Country station WKTI names ‘Jake & Tanner’ as morning-show team
WKTI-FM (94.5), which launched a country music format May 29, has hired a morning drive time on-air team: the “Jake & Tanner Show,” hosted by Jake Kelly and Tanner Jay, who most recently hosted an afternoon drive-time show at WIXX-FM in Green Bay. “The Jake & Tanner Show” will debut on WKTI on Nov. 23. Producer Samantha Walker also is joining the station. “Their younger approach, heavier local involvement and humor will be points of difference,” WKTI vice president and general manager Tom Langmyer said in a press release Friday. Jake Kelly and Tanner Jay worked the afternoon drive-time shift the past three years at WIXX-FM, which is owned by Midwest Communications of Wausau. J. Pat Miller, who is WKTI’s director of marketing and innovation, has been filling in on the station’s morning show until a permanent morning team was hired. Metro Milwaukee added a new full-power country music radio station in WKTI less than two months after E.W. Scripps Co. took over Journal Broadcast Group’s two Milwaukee radio stations. The station calls itself “KTI Country” and replaced the “Lake FM” music variety format that debuted in 2009 and floundered in ratings and revenue. WKTI is competing head-to-head with longtime country music leader in Milwaukee, WMIL-FM (106.1), which is owned by San Antonio-based iHeartMedia.
Oct 30th, 2015 by Dave Reid
A People on the Move spotlight
Dr. Ann Nattinger has been named senior associate dean of research at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Wauwatosa. In her new role, Nattinger will provide vision and leadership for MCW’s research strategy and the Office of Research Infrastructure. Nattinger answered a few questions for the Milwaukee Business Journal. Hometown: Libertyville, Ill. Education: BS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; MD, University of Illinois Medical School, Chicago; internal medicine residency, MPH and research fellowship, University of Rochester, N.Y. What attracted you to this new opportunity:“Research is a passion of mine, and a core mission of the Medical College of Wisconsin. I have a vision of how we can even more closely connect the research we’re doing with the patient care that goes on every day. I look forward to implementing this vision in my new position.” Thoughts on your position:“Simultaneously excited and humbled” First job:“I worked in a shoe store during high school. You can tell a lot about a person from their shoes.” Career advice:“You have many years to work. Do something you feel passionate about.” Personal hero:“My grandfather. He taught me to fish and, in the quiet times, about life.” Last book read:“How Google Works” by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg Person you would most like to meet:“Elizabeth Blackwell. She was the first female medical school graduate in the United States and a strong advocate for women in medicine.” Family:“My husband, Bruce, and our three children: Kevin, Kinsey and Michael” Favorite vacation spot:“An inland lake in northern Wisconsin where we can water-ski, kick back, and roast marshmallows around a nightly fire” Most meaningful accomplishment:“Recognition as a Master by the American College of Physicians for my clinical work with patients as well as my research and leadership” Favorite film:“‘The Sound of Music’ — I spent a semester in college studying at the beautiful Austrian villa where the movie was filmed.” Favorite Milwaukee restaurant:“There are so many wonderful options in Milwaukee, but Sanford has always been a favorite of mine.” Likes about Milwaukee:“Too many to list for this great place to raise a family” What you most like doing in your free time:“Walking or hiking with Bruce and Lucy, our dog”
Oct 30th, 2015 by Dave Reid
Family ties run deep in development industry, including for its up-and-comers
Real estate development, more than many other industries, has a lot of family dynasties. There are limited chances to break into the industry by landing jobs with the established developers, so having forefathers with real estate experience is a significant foot in the door, and a source of wisdom that can’t be found in a textbook. So it’s a reflection of the overall industry that three of the up-and-coming developers we feature in our Oct. 30 issue have dads who are established in the industry. That doesn’t lessen their achievements. Each has made their own name and are recognized for their merits, while also acknowledging the helping hand of a family connection. “I know for me it certainly helps,” said Tim Gokhman, son of New Land Development founder Boris Gokhman, who is now leading his own Milwaukee developments. “There are a lot of things that are just life experience you can’t learn about in a classroom,” he said. “You can’t read it in a book, so I’m very fortunate.” Michael Klein is son of Milwaukee development and construction exec Dennis Klein and brother to Joe Klein of Milwaukee developer HKS Holdings LLC. He started out working five years for a large apartment developer in Philadelphia. He returned to Milwaukee to lead his own projects. Klein’s first big project in Milwaukee is a corporate headquarters for Zurn Industries LLC, which is under construction. The Klein name has a recognition factor, he said, and offers opportunities to do projects that otherwise would not be available. “It’s still got some brand power,” Klein said of the family name. “I’m looking forward to growing it and moving it forward.” S.R. Mills is president of Bear Development with his father, Stephen Mills, serving as its CEO. Mills said his father brings a “steady hand” to the business that has brought consistency to projects he and the team have done. “The businesses we’re in today are different than what we were doing 10, 15, 30 years ago,” he said. “But certainly from the standpoint of having a great business partner and everything that means both as somebody to bounce day-to-day and big-picture items off of, that’s crucial.”
Oct 30th, 2015 by Dave Reid
Izumi’s building on Milwaukee’s east side sold to developer
An 8,000-square-foot building on Milwaukee’s east side has been sold to a developer for nearly $1 million, seven months after being sold to another investor. The two-story building, anchored by Izumi’s Japanese restaurant, was sold to Coal Dog LLC, led by developer Sean Phelan, for $960,000, according to state real estate records posted Thursday. Phelan could not be immediately reached for information about his plans for the property at 2140-2150 N. Prospect Ave. The building and its 18,000-square-foot lot were sold by 1250 North Prospect LLC, led by developer Max Dermond. Dermond’s group bought the building in March for $835,000 from an affiliate of Newport Beach, Calif.-based Sabal Financial Group LP. Sabal acquired the property through a 2011 foreclosure sale for $700,000. The building, which includes offices on the second floor, was built in 1934 and is known for its exterior terra cotta. The property includes a rear parking lot that could provide space for a new development. Dermond’s firm, Dermond Property Investments LLC, has developed apartments on the east side, and is developing an apartment building in Bay View. Dermond Property considered developing apartments at the property, which was among “several ideas,” for the site, said Nora Pecor, chief financial officer. Pecor declined to elaborate, and declined to comment on the decision to sell the property. Phelan, who operates Phelan Development LLC, has developed apartments and retail space. His current projects include plans to redevelop the National Ace Hardware building, 1303 N. 4th St., into street-level retail and restaurant space and upper-level offices after the hardware store closes this fall. No tenants have yet been announced. That property, which has three connected buildings, was sold in July for $2.5 million to Hardware HQ LLC, led by Phelan and developer Blair Williams.
Oct 29th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
ManpowerGroup chairman Jeffrey Joerres to retire Dec. 30
Jeffrey Joerres will retire as ManpowerGroup Inc.’s executive chairman on Dec. 30 and will be succeeded by chief executive officer Jonas Prising, the staffing and executive services company said Thursday. Joerres, 55, first joined Milwaukee-based ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) in 1993 and has served as chairman since 2001. Joerres was CEO of the company from April 1999, when the company had $8 billion in annual revenue, until May 2014, when ManpowerGroup was a $20 billion company. “Jeff’s impressive contributions to ManpowerGroup span more than three decades. In his 15 years as CEO he drove the expansion of the company with his client first approach and strategic vision,” said Prising. “Jeff has inspired and developed strong leaders across this business and his passion and energy for people and for creating opportunities has truly changed lives and instilled pride in this organization. Jeff is a recognized thought leader in the world of work and his deep industry knowledge and labor market expertise have had a significant impact on our company, our industry and labor markets around the world.” Prising, 50, became ManpowerGroup’s fourth CEO when he took office on May 1, 2014.
Oct 29th, 2015 by Dave Reid
Astor Hotel launches new cafe and pub
You may recall a restaurant called The Nantucket Shores, which was located within the Historic Astor Hotel, 924 E. Juneau Ave., during the 1970’s. Well, beginning Nov. 1, the space will reopen as the Astor Cafe & Pub, sporting a beautiful new look, new menus, and newly expanded hours. Breakfast service will include items including corned beef hash ($10), bourbon and almond French toast ($7), steak and eggs ($14) and a lox and bagel benedict ($9). Meanwhile, lunch will include a variety of salad and sandwich options, including a build-your-own he Astor Hotel Cafe & Pub, sporting a beautiful new look, new menus, and newly expanded hours.burger for $8. The Astor Café & Pub’s vintage bar will offer craft beers, specialty wine and signature drinks daily from 7 a.m. to midnight. As a special welcome offer, guests will receive two free mimosas with each meal through 2015. In addition, on Nov. 11, in honor of Veteran’s Day, veterans and members of the armed services can eat in The Café for free, and their table guests will receive a free dessert. A Rotunda Room banquet facility, which accommodates up to 50 guests, will also be available for evening and weekend special events outside of the restaurant’s dining hours. The Astor Cafe & Pub will serve breakfast and lunch daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Astor Hotel, which was designed as a combination hotel-apartment building during the “Roaring 20s,” was fully completed in 1925. At the time, and for many years thereafter, it was considered one of the finest hotels in the Midwest. Today, the hotel and its restaurants remain a prestigious “go-to” destination for famous visitors to the city and local Milwaukeeans alike.
Oct 28th, 2015 by Dave Reid
Johnson Controls automotive spinoff HQ to stay in Milwaukee
The automotive spinoff of Johnson Controls Inc. — which still doesn’t have a name — will keep its headquarters in Milwaukee, CEO Alex Molinaroli said Tuesday. The Glendale-based multi-industrial company announced in July it plans to spin off its automotive experience segment by next summer into an independent, publicly traded company. But where that company would be based has remained vague — the automotive segment had operations in Milwaukee; Plymouth, Mich.; and Burscheid, Germany — until Molinaroli informed attendees at the RSM Executive Summit 2015 in Milwaukee that the spinoff had decided to keep its headquarters in Milwaukee. Currently the automotive headquarters takes up a major portion of the Glendale campus, and Molinaroli said the new company would look for new office space to help clarify the distinction between the two companies. “It would just make sense if we’re really trying to operate as two companies,” he said. Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) is also evaluating a 2.66-acre parcel on Milwaukee’s lakefront south of Clybourn Street for some kind of downtown expansion and expects to make a decision on that within the next 12 months. With significant changes on the table for Johnson Controls’ Milwaukee facilities, Molinaroli reinforced his commitment to the community and to helping Milwaukee grow. “For us to compete, we need to be located in a place that’s friendly, accessible and global,” he said. “I need Milwaukee to be a place where we can attract talent and bring in ex-pats from around the world and have them feel comfortable.”
Oct 27th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Committee approves sale of city lot for retail development
A Milwaukee Common Council committee is recommending a city-owned lot be sold to an investor who faced criticism after failing to develop a central city supermarket. The Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee also approved plans Tuesday for a Brady Street apartment development and public improvements tied to the planned conversion of a largely vacant building into a downtown hotel. Anup “Andy” Khullar would buy a 36,159-square-foot vacant lot at 7101 N. 76th St. for $20,000, according to a Department of City Development report. The city acquired the lot through property tax foreclosure. The zoning recommended the sale on a 5-0 vote at its Tuesday meeting. Khullar, chairman of Priya Corp., operates Andy’s gas station and convenience stores, including one north of the lot at 7605 W. Good Hope Road. He plans to develop a one-story, 12,015-square-foot commercial building with five retail spaces, the city report said. The $500,000 project’s financing could include some city grants, it said. Khullar’s separate investment group, 2349 LLC, owns a 34,500-square-foot strip shopping center at 2349 N. King Drive. Khullar bought that property in 2011 for $1.1 million and planned to use 8,000 to 12,000 square feet for a supermarket. His group received approval for a $325,000 loan from the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp. to help finance the $1.7 million project. The MEDC is a nonprofit business lender, affiliated with the city, which operates a revolving loan fund without city tax dollars. However, Khullar dropped that effort and in 2013 tried to lease the space to Dollar Tree, a discount chain sells both food and general merchandise. That was opposed by Ald. Milele Coggs, who represents the area, and Development Commissioner Rocky Marcoux, who said Khullar was breaking a promise to bring a full-service grocery store to the site. The Common Council refused to issue a food license for Dollar Tree, and that space remains vacant. 2349 LLC spent around $218,000 of the MEDC loan to make renovations to the space to accommodate Dollar Tree. As of February, the group owed $197,319 on that loan. Khullar and the MEDC are negotiating over repaying those funds and finding other uses for the building. The zoning committee also unanimously endorsed Ogden & Co.’s plans for the three-story, 23-unit Keystone Apartments, at the northwest corner of E. Brady St. and N. Humboldt Ave. It would replace a one-story vacant commercial building and a vacant lot. Ogden’s plans call for street-level commercial space, indoor parking spaces and upper-floor apartments. Most would be one-bedroom units, targeting people ranging from their early 20s to mid-30s. The average unit size would be 750 square feet, with rents approaching $2 a square foot — around $1,500 a month. Ogden hopes to begin construction by next spring. In addition, the committee voted 5-0 to recommend spending $1.96 million on street work and other public improvements connected to a planned $17 million conversion of the Button Block Building, 500 N. Water St., into a 94-room Homewood Suites hotel. Those funds, provided through a tax incremental […]
Oct 27th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Lucky Joe’s Tiki Room closes this weekend
Lucky Joe’s Tiki Room, 196 S. 2nd St., will close this weekend, according to owner Lee Guk. Saturday night will be the final night of operation.Guk says the owner decided to sell the building for development. “Sometimes a business decision has to weigh over a heart decision. I’m sad, but at the same time, it’s a lot of stress and debt off my plate,” says Guk. Guk opened Lucky Joe’s in 2012. His other venture, Lucky Joe’s Alchemy & Eatery, which opened this summer, will remain open. “We will be focusing on the Tosa location, and possibly finding a different location for the tiki concept,” he says.
Oct 27th, 2015 by Dave Reid
Jim Kroll’s mentoring didn’t end when students left Rufus King
For an educator, there may be no greater gift than knowing you had a profound and lasting influence on the lives of your students. And many will go to their graves never truly comprehending their impact. Not James Kroll. Three weeks before he died, hundreds of former students, parents and colleagues showered the retired Rufus King High School teacher and guidance counselor with the gift of knowing at a “living wake” he hosted to say his goodbyes. And hundreds more sent their thanks in letters, phone calls and emails from around the world. “Dr. Kroll looked out for you and made sure you had every opportunity to thrive inside and outside the classroom,” said Gilbert Collins, a senior administrator at Princeton University who graduated from Rufus King in 1992. “He helped students to realize their potential,” said Collins, who credits Kroll with nurturing the language skills that helped him get into Harvard. “No matter what your talent was, he encouraged you to make the most of your God-given abilities and reach as high as you can.” Kroll died Sunday, just three weeks after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. He was 70. In the years after he retired, Kroll had stayed in touch with many of his former students, reveling in their successes and continuing to counsel and encourage them long after they left King. “He kept those connections for the rest of his life,” said daughter Kristin Groves of Rochester, Minn., where Kroll and his wife, Nancy, moved in 2006 to be closer to their grandchildren. “It wasn’t just, ‘I’m going to be your high school teacher.’ He wanted to be there for their life.” The son of a stevedore and a homemaker, Kroll was born in 1945 and raised on Milwaukee’s south side. He might have followed his father onto the docks, but for his own teachers and mentors along the way. He graduated from Pulaski High School before heading off to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He would eventually earn a master’s in political science at Bowling Green University in Ohio and his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. While at Whitewater, Kroll was active in the anti-Vietnam War movement. And he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968. Those experiences, along with the Civil Rights Movement, friends said, shaped his views on social justice. In 1969, Kroll spied the former Nancy Price at the Safe House bar in Milwaukee. They eloped a year later and would go on to raise two daughters, Groves and Kathleen Brady of Milwaukee. Nancy was charmed to the end by her husband’s droll wit and wry sense of humor. At the hospice in Minnesota, she could hear him in the bathroom in the middle of the night singing the Clash song “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” “I grew up in Elm Grove, so he would like to say that he married up,” said Nancy. “But I would say I married up.” Kroll began […]
Oct 27th, 2015 by Dave Reid
12-story apartment building planned on Milwaukee River in Walker’s Point
A 12-story building with 164 apartments is proposed along the Milwaukee River in the Walker’s Point neighborhood. The Milwaukee project would replace a parking lot at 234 S. Water St. and is led by Milwaukee developer David Winograd, who has done other projects in the immediate area. Construction could begin in spring 2016 for completion in late 2017, according to a press release from the developer. It is the tallest and largest apartment development pending in Walker’s Point, a neighborhood south of downtown Milwaukee that has drawn significant developer interest. The property six years ago was approved for the $80 million Rivianna project, with a hotel and apartments in three, 15-story towers. That project fell through. The latest building is designed by Plunkett Raysich Architects, which recently moved its headquarters to Walker’s Point. Plans include first-floor retail space with indoor parking and apartments on the upper levels. The housing is a mix of one to three-bedroom market-rate apartments. There will be 225 parking spaces on the property. Plans also include an extension of the riverwalk with boat slips and a public plaza along Pittsburgh Avenue. Winograd has been active in the area starting in 2009, when he purchased the nearby Deco Building and rehabbed it for new office tenants. Milwaukee’s Plan Commission is scheduled to review the proposal next month.
Oct 26th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Boston Store’s former ‘whiz kid’ CEO lands a new job
After two years of quiet from Brendan Hoffman, the Boston Store parent company CEO on Friday took the post of CEO at fashion brand and retailer Vince, taking over at the struggling company after its chief executive’s sudden departure this summer. Hoffman served as CEO at The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: BONT) for about two years, resigning sooner than expected due to a lengthy commute between the company’s Milwaukee headquarters and his family in New York City. Hoffman, 46 when he took the Bon-Ton job, earned a reputation as an industry “whiz kid.” At Bon-Ton he introduced changes, including a greater emphasis on shoes and cosmetics, and a focus on regionally relevant selections the company is building upon today. He took over the position in 2012 from previous CEO Bud Bergren, with a mission to turn around the department store chain, whose struggles continue today. He announced his departure in March 2014. Before Bon-Ton, Hoffman helmed luxury brand Lord & Taylor, and did a stint as CEO of Neiman Marcus Direct. New York City’s Vince (NYSE: VNCE) has been seeking a permanent CEO since this summer, when CEO Jill Granoff stepped down after taking the company public. Like Bon-Ton, and so many other retailers, Vince has been fighting dipping sales. Bon-Ton, which has headquarters in both Milwaukee and York, P.A., replaced Hoffman last fall with current CEO and president Kathryn Bufano. Bufano has built on Hoffman’s strategy and introduced a series of branding, marketing and retailing changes to the department store chain. Unlike Hoffman, Bufano has purchased a condo in Milwaukee and lives in the city. The company shuttered three unprofitable stores last week, and continues to report losses as its same-store sales dip.
Oct 26th, 2015 by Dave Reid
