The Milwaukee Post

Conley News Service MILWAUKEE — An American Automobile Association study among 400 Wisconsin residents in October 2017 shows that 79 per- cent plan to take at least one vacation in 2018 with three or more days of travel. Strong economic growth throughout the U.S. last year led to a record number of holiday travelers this season, and that number is expected to grow into 2018, according to a news release. The most popular vacation destinations are cities or major metropolitan areas (36 percent), beach destinations (30 percent), national or state parks (22 per- cent) and resort vacations (21 percent), according to the release. In 2017, a similar AAA survey found that 83 percent of Wisconsin residents traveled for three or more days, four percent- age points more than what's reported so far this year. Still, 10 percent of respon- dents in the 2018 survey said they were still unsure about their travel plans, according to the sur- vey data. "Looking ahead at trends this year, travel to Europe looks strong, thanks to a favorable exchange rate for Americans. Also, domestic travel continues to grow. Destinations like Florida and California are always popu- lar," said Vicky Evans, assistant vice president of travel sales development for AAA, in a state- ment. "Meanwhile, Hawaii and Alaska are experiencing more advanced bookings than what we normally see this time of year." Spring and summer travel are most popular — nearly three- quarters of Wisconsin residents will take at least one summer vacation, according to the AAA press release. Of those surveyed, only 3 per- cent said they feel unsafe travel- ing due to terrorism and political unrest in other parts of the world. Some said they will avoid international travel and others said they plan to stay away from large crowds and events. Still, 21 percent said they don't travel enough for terrorism to be a con- cern. 6 • Milwaukee County Post • January 26, 2018 By KATHERINE MICHALETS Conley News Service OAK CREEK — Soccer club SC Waukesha has agreed to merge with Prospect Training Academy, a baseball academy based in Oak Creek, and also a member of the ROC Ventures family of brands. Upon merging, the organiza- tion will be the largest youth and high school player development academy in Wisconsin, serving more than 2,000 athletes, accord- ing to the announcement last week. Also part of the deal, SCW, already the top soccer organiza- tion in the state, will now become a key tenant of the Ballpark Commons Sports Performance Center, according to the announcement. The future facili- ty at 7900 Crystal Ridge Drive, Franklin, will feature more than 40,000 square feet of commercial space for performance- and well- ness-based services, integrated with an additional 75,000-plus square feet of four-season turf on the ground floor for athlete train- ing, tournaments, and games — the only full-size indoor soccer field in the state. The mixed-use Ballpark Commons development encom- passes 200 acres west of South 76th Street north and south of Rawson Avenue, including the existing Rock Sports Complex, and is expected to have a value of more than $100 million. Plans include a 4,000-seat stadium, ball- fields, a golf center, passive recre- ation uses such as a skating pond, commercial and retail buildings, restaurants, and apartments. Construction is expected to begin this year. "Adding SCW to our sports portfolio is synergistic to our overall brand and strengthens the value proposition of Ballpark Commons," said Mike Zimmerman, CEO of ROC Ventures, in a statement. "They're the top soccer o r g a n i z a t i o n in the state, and now they'll make the top soccer facility in the state their home — a nat- ural fit." S h a n Amini, SCW club presi- dent, sees the partnership as a positive step for the U.S. soccer agenda. "I've been happy to see SCW growing at a rapid rate, and the ready access to top-flight facilities and trainers that comes from this kind of consolidation of soccer programs is exactly what is need- ed to keep propelling us forward," he said. "SCW is excited to add Ballpark Commons as a premier location for training and games, an incredible addition to our cur- rent facilities in Waukesha, New Berlin, and Greendale that we will continue to fully utilize." ROC Ventures manages a col- lection of brands in the sports, entertainment, and real estate sectors, including The Rock Sports Complex, three Summer College Baseball franchises in Indiana and New York and the Ballpark Commons development. Founded in 1978, SCW strives to offer its 1,700-plus youth play- ers the opportunity to learn the game of soccer in a safe environ- ment. BUSINESS Heritage Senior Living receives SeniorAdvisor.com award again WEST ALLIS — Heritage Senior Living, one of the largest senior living providers in Wisconsin, announced its West Allis com- munity has been selected as one of the Best of Assisted Living award winners on SeniorAdvisor.com, the country's largest rating and review site for senior care and services. This marks the fifth consecutive year that Heritage West Allis has won this prestigious award, which honors the top 1 percent of senior care providers across the U.S. and Canada. SeniorAdvisor.com tabulates over 150,000 family-created reviews to find the highest-quality care providers for this honor. Of the nearly 45,000 communities currently listed on SeniorAdvisor.com, only 1,600 were recognized with this award in 2018. To qualify for the award, each com- munity had to have at least a 4.5-star rating and at least four new reviews in 2017. Over the past year, Heritage West Allis has received high reviews and has maintained an "Excellent" level star rating. "The SeniorAdvisor.com award is one of the most desired in the industry because it is based on reviews from our residents and family members. Meeting and exceeding their needs is of the upmost importance to us, so being recognized by them with this award is an incredible honor that truly speaks to the commitment and dedication of our staff," said Pierre Verger, CEO at Heritage Senior Living. Over 2,000 Wisconsin seniors live in a Heritage Senior Living community home. Corix Utility Services changes name to Tribus Services WAUWATOSA — Corix Utility Services announced it is changing its name in order to be able to expand its operations. The Wauwatosa-based Corix Utility Services said it will operate under the new name Tribus Services. The name Tribus adds "bus," referring to "electrical connec- tion" or "common connection," to the Latin root "Tri," expressing the idea of its three businesses — deployment, project manage- ment and consulting — coming together, according to the announcement. The name change is a result of the Corix Group of Companies deciding to restruc- ture its United States and Canadian Utility Services divisions so they can operate out- side a utility operations and governance structure. Tribus Services will remain part of the Corix Group, whose primary owner is the British Columbia Investment Management Corp. Kevin Meagher, who led Corix Utility Services as senior vice president, has been promoted to president and CEO for Tribus Services. "The change will allow us to be more competitive and expand our business opportunities to serve an increasingly glob- al base," Meagher said in a statement. Boldt Company exceeds $1 billion in revenue WAUKESHA — Construction services company The Boldt Company announced it has passed $1 billion in revenues for the first time in its 125-year history. The Boldt Company provides construc- tion management services to a range of industries including health care, automo- tive, industrial, commercial, power, educa- tion and municipal services and has 13 offices across the country. In the Milwaukee region, Boldt recently completed a $150 million renovation of the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center power plant. During the three-year project, Boldt was able to upgrade operating and power distribution systems in the facility without interrupting service, according to the announcement. SC Waukesha to become Ballpark Common tenant The ROC adds soccer to Prospect Training Academy's mix Survey: 79 percent of Wisconsinites have travel plans for 2018 Amini

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