7 questions for Wisconsin’s own Tom Wopat
It’s been more than a decade since OnMilwaukee spoke to Tom Wopat, best known as Luke Duke from the hugely popular ‘80s series, “Dukes of Hazzard,” but his career is still going strong. Wopat, of course, is from Lodi, just outside Madison, and in his career he’s done a lot more than the Dukes. A Tony-nominated Broadway actor, he’s also released a number of successful albums in different genres. Now, Wopat is coming home (or close to home, anyway) to open the Oconomowoc Arts Center’s Main Stage Series on Saturday. He’ll be performing jazz-inspired renditions of contemporary classics from his album, “I’ve Got Your Number.” We caught up with Wopat by phone this week in advance of his Saturday show. OnMilwaukee: I think a lot of people would be surprised about how diverse your career has been. People know you for different things but now you’re doing a show that’s pretty different very different. How did you pick this genre? Tom Wopat: My first job with this type of material when I was doing “Annie Get Your Gun,” and we recorded the cast album, and they asked me if I wanted to do a Sinatra-ish record. So I did, with a guy named Russ Titelman, who’s a two-time Grammy award winner. Since then, I’ve been doing this type of material where we kind of mix the American Songbook stuff with some more contemporary material, more pop material, we have a jazz treatment, and then we mix in a couple of original tunes as well. I write a little bit, too. OnMilwaukee: Still, this is a pretty big departure from acting on TV or your first country album. Do you like this more? Wopat: You can make space for all of it. That Broadway stuff definitely translates into the American songbook a lot. I mean, up until the ’60s or so, a lot of the top 10 music was Broadway solos. So it was a fairly easy transition there. We have some awesome stuff that’s got a country feel to it, but it’s pretty individual, it’s highly musical. I bring a trio from New York with me, so we’ve got the best musicians in the world. The song order is probably fairly set, but the in between, there’s plenty of smart talk that goes on, as well. OnMilwaukee: You’ve played some fairly big venues over the years, and now you’re playing a pretty intimate place in Oconomowoc. How do they compare? Wopat: I’ve sang at bars over my life, and a lot of times with a country band, you end up playing bars county fairs. John Schneider and I just did a concert at that Indiana State Fair. I prefer actually having a small crowd that’s close. I played big crowds, we played music festivals that kind of thing in the past. They’re lot of fun too because that’s a whole different ballgame. OnMilwaukee: What is it like playing with John Schneider again after all these years? Wopat: We are old […]
Sep 18th, 2015 by Dave Reid
What downtown drivers hate is what sold White Dress on its new Walker’s Point location
If you’re a Milwaukee driver, you’ve likely learned to loathe the up-and-down of bridges around downtown. Not Christina Wegner. In fact, its proximity to the Pittsburgh Avenue bridge helped sell Wegner on the location for her new bridal boutique, White Dress. While Walker’s Point isn’t known for its retail scene, what the by-appointment White Dress needs most is eyeballs, not feet. The bridge pauses traffic just outside White Dress’ front door, giving idle drivers ample opportunitiy to ogle the former warehouse’s wide windows and the dresses on display. ” Wegner said. “Having 20 cars parked while a boat is going through doesn’t hurt.” It’s a first-time venture for the former Mandel Group associate, but Wegner says her market analysis and business plan bear out the boutique’s viability. When business began ramping up at the Milwaukee-based development group, Wegner believed the time was right to try her hand at her entrepreneurial dream after 25 years in property management. She started scouting locations in the Walker’s Point neighborhood, signed the lease at 237 E. Pittsburgh Ave. April 2 and opened Aug. 7. Her grand opening celebration, expected to draw about 225 guests, was Sept. 16. Wegner credits the quick turnaround to assistance from the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. in securing a loan, as well as work by Milwaukee’s Plunkett Raysich Architects LLP reconstructing the interior. The finished, 3,200-square-foot space includes four dressing rooms, a greeting area, two offices and 500 square feet of storage. She differentiates White Dress’ gowns by having a bit more eclectic mix than other shops, Wegner said. White Dress’ private space is meant to make brides-to-be feel as special as they deserve. “I figure there’s three moments: the moment you get engaged, the moment you find your dress, and the moment you walk down the aisle and say, ‘I do,’” Wegner said. “All of those should be ‘wow’ moments.”
Sep 18th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Ald. Murphy seeks stronger non-relocation clause in Bucks arena lease
Milwaukee Common Council president Ald. Michael Murphy believes taxpayers should get stronger protections in case the Milwaukee Bucks would leave town before the $250 million public debt is paid off on the arena project. The arena-funding legislation Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed Aug. 12 allows public entities to sue the team’s owners for damages if the Bucks relocate. Murphy said that doesn’t go far enough. “I think it’s very weak,” Murphy said. Murphy shared his concerns in a letter to Wisconsin Department of Administration secretary Scott Neitzel, who also is chairman of the Wisconsin Center District Board. The arena legislation directs Neitzel to negotiate the 30-year arena lease with the Bucks owners on behalf of taxpayers. Murphy sent a letter urging Neitzel to do more to ensure the Bucks remain in Milwaukee, considering the $250 million plus interest in public monies going to the arena project. Murphy said he did not want to discuss specifics of what he is seeking. Murphy complained that the main recourse for the city, Milwaukee County, the state and the public Wisconsin Center District is to sue the Bucks or their buyers for injunctive relief. “I’ll be surprised if he signs a lease without tightening the restrictions,” Murphy said. Although Murphy serves on the Wisconsin Center District board, Neitzel is under no obligation to follow suggestions or directives from the board or its members. The valuation of the Bucks is likely to increase in the coming years beyond the $550 million Marc Lasry and Wes Edens paid, Murphy said. For example, the next NBA television contract is expected to provide a windfall to owners and players, Murphy said. Murphy is concerned that the current owners will be tempted to sell the team at a profit. “Mr. Lasry and Mr. Edens are men of good faith, but business is business,” Murphy said. Murphy said he had not received a response from Neitzel as of Friday. Neitzel’s office provided the following comment via email to the Milwaukee Business Journal: “The reconstituted Wisconsin Center District Board includes many talented individuals who bring to the board years of experience across many disciplines. Secretary Neitzel looks forward to leveraging the knowledge of the board in a collaborative process as negotiations move forward.” Bucks spokesman Jake Suski reiterated that the owners have no plans to sell the team or relocate. “Our owners are committed to keeping the Bucks here and to our collective effort to revitalize downtown Milwaukee,” Suski said. “We agreed to sign an iron-clad relocation agreement with provisions detailed in the legislation.” Suski cited the injunctive-relief provision of the arena-funding legislation. Murphy’s letter to Neitzel also urged the administration secretary to share with the Wisconsin Center District board the approval of the arena lease. The legislation gives Neitzel unilateral authority to negotiate a development agreement, the lease and the non-relocation agreement. Murphy serves on the 17-member Wisconsin Center District board that governs the new arena as well as the Wisconsin Center convention hall, the Milwaukee Theatre and the UW-Milwaukee […]
Sep 18th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Developer cleared to convert Prospect Avenue parking lot into apartment building
The local East Side Architectural Review Board unanimously signed-off on a proposal for an estimated $14 million, six-story apartment building on North Prospect Avenue in Milwaukee during a meeting Friday. “This is exactly the kind of development we wanted when we changed the zoning and created this architecture review board,” chair of the board and Ald. Nik Kovac told the Milwaukee Business Journal. “We wanted North Avenue not just to be a place to be entertained, we want it to be a place where you come to shop and to live … we wanted to make it feel like a living room, not a thoroughfare.” The building with 80 apartments would replace a parking lot and Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurant at 2228 N. Prospect Ave. The apartment structure, which will feature spacious one-bedroom units, will be developed by Joseph Property Development, and designed by Rinka Chung Architecture, both of Milwaukee. They plan to include 9,000 square feet of first-floor retail space and almost 140 interior parking spaces on the lower levels. The project has crossed what could have been its largest roadblock with Friday’s 5-0 vote. Robert Joseph of Joseph Property Development said earlier this week he would like to start “immediately” for a spring 2017 completion.
Sep 18th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
What the CEO of Boston Store’s parent said about the future of its HQ in downtown Milwaukee
Turning around The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. matters in big ways and smaller ones. For president and chief executive officer Kathryn Bufano, resurrecting Boston Store’s struggling parent company (Nasdaq: BONT) is about the stores’ more than 20,000 employees. It’s also about proving her thesis that department stores like hers will survive, evolving with the times. In Milwaukee, the company’s success matters to its 800 downtown employees and it matters to the city, which is hoping to preserve the store’s corporate headquarters at the Shops of Grand Avenue. Its stake isn’t small. Last summer, aldermen approved a $1.2 million financial assistance package to keep Bon-Ton’s HQ downtown through 2018. Bufano talked to the Milwaukee Business Journal for Friday’s weekly edition cover story about her turnaround strategy. Here’s what she had to say about the future of its city headquarters: You have a dual headquarters now (in Milwaukee and in York, Pa.), but as far as the Milwaukee piece – do you intend to keep the headquarters here? “I have a commitment. I bought a condo in Milwaukee. I’m from the Midwest. Even though I’m from Chicago, my DNA in terms of how I identify myself is from the Midwest. So, Milwaukee is a big attraction. Our talent is here, our product development team is here. We have a satellite in New York, but the heart and soul of this company is in Milwaukee, and I would have no intention of moving it.” And what about that downtown piece — was it 2018 that lease is through now? “Yes.” What happens after that? “I don’t know what’s going to happen after that. My desire would be to stay. The Grand Avenue mall just changed hands. We are upgrading that store by Christmas in terms of merchandise assortment, and it’s very, very centrally located. “Quite honestly, we’re in a turnaround, our company. We’re making a lot of changes in terms of improving our business results, and it sure isn’t a secret that we need to do that. So, the last thing I want to do is distract the team, is get the team (wondering), ‘Where am I going to be?’ I want all of us, myself included, to really focus on how we’re going to improve our business. So, rearranging and changing our DNA of our business headquarters really wouldn’t even be good for our business. It’s good for our business to be in Milwaukee.” Bufano said she’ll be talking to city officials and hopes the company doesn’t have to relocate, citing encouraging signs of downtown development from the pending Milwaukee Bucks arena to the numerous new apartment units coming to West Wisconsin Avenue. Bon-Ton has a dual headquarters in Milwaukee and York, Pa. It operates more than 270 stores under different nameplates, including Boston Store, Bon-Ton, Younkers, Bergner’s and Carson’s. In the region, Bon-Ton’s Boston Store locations, furniture gallery and headquarters employ about 3,000, according to the company.
Sep 17th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Sen. Chris Larson considering a challenge to Chris Abele
Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson is talking to supporters about challenging Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele in this spring’s election, with Larson likely to announce a bid soon. Multiple sources confirmed that Larson, a former Milwaukee County Board supervisor, was actively exploring a run in which he would challenge Abele, a Democrat, from the left. Larson would seek to challenge Abele for his rocky relations with the County Board and his collaboration on bills with the Republican-led Legislature to empower himself as county executive and undercut county supervisors. A bid against Abele would draw on likely support from the Wisconsin Working Families Party, a coalition of labor and community groups that is led by Abele foe and Milwaukee County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic, the former board chairwoman. The campaign likely wouldn’t focus as closely on a proposal to help fund a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks. Abele drew both praise and criticism for his vocal advocacy for the proposal. Larson himself criticized the measure at times, including Abele’s involvement, but ultimately voted for the bill in the Senate. Sources said that Larson has had discussions with U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, a Milwaukee Democrat, but that Moore has not made a final decision about an endorsement. Larson is likely to make his intentions known in the near future, they said. Aides to Larson and Abele had no immediate comment.
Sep 17th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Foreclosed 3rd Ward building to be auctioned online
The foreclosed Broadway Central office and building in Milwaukee’s 3rd Ward is scheduled to be sold in an online auction in early November. The six-story building is at 241 N. Broadway, and includes first-floor retail and restaurant spaces with offices on its upper floors. The building was foreclosed last year and belongs to a lender, which is now trying to sell the building through Auction.com. Broadway Central, with 99,450 square feet of building space, is appraised at almost $9 million. The building is 68 percent occupied, according to Auction.com. The starting bid for the online auction is $1 million. Bidding will start Nov. 2 and end Nov. 4.
Sep 17th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Fresh Farm Bowls owner says setback made him more resolved to succeed
In March, we announced the launch of Fresh Farm Bowls, a brand new food truck serving up internationally inspired fare with a farm-to-fork twist. Owner Jonute Svien started off serving breakfast and lunch dishes at area parks and farmer’s markets, while waiting for the delivery of a food truck he’d ordered from a company in West Virginia. “We shipped the equipment that we wanted installed in the interior of the truck down to the fabricator, who said he would install everything for us,” says Svien, “And we were getting excited as the time approached for it to be delivered.” But, just a few weeks before delivery, Svien says all he heard from the company was radio silence. “We asked him to send over pictures of the finished truck,” he says. “And he sent us photos of someone else’s truck. That’s when we started getting suspicious.” So, Svien hired a private investigator to look into the matter; and a few weeks later the fabricator delivered keys for what should have been a finished food truck. “The truck arrived and we opened it up,” he notes. “It was supposed to be decked out with stainless steel counters, walls, a prep sink and steam tables, but it wasn’t finished at all. The legs were missing from our steam table. There was a lot that wasn’t right.” Frustrated, but determined to keep moving forward, Svien says the situation made him even more resolved to make his business successful. “I’m the kind of guy who stands back and says: ‘OK, there are evil people out there who do this, and apparently they get joy from making other peoples’ lives miserable. But, I’m not going to let it stop me from moving forward with my dream to serve people this delicious food,'” he says. At first, he wasn’t sure of the direction he wanted to head. He’d lost a significant amount of money to the business owner in West Virginia, and was determined not to make the same mistake twice. He says it took him about three weeks, but ultimately he decided to downsize, pursuing the purchase of a food trailer (rather than a truck) with $15,000 in funds he had received from five investors through Fund Milwaukee. “We were fortunate,” he says, “Fund Milwaukee’s belief in what we do really helped us out during this tough time. We were able to afford to buy the new trailer without shutting down completely. Ultimately, they saved our business.” This time, Svien hired a consultant, who recommended a company called Freedom Trailers in Tennessee to build the trailer. And, while he waited for his new mobile kitchen to arrive, he went back to serving food from a pop-up tent. “We just kept going,” Svien says. “We did two events at the Zoo, Irish Fest, the Strawberry Festival in Cedarburg and the Westtown Market. Even better, as of this past week, Svien is the owner of a brand new trailer which he debuted at Tosa Fest this past weekend. […]
Sep 17th, 2015 by Dave Reid
Plan calls for former King Drive restaurant to become grocery store
A long-vacant restaurant on Milwaukee’s north side would be converted into a neighborhood grocery store that includes fresh meat and produce, under a proposal recommended for Common Council approval. King’s Fresh Market Group LLC would buy the 6,846-square-foot former Stella’s Restaurant, 2730 N. Martin Luther King Drive, from the city for $100,000, under a proposal endorsed Tuesday by the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee on a 4-0 vote. King’s Fresh Market is owned by Bruce Martin, a real estate investor and former principal of Lena’s Food Market, and Tamora Martin, who has 22 years of experience in the financial services industry, according to a Department of City Development report. Their grocery store would sell a variety of household goods and foods, including fresh items that are often less available in the central city. It also would have a hot deli, said Matt Haessly, of the department. The market “will be a learning center to educate its customers about healthy eating and offer hot, healthy food options for families and businesses,” the report said. The owners are “committed to promoting healthy lifestyles and will not sell beer/alcohol or cigarettes from this property,” it said. King’s Fresh Market plans to spend an estimated $250,000 to renovate the building. The Martins are considering conventional financing, and possible city grants, the report said. The council will consider the proposal at its Sept. 22 meeting. The city acquired the property in 2014 through property tax foreclosure. The building originally housed a Ponderosa Steak House, which opened in 2002. The Ponderosa ran into financial trouble with the onset of the 2008 recession, losing its franchise and switching its name to Stella’s Restaurant, before closing in 2010. The committee also voted 4-0 to sell a city-owned vacant lot, 4616 W. Hampton Ave., to Charnjit Kaur. She plans to build a 12,550-square-foot commercial building with a grocery, deli, beauty supply store, liquor store, laundromat and dry cleaner. Kaur, who operates a grocery at 1301 W. Atkinson Ave., would pay $38,000 for the 25,088-square-foot lot, acquired this year through foreclosure. Her investment in the development would total $1.2 million, according to a city report.
Sep 17th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Sent to U.S. court for tough justice, drug gang suspect gamed system
A dozen people were charged with being part of a new, innovative drug-dealing operation in Milwaukee earlier this year but only one ended up in federal court, where the worst offenders are supposed to go to face tougher penalties and close monitoring if they are released. But Terrell D. Hall, 23, gamed that supposedly tough system, exploiting confusion on the part of court officials. A convicted drug dealer facing a long term in federal prison on drug and gun counts, Hall was released in June from custody on a signature bond. The federal prosecutor recommended Hall’s release just three weeks after she argued hard in court to have him remain locked up because he was such a danger to the community, court records show. Within weeks of being released from federal custody, Hall was arrested and is now facing five fresh criminal counts in state court, including having a loaded gun with an extended ammunition magazine, possession of cocaine and heroin with intent of selling, and leading police on a dangerous chase. Hall’s case defies the notion that a defendant always face a tougher time in federal court compared to the state system. Federal authorities selectively pick cases like Hall’s for prosecution in a system where the penalties, especially for gun counts, can bring longer prison terms for repeat offenders. It’s unclear why Hall’s case was picked for federal prosecution compared to the others that also involved drug and gun counts. Hall’s case also shows the pitfalls of having two different judges handle a case, especially a key decision like detention. A review of records indicates Senior U.S. Magistrate Judge William Callahan, who granted Hall’s release, misunderstood why the other judge, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph, had earlier ordered Hall detained. And the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica O’Neil, who was at both hearings, did not clear up the confusion, the records show. O’Neil and other officials from the U.S. attorney’s office in Milwaukee did not return calls on the case. Callahan did not return a message for comment. Big Money Addicts group Hall has been associated with a group of violent drug dealers in Milwaukee, known as Big Money Addicts or BMA, who are exploiting police rules limiting pursuit to advance their criminal operations. They turn stolen cars into rolling drug houses, heavily tinting the windows, putting on temporary license plates and defiantly fleeing police when officers try to stop them. Officers are not allowed to pursue vehicles unless the driver or someone else in the car is suspected of a violent felony. The number of non-pursuit reports filed by officers has skyrocketed this year. The pursuit rules were changed to protect the public, a policy Chief Edward Flynn stands by. The group favors firearms with extended ammunition magazines, which are used to intimidate rival drug dealers and drug addicts, to protect their business and deter people from cooperating with police. Two of the first defendants convicted as part of the round-up each received about 20 years in prison […]
Sep 17th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Zoning committee endorses Bay View apartment proposals
Two apartment developments that would create over 350 new higher-end units in Bay View have been endorsed by a Milwaukee Common Council committee. The Zoning. Neighborhoods and Development Committee is recomending approval for Milwaukee-based Wired Properties LLC and Indianapolis-based Milhaus Development LLC plan to develop four buildings, with four to five stories and totaling 288 units, at 2151-2181 S. Robinson Ave. That $40 million proposal would redevelop what is now an underused industrial complex on six acres, with most of those buildings to be demolished. Also, the committee approved local firm Dermond Property Investments LLC plans to build a five-story building with 69 apartments at the former Faust Music property, 2202-2206 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. That vacant building would be demolished, and its lot would be combined with an adjacent city-owned lot to create the development site. That amounts to a $9.5 million development. The committee on Tuesday endorsed those projects, and approved the land sale, on 4-0 votes. The full council is to review the proposals at its Sept. 22 meeting.
Sep 17th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Bucks, Ald. Bauman at loggerheads on street-closing near arena
Despite a battle between the Milwaukee Bucks and downtown Ald. Bob Baumanover whether to close North Fourth Street adjacent to the proposed new arena, Bauman predicts the full Milwaukee Common Council will approve the city’s $47 million contribution to the arena district. “I don’t see any of these things (amendments) as an obstruction to the end game,” Bauman said. “We’re just refining the process. There’s going to be a deal.” Bauman introduced an amendment Tuesday to the terms of the city’s agreement with the Bucks that removed the proposed closing of Fourth Street between West Highland and West Juneau avenues. The Bucks want a public plaza there to link the new arena with a “live block” to the east for public gatherings around new bars and restaurants. The Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee Tuesday approved the amendment on a 3-2 vote. Bauman said that indicates the amendment may not survive a vote on the full arena-funding package by the full Common Council scheduled for Sept. 22. The city’s agreement with the Bucks requires only a simple majority of eight votes to gain approval, Bauman noted. Bucks president Peter Feigin said Tuesday that amendments aldermen approved would cause negotiations with the city to “go back to the drawing board.” He said closing Fourth Street for a public plaza would create a welcoming, safe pedestrian zone that is very important for “connectivity to the live block.” On Wednesday after another committee approved arena-funding measures with little debate, Feigin remained concerned about the amendments. In addition to the Fourth Street amendment, the amendments include a requirement to hire 40 percent of arena-related construction workers from the city of Milwaukee and shifting any naming rights revenue from a new parking garage to the city from the Bucks. “I think we’re a work in progress,” Feigin said. “We still have a lot of conversations to have and a lot of discussions about the amendments.” Feigin and Bauman chatted in the corridor outside the City Hall committee room Wednesday morning before the Finance & Personnel Committee considered the arena-funding agenda items. Bauman described the situation as part of a negotiating process between the Common Council and the Bucks. Some aldermen, including finance chairman Ald. Nick Kovac, said they are unhappy they were excluded from negotiations in Madison over the $250 million public-funding package for the arena. They mostly are critical of the Republican-controlled state Legislature and Gov. Scott Walker crafting a deal with little impact on taxpayers statewide and a heavy burden on Milwaukee and itsWisconsin Center District. Bauman says he doesn’t want to close Fourth Street because it serves as a thoroughfare from West Juneau Avenue southward to West St. Paul Avenue near the Intermodal Station. He said he also doesn’t want to see another dead-end street downtown, as is the case with some streets around the Wisconsin Center District. Other cities, including Indianapolis and Seattle, choose to close streets around their sports venues on game days or nights, Bauman said. Bourbon Street in New […]
Sep 16th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
