to the announcement, the Bank Mutual Corporation board of direc- tors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.04 per share, which represented a $0.01 or 33 percent increase from the dividend declared in the previous quarter. The cash dividend will be paid on May 30, 2014, to shareholders of record on May 16, 2014. Bank Mutual Corporation is the third largest banking institution headquar- tered in Wisconsin, with assets as of March 31, 2014, of $2.3 billion. Its sub- sidiary bank, Bank Mutual, operates 75 offices in the state of Wisconsin and one office in Minnesota. www.bankmutual.com Wisconsin Energy earnings up MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin Energy Corp. reported its net income in the fiscal first quarter was up 18 percent at $207.6 million, compared with $176.6 million last year. Sales were up 33 percent to $1.7 billion from $1.3 billion in the first quarter, last year. According to a statement, severe win- ter temperatures drove record demand for natural gas over the first three months of 2014. The company delivered more natural gas to customers than during any other quarter in history, breaking the previous record set in the first quarter of 2008 by 11 percent. Electricity demand also rose 3.9 per- cent in the first quarter, according to Wisconsin Energy Corp. www.wisconsinenergy.com Klement Sausage Co. acquired by holding firm MILWAUKEE – The iconic Klement Sausage Co., Inc. has been bought by Tall Tree Foods, a portfolio company of Altamont Capital partners, according to an announce- ment early Monday. Ray Booth, the current CEO of Klement's, will continue to lead the business along with the current management team based in Milwaukee and the Klement's plants and offices will remain in Milwaukee, according to the announcement. "We are excited to expand on Klement's successful history. Klement's is a strong regional brand with the potential for growth in both its current markets and beyond," said Tim Bruer, Altamont's operating part- ner and CEO of Tall Tree. Klement's, 207 E. Lincoln Ave., founded in 1956 by brothers George, John and Ron Klement, has a portfolio of smoked, fresh and summer sausage, snack sticks and deli meats. Klement's will add to the base of Tall Tree Foods Holdings Inc., bringing addition- al scale and geographic expansion for Tall Tree, according to the announcement. "We are pleased to have the future of the Klement's brand in the hands of new owner- ship with Altamont Capital and Tall Tree Foods. I want to thank the many employees and other family members who have worked so hard to get the business to where it is today. We look forward to the future growth of the brand," said John Klement, former chairman and CEO of Klement's, in a state- ment. Greene Holcomb Fisher served as the exclusive financial adviser to Klement's. www.klements.com www.altamontcapital.com Photo by Daryl Skaradzinski/Post Staff

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