Urban Milwaukee » Business

Business

RedPrairie Moves Further Away From Talent Sources

Red Praire's relocation story has been funny, especially now that they've finally decided to move to Delafield. To understand what's going on it appears you don't have to read between the lines, you just have to read the lines.

Aug 22nd, 2008 by Jeramey Jannene

Kohl’s Continues To Lead Retail Store Solar Power Field

Kudos to Kohl's for continuing to push the envelope by powering more and more stores with solar power.

Aug 15th, 2008 by Jeramey Jannene

Les Paul, Mike Cudahy and the Rise of the Uber Geezers

The Wizard of Waukesha is bringing his act to Milwaukee’s Pabst Theatre in June! If you don’t know the significance of that sentence then you don’t know the history of rock and roll. Les Paul, who turns 93 on June 9th, grew up in Waukesha and is probably more responsible for the popular music of our time than anyone. He is credited with inventing the design of the modern electric guitar and introducing recording techniques that revolutionized the music industry. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when a group of Paul devotees came to Michael Cudahy with a plan to create a Paul tribute at Discovery World, the planets seemed to align. I started this column as a tribute to some extraordinary graybeards among us and this breaking news about Paul’s upcoming concert just gave me a new lede. While so many of us in Milwaukee pout about the leadership vacuum on our local scene, a handful of wealthy and accomplished elders are stepping up to the plate. First and foremost, idiosyncratic and irascible Michael Cudahy has been coming to the rescue of various struggling institutions in the city for years. Take a look at his profile in the March, 2007 issue of Milwaukee Magazine by Kurt Chandler. The man was born into one of this town’s most prestigious families but he dropped out of school and seemed destined to become the black sheep of the Cudahy clan. His story gives a 20th Century Midwestern twist to a legendary Shakespearean tale. This Prince Hal ne’er-do-well eventually launched a medical electronics firm that earned him a fortune. Ever since selling Marquette Electronics to GE, Cudahy has been dedicated to giving away millions. The Medical College of Wisconsin, MSOE, the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee all benefited from his largesse. But Cudahy isn’t the type to just write checks. He took over the Pabst Theater, brilliantly restored it and established it as the city’s most magnificent entertainment venue. Anyone who visits Discovery World, the city’s outstanding science museum, soon realizes what an impact Michael Cudahy has had. While the building’s glorious design resulted from a conflict between the philanthropist, the neighboring Milwaukee Art Museum and city planners, the spectacular facility is a living testament to Cudahy’s vision and commitment to this region. At 84, Cudahy isn’t the oldest benefactor on the local scene. That honor probably goes to Joseph Zilber a wealthy 90-year-old developer who is engaged on a spending spree to kickstart a Milwaukee Renaissance. He stepped up to the plate when the WE Energies-sponsored proposal to redevelop the Pabst City site was rejected by the Common Council. While that project is still very much a work-in-progress, Zilber has invited criticism by replacing the Pabst sign with one featuring his name and attaching a tacky video billboard to one of the buildings. But Zilber has also announced plans to bankroll a new initiative to address the poverty and other challenges facing Milwaukee to the […]

May 23rd, 2008 by Ted Bobrow

Milwaukee Vodka Maker Moving to Walker’s Point

FO BEVERAGES A HOBBY Originally uploaded by strobist Great Lakes Distillery, Milwaukee’s local vodka distiller, is moving their operations from Capital and Holton to 616 W Virginia St in The Tannery complex of buildings. This has been picked up by a lot of other sources (including the JS, The Daily Reporter, RNN, and the Business Journal) so I’m not going to bore you with details on what it includes, but the tours sound great. I’m more concerned with what it means for the city. Guy Rehorst wanted more space, and he could have went anywhere in the metro-area and still called got away with calling it Milwaukee’s vodka. He chose to stay in urban Milwaukee though. Why? I haven’t talked to him directly, but here’s a couple guesses. It’s nice being close to your customers. It’s also a plus when you’re located by a Harley museum to generate a steady stream of customers for your tours. Being in a historic tannery building feels cool too, one could imagine. What does his business mean to Milwaukee? Realistically, not a lot of jobs directly, but there are other benefits. Everyone involved in local alcohol production deserves a huge round of applause from me, as do the people that drink it. Milwaukee is going to drink it’s share of alcohol, so it’s best that it’s made in Milwaukee. Every time you sip Rehorst compared to Absolut more money is staying in Milwaukee. Same with Lakefront, Water Street, and Alehouse beers vs Budweiser (and yes, even Miller). So while none of these distilleries create massive amounts of jobs, they keep wealth from leaving the city, and hopefully long-term bring wealth in (as they ultimately sell outside 124th Street). They also have this huge marketability asset that makes all of them being so close together so great. They’re great places to go. Now Guy’s tour is not running yet, but I imagine it’ll be something people talk about. It’s yet one more thing for people to do in urban Milwaukee (see: Fonz statue) that isn’t enough to draw people to come here on their own, but adds to a mixing pot of great things that make Milwaukee special compared to somewhere huge like Atlanta or small like Janesville. Milwaukee is a great place to be and with entrepreneurs like Guy Rehorst, isn’t anywhere close to losing it’s alcohol heritage, even with Miller moving to Chicago or Dallas (yeah, I said it).

Apr 16th, 2008 by Jeramey Jannene

New Alterra Opening

Alterra Spring Originally uploaded by MilwaukeeMark A new Alterra Coffee Roasters is opening today at 2999 N. Humboldt Blvd. near the intersection of Humboldt and Locust just over the river into Riverwest. According to Alterra… On Saturday, December 15th, the Alterra café on Humboldt Boulevard will open its doors, joining neighbors Loop Yarn Shop and Alterra Baking Company in our new building across from Pumping Station Park. In addition to freshly brewed coffee, the café will serve soups, salads, and sandwiches, and a wide selection of teas, espresso-based drinks and baked goods made daily from scratch. The Alterra will make a welcome addition to the neighborhood over a Starbucks. I’ll have to drop by once it’s warmer, venturing that far in the cold for a cup of coffee isn’t quite in the card for me yet. Please feel free to leave any feedback you have on the new location.

Dec 15th, 2007 by Jeramey Jannene

Art vs. Craft

After seven rounds, nationally-recognized Art vs. Craft has become a Milwaukee institution – by way of minimally institutional principles. Also an anomaly: over 75 progressively-minded, “new wave” artists, crafters and designers will be vending their handmade and independent wares – just in time for the holiday feeding frenzy.

Dec 1st, 2007 by Amber Herzog

Plenty of Horne

Pabst Owner Seeks $200K Tax Refund; Claims Shares Have “Zero Book Value”

Foundation to IRS: Pabst shares have no book value; ask $200K refund

Jul 31st, 2007 by Michael Horne

Plenty of Horne

Regulatory Woes Cost Baird $6+ Million

Claims Rise Greatly in Purcell Era Include Awards for “Mismanagement,” “Unsuitability,” “Failure to Supervise,” “Breach of Fiduciary Duty,” “Negligence.”

Jan 11th, 2007 by Michael Horne

Plenty of Horne