The Milwaukee Post

16 • Milwaukee County Post • May 23, 2014 BUSINESS BRIEFS Pearson joins construction company MILWAUKEE – Miron Construction Co., Inc. announced it recently hired Dan Pearson as a project manager for its Milwaukee office. Pearson is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and holds a bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engi- neering. He also received a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from St. Norbert College. Prior to joining Miron, Pearson was a partner for Tenesis Total Energy Solutions, according the announcement. Pearson will manage all aspects of con- struction projects, including preliminary estimates, budgets, financial control, scheduling, coordination of construction activity, project close-out and owner occu- pancy. www.miron-construction.com Regal Beloit CEO joins board MILWAUKEE – Joy Global announced last week that Regal Beloit CEO Mark Gliebe was elected to the board of direc- tors for the Milwaukee-based global leader in high-productivity mining solutions. Gliebe also serves as the chairman of the board for the Regal Beloit Corporation, which is a global manufac- turer of electric motors and controls, elec- tric generators and controls and mechani- cal motion control products. Gliebe has been CEO of Regal Beloit since 2011 and as chairman of the board since 2012. Previously, Gliebe was presi- dent and chief operating officer for Regal Beloit from 2006 to 2011 and as vice presi- dent and president-Electronic Motors Group during 2005. www.joyglobal.com www.regalbeloit.com First Edge makes acquisition MILWAUKEE – First Edge Solutions has acquired Proven Direct Inc., a compa- ny that provides on-demand marketing, document output services and photo book publishing. Milwaukee-based First Edge Solutions, a company that offers multichannel com- munication, print, and document manage- ment services, said the acquisition adds to its national network of sales offices and production facilities. First Edge Solutions is planning to move its corporate head- quarters to the former Proven Direct facil- ity at 1301 W. Canal St., according to a company statement. Ter ms of the acquisition were not released. www.firstedgesolutions.com Korpela joins Schlitz Park MILWAUKEE – Tracy Korpela, the previous assistant general manager of Milwaukee's The Shops of Grand Avenue, has been named assistant prop- erty manager at Schlitz Park. Korpela helped transform The Shops of Grand Avenue, adding an assortment of shops, including nonretail tenants such as startups and business accelerators, according to a statement. Milwaukee's Schlitz Park hired Korpela for her experience in property management, leasing, real estate, market- ing and community outreach, according to the statement. www.schlitzpark.com Johnson Controls forms company GLENDALE – Johnson Controls Inc. has announced that it's forming a compa- ny with Yanfeng Automotive Trim Systems Co. Ltd., a wholly owned sub- sidiary of Huayu Automotive Systems Co. Ltd. The joint venture is expected to create the largest automotive interiors company in the world with revenue of about $7.5 billion, according to a company state- ment. According to the statement, the joint venture will require both Glendale-based Johnson Controls and Yanfeng Automotive contribute assets to create the company. Yanfeng will own a 70 percent share of the company, while Johnson Controls will own 30 percent of the company, the state- ment said. The new company will be head- quartered in Shanghai with global engi- neering, development and customer cen- ters in the United States, Europe, China, Japan and India. The product portfolio will include instrument panels and cock- pit systems, door panels and floor con- soles. The transaction is subject to limited conditions and is expected to close in the first half of 2015, according to the state- ment. www.johnsoncontrols.com Container Store to open in 2015 WAUWATOSA – The Container Store is scheduled to open in spring 2015 at Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa. The store will be on the southeast cor- ner of Mayfair's property, nearest to the North Avenue entrance, in the former Aurora office building location. The Container Store offers 10,000 multifunc- tional products across 16 lifestyle sections including closet, kitchen, storage and office. Work began a few months ago to pre- pare for The Container Store's first Wisconsin store. Parking and traffic are being rerouted on the east side as needed throughout construction, according to a statement. Customers can park on the west or north side of the mall, the Boston Store lot or the North Avenue parking deck, the statement said. A new parking deck is expected to be complete before the 2014 holiday season. www.mayfairmall.com MCW receives approval for campus MILWAUKEE – The Medical College of Wisconsin on Tuesday said its new Green Bay campus has received approval from two accrediting bodies and will now begin recruiting students. MCW-Green Bay will open its doors beginning in July 2015, according to a statement. Both the Higher Learning Commission and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education approved MCW-Green Bay. Medical schools require accreditations from both entities, according to the state- ment. The new campus is expected to enroll 20 to 25 students per year, according to the statement. A second regional cam- pus, MCW-Central Wisconsin, plans to enroll its first students in July 2016. www.mcw.edu UST Global acquires local company FRANKLIN – Alisa Viejo, Calif.-based UST Global said Tuesday it has acquired Franklin-based Kanchi Technologies. Kanchi Technologies, which has offices in Franklin, Germany and India, provides product development capabilities to com- panies in the automotive, off-highway and manufacturing sectors. UST Global is an infor mation technology solutions and services company. Terms of the acquisition were not dis- closed. Kanchi's Detroit focus will allow UST Global to create more than 150 jobs in the Detroit area, according to the statement. www.kanchitechnologies.com By SARAH PRYOR Conley News Service WAUKESHA – A company that owns Milwaukee's County Clare and four other restaurant or inn-and-pub combos could soon become the new owners of the Clarke Hotel and its long-vacant bar and restau- rant. Dennis Radtke, director of operations for Harp & Eagle Limited, said the Sheboygan-based bank that owns the fore- closed hotel has accepted the company's offer. Although it's not clear when a closing would take place, Harp & Eagle has applied for its liquor license and is moving forward with plans for the downtown Waukesha site. Radtke said Harp & Eagle specializes in Irish inns and pubs and that would likely be the direction of The Clarke Hotel in the future, if all goes as planned. Milwaukee-based Harp & Eagle also owns Chateau De Pere French Hotel & Restaurant in De Pere, St. Brendan's Irish Inn & Pub in Green Bay, Ashling on the Lough in Kenosha and 52 Stafford Irish Inn in Plymouth. "We're very familiar with the market," Radtke said, adding that though the com- pany was founded in 2001, owner Rip O'Dwanny has been building and develop- ing bed-and-breakfasts since the late 1970s. Harp & Eagle also offers tours to Ireland, and has sent more than 11,000 peo- ple to the Emerald Isle over the years, Radtke said. The Clarke Hotel restaurant has been closed since September 2012, when former D Mo's Pasta and Chop House owner Tony Hernandez fled town amid personal and legal troubles. A Sheboygan-based bank filed foreclosure proceedings against the hotel in January 2013 and hired IDM Hotel Management to carry out the hotel's day- to-day operations. General Manager Dave Smart has said that the hotel's occupancy is high and he wants people to realize the hotel is still open, even if the restaurant isn't. The hotel has about 20 rooms. During the hotel's development phase, the city loaned $1.5 million to the project – $750,000 of which was to be paid through increased property taxes and $750,000 to be paid through the hotel's room taxes. Former Mayor Larry Nelson has defended the city's investment in the West Main Street hotel – formerly a drug-infested flop- house – saying its redevelopment was a cat- alyst for the renaissance of downtown. Contact Sarah Pryor spryor@conleynet.com County Clare owner looks to buy Waukesha hotel Korpela

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