The Milwaukee Post

16 • Milwaukee County Post • May 16, 2014 BUSINESS BRIEFS Blaze to open Bayshore restaurant MILWAUKEE – Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza said Monday it plans to open its second Wisconsin restaurant at Glendale's Bayshore Town Center, 5800 N. Bayshore Drive. The new restaurant, which will open in fall, will be across from Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Colectivo Coffee, delivering pizza at quick-service speeds, according to a statement. Blaze Pizza opened its first Wisconsin location in Brookfield in November 2013. The restaurant offers customers an interactive ordering format, which allows guests to customize one of Blaze's eight signature pizzas or create one of their own, choosing from over 40 fresh, arti- sanal and contemporary ingredients, according to the statement. The Glendale location will be operated by Walch Hospitality Group LLC, a fran- chise group. www.blazepizza.com Bartolotta to open BBQ restaurant GREENDALE – The Bartolotta Restaurants announced Tuesday it will open a new restaurant next to Joey Gerard's in Greendale in early June. The restaurant, Miss Beverly Deluxe Barbecue, will have a fast-casual concept. Miss Beverly's will serve house-smoked barbecue influenced by a variety of styles from across the United States. The menu will feature barbecued pork and ribs, beef brisket, fried chicken, fish fry and tradi- tional sides such as cornbread, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and more. Joey Gerard's is located at 5601 Broad St. www.bartolottas.com GE partners with Tesla WAUWATOSA – GE Healthcare is part- nering with European manufacturer Tesla Engineering to produce an advanced MRI scanner. The MRI scanners, which are ultra - high-field 7.0 Tesla human whole-body scanners, are used to conduct scientific and medical research. Researchers using the ultra-high-field scanners hope that their research will contribute to earlier disease detection, more accurate diagnosis and increased effectiveness of investigational therapies for disorders and diseases such as cancer, stroke, epilepsy, drug abuse, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, attention deficit disorder, multiple sclerosis, head injury, visual disorders and schizophrenia, according to a statement. Tesla Engineering's new factory, under construction in Storrington, United Kingdom, will manufacture the 7.0T mag- nets. Wauwatosa-based GE will receive its first unit in late 2015. www3.gehealthcare.com Johnson Controls forms partnership GLENDALE – In order to improve tex- tile manufacturing, Glendale-based Johnson Controls Inc. is teaming up with adidas Group. Their joint project, SpeedFactory, com- bines mechanical and human capabilities to produce textiles. The project's goal is to make the cutting, sewing and handling processes more efficient. Textiles will be cut in a certain way, aligned and then joined to make trim covers, according to a statement. Johnson Controls, the global multi- industrial company, will use the technolo- gy to manufacture vehicle seat covers, while adidas will use it to automate sport- ing good productions. SpeedFactory is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, according to the state- ment. www.johnsoncontrols.com China to use start-stop batteries GLENDALE – Johnson Controls Inc. said last week that it signed a long-term agreement to supply start-stop batteries in China to SAIC Motor Corp. The China region is Johnson Controls' primary target for expansion, the Glendale-based company said. The suppli- er of lead-acid batteries said it will manu- facture absorbent glass mat batteries that will power SAIC start-stop vehicles. The batteries are described as more robust versions of lead-acid starter batteries. The company has already launched the batteries for start-stop vehicles in Europe, according to a statement. The technology, designed to save fuel, turns off a vehicle's engine when a car is stopped, with the engine re-engaging once the driver's foot releases the brake pedal or engages the clutch. Johnson Controls entered the Chinese automotive supply market with batteries in 2005. The company is building a new corporate headquarters in Shanghai. www.johnsoncontrols.com Wells Fargo creates initiative MILWAUKEE – Wells Fargo announced a $5.15 million initiative last week to boost home ownership and strengthen neighborhoods in the city's low- and mod- erate-income areas. Of the $5.15 million committed by Wells Fargo, $4 million will go toward down payment assistance grants and pro- gram support to help potential homebuy- ers overcome the barrier of making a suf- ficient down payment, according to the announcement. In addition, down pay- ment assistance grants of $15,000 will be available for eligible homebuyers. To receive the full grant amount, par- ticipants buying homes with LIFT pro- gram down payment assistance grants must commit to live in the home for five years and qualify for a first mortgage on the property. Prospective home buyers can register and learn more about the program at www.neighborhoodlift.com or by calling 866-858-2151. www.wellsfargo.com MillerCoors reports 1Q profits MILWAUKEE – MillerCoors LLC said last week its first-quarter net income increased 7.4 percent. MillerCoors, which is based in Chicago but has a brewery and corporate office in Milwaukee, said its first-quarter net income was $291.9 million, compared to $271.9 million from the year-earlier peri- od. The income growth was driven by posi- tive pricing and sales mix, cost savings, and lower marketing spending, according to a company statement. The company reported revenue of $2.05 billion, down 0.05 percent from $2.06. www.millercoors.com Roundy's reports net loss in 1Q MILWAUKEE – Roundy's Inc. reported a net loss of $4.5 million while net sales increased 1.9 percent during the first quarter. The Milwaukee-based grocer said the net sales increased to $1.002.2 billion dur- ing the first quarter. The net loss of $4.5 million equates to a $0.10 net loss per diluted common share, compared to net income of $8.6 million, or $0.19 diluted net earnings per common share. In addition, during the first quarter of 2014, Roundy's refinanced its existing credit facilities with proceeds from a new term loan and a new asset-based revolving credit facility, according to the announce- ment. In connection with the refinancing, the company recognized a loss on debt extin- guishment of $9 million before taxes. www.roundys.com Roundy's leaving Twin Cities MILWAUKEE – Roundy's Inc. last week said it's exiting the Minneapolis/St. Paul market by selling 18 Rainbow stores to a group of local grocery retailers for a total sale price of $65 million in cash. The buyers will assume the lease obli- gations and certain multi-employer pen- sion liabilities related to the acquired stores. Included with the buyers is Supervalu Inc., a Minneapolis-area retail- er that operates Cub Foods in addition to other food chains. Milwaukee-based Roundy's is seeking additional buyers for its remaining nine Rainbow stores. Once all of its stores are sold, the company expects to fully exit the Minneapolis-St. Paul market, according to a statement. Sale proceeds will be used to pay down debt and help Roundy's focus on its Mariano's Fresh Market chain in Chicago, as well as its Wisconsin stores, the state- ment said. www.roundys.com Bakery acquired by Synder's-Lance FRANKLIN – Baptista's Bakery Inc. has been acquired by Charlotte, N.C.- based Snyder's of Hanover pretzel manu- facturer Snyder's-Lance Inc. Baptista's is a snack manufacturer that has supplied Snyder's-Lance with its Snack Factory Pretzel Crisp brand, according to a company statement. Snyder's-Lance makes and markets snack foods worldwide, including Snyder's of Hanover, Jays, Krunchers! and O-Ke-Doke. Nan Gardetto founded Baptista's in 1999 after selling the family business, Gardetto's, to General Mills, Inc. The com- pany has about 350 employees. Snyder's-Lance is planning to retain and grow the company's Franklin facility, said Carl Lee Jr., the president and CEO of Snyder's-Lance. Snyder's-Lance will acquire 100 per- cent of the company and its manufactur- ing facility in Franklin. William Blair & Co. LLC served as financial adviser and Foley & Lardner LP acted as legal counsel to Baptista's in the transaction. www.snyderslance.com Photo by Charles Auer/Conley News Service Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza offers a build-your-own pizza style. The company plans to expand in the Milwaukee market with its second restaurant to be built at Glendale's Bayshore Town Center.

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