The Milwaukee Post

6 • Milwaukee County Post • April 21, 2017 BUSINESS MILWAUKEE — Business leader Ossie Kendrix has been named president and CEO with the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, the board of directors announced Tuesday. "Ossie's vision and passion for economic development, along with a wealth of experience in nonprofit leadership, small business development and advocacy, make him an ideal leader to continue the work that has been start- ed," said Clifton Phelps, AACCW board chairman. Kendrix, deputy state director for U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, begins his new role with AACCW on May 1. He succeeds Eve Hall, who leads the Milwaukee Urban League. "The work of the cham- ber is critical to the com- munity and I look forward to working with the board, membership, and staff to continue to promote greater unity and ensure the sustainability of local diverse businesses," Kendrix said. As a minority small business champion of the U.S. Small Business Administration – Wisconsin District Office, Kendrix brings more than 15 years of experience working in government and nonprofit organiza- tions. In his new role he will advocate for legislation that promotes small-busi- ness growth and policies that address the challenges faced by diverse business owners. Kendrix has served as vice president with Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin, manag- er with the city of Milwaukee's Office of Small Business Development and program consultant with the Milwaukee Urban Entrepreneur Partnership. A native of Milwaukee, Kendrix earned a bache- lor's degree in sociology and communication from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and a master's degree in public administration from Drake University. He is a 2015 graduate of Cardinal Stritch University's African American Leadership Program and was presented with an Award of Excellence from the Wisconsin Minority Supplier Diversity Council in 2012. Company founded by two Marquette researchers raises $26 million in funding MILWAUKEE — Promentis Pharmaceuticals, a Milwaukee company co-founded by John Mantsch and David Baker, researchers from the Marquette University College of Health Sciences, raised $26 million, including $17.2 million in its third funding round. OrbiMed, F-Prime Capital Partners (for- merly Fidelity Biosciences) and Aisling Capital were the lead investors. The investment will finance key clinical trials of Promentis' most promising com- pound targeting neuropsychiatric disor- ders. "This unique compound is one of the first attempts to treat central nervous sys- tem disorders by targeting glutamate release by astrocytes," Baker said in a news release. "This is groundbreaking because glutamate is one of the most powerful reg- ulators of brain function, and astrocytes are the most abundant cell in the brain." The approach may be effective against a range of central nervous system disorders. Baker and Mantsch have been funded by the NIH for more than 15 years. Advice available on starting a business in Milwaukee MILWAUKEE — Business owners and entrepreneurs can hear from the Department of City Development and the City Clerk's Office on why Milwaukee is a great place for a business. The program will include information on available city funds for businesses and the new web por- tal StartSmart, an online tool that tells entrepreneurs what permits and licenses are needed to open a business in Milwaukee. It will be presented by the Department of City Development and the City Clerk's Office from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday at the Milwaukee Public Central Library, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave. REV Group acquires Midwest Automotive Designs in Indiana MILWAUKEE — REV Group announced it has acquired Indiana-based Midwest Automotive Designs, a custom van "upfit- ter" that develops and manufactures luxu- ry vehicles for motor homes, shuttle vans, limousines, and customized executive transportation vehicles. Milwaukee-based REV Group is a more than $2 billion manufacturer of specialty vehicle brands and leading provider of parts and services. According to the announcement, the acquisition will improve REV's product offerings in both its recreation and com- mercial segments through the RV and bus divisions. Since its inception in 2003, Midwest Automotive Designs has grown to more than 130 employees with combined manu- facturing and office space of more than 100,000 square feet and annual revenue of approximately $45 million. Midwest's manufacturing operations will remain in Elkhart, Ind., and the com- pany's 130 employees will continue to be a part of the operations. "Midwest brings a strong quality- focused reputation and a diverse product portfolio that is entirely complementary to our line of great American-made specialty vehicles," said Tim Sullivan, CEO, REV Group, Inc., in a statement. "Furthermore, Midwest is a strong cul- tural fit within REV Group and we will be able to quickly assimilate them into our company." Frontier Title & Closing Services expands into Milwaukee MILWAUKEE — Frontier Title and Closing Services, LLC, based in Hartland, announced it has opened its third office in Wisconsin, this one in downtown Milwaukee. Due to growing demand, Frontier Title and Closing Services opened an office last week on the eighth floor of The Mayer Building, 342 N. Water St. "We're well known in the suburban area but many of our customers have downtown operations," said Trey Dittmann, president of Frontier Title and Closing Services, in a statement. "With all the development going on, we're excited to open this office in the heart of the city. It's a great complement to our office in Johnson Creek and headquar- ters in Hartland." The office initially opened with five employees, including sales staff and an attorney. "With an extremely experienced staff and large conference space, we're able to handle major commercial closings right on-site," Dittmann said. www.frontiertitlellc.com Submitted photo Ossie Kendrix has been named president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin. Portillo's opens at 84South GREENFIELD – Portillo's opened its second Wisconsin location on Tuesday, becoming the first operating occupant of 84South. About 40 people were in line when the store opened at 10:30 a.m. Owner Dick Portillo said the day was off to a solid start with no problems. He said his service as a U.S. Marine instilled the values of organization, training, and teamwork, but personal touches in customer service and an experience designed to appeal to one's senses of sight, hearing and smell are some of the ingredi- ents that took Portillo's from a trailer where he and his wife did the dishes in their home bathtub to a chain of 48 stores in several states. "We created our own culture, our own way of doing things," he said. 84South, along Layton Avenue between 84th and 92nd streets, will be the home of a Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, Kohl's Department Store, an Aurora Care Center, a new Steinhafels store and more. Brian Huber/Post staff Kendrix named to chamber group

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