Funeral services are being held today for Mark Redmond, the owner of Waukesha-based The Redmond Company, who died earlier this week after a lengthy battle with cancer. "Mark was an entrepreneur in the field of real estate development, a respected businessman, an outstanding member of his community, a loving husband and father, and a kind and loving man," The Redmond Company employees said in a statement. "Out of respect for Mark, we are committed to preserving and growing his work and group of companies. The Redmond Company will remain in full operations and continue to offer the same quality services you have come to expect. The company is strong financially. All existing commitments will be honored and the transition will be seamless." A succession plan for the real estate development firm is already in place. Ownership of the company will be transferred from Mark to Kay Redmond, Eric Fors, Jim Voelz and Rick Zarkos. The company's name will remain the same.

The BizTimes Stock Index stumbled Thursday falling 1.88 to 145.39 and local stocks continued to free fall this morning. Decliners far outnumbered advancers this morning. The largest local decliners this morning were A.O. Smith Corp. (down $4.33 to $27.74) and Gehl Co. (down $2.22 cents to $39.471). The largest local advancers this morning were Joy Global Inc. (up 72 cents to $34.02) and Strattec Security Corp. (up 27 cents to $51.93). The BizTimes Stock Index was created by Small Business Times and is monitored by North Shore Bank. The index, which measures the stock values of publicly held companies based in southeastern Wisconsin, is updated daily and can be viewed at www.biztimes.com.

Milwaukee-based Marshall & Ilsley said today that its Metavante financial technology unit has agreed to acquire TREEV LLC, a Herndon, Va.-based, provider of document management software and consulting services, for $19.5 million.The company will continue to operate under the name of TREEV, and will become a subsidiary of Metavante Corporation. About $17.6 million of the sale will be funded with Marshall & Ilsley common stock. M&I expects that the deal, which it anticipates closing in the third quarter, won't have a material impact on its financial results. "The acquisition of TREEV fulfills another element of Metavante's imaging and payments strategy and complements our existing imaging solutions," said Frank R. Martire, Metavante president and chief executive officer. "TREEV will complement Metavante's long-term check imaging strategy by providing solutions for document storage and retrieval, including electronic report storage. TREEV's customer base already includes a number of Metavante clients, including clients of Kirchman Corporation and Advanced Financial Solutions." This is the second transaction for Marshall & Ilsley since May. On May 10, Marshall & Ilsley set plans to acquire Med-i-Bank, Inc. of Waltham, Mass for $138 million, with plans to fold it into its Metavante unit.

A state senator is urging her legislative colleagues to demand that a new lobbying group disclose its financial supporters. State Senate Minority Leader Judith Robson, D-Beloit, says a group named Enough!, a coalition formed to rally public opposition to the expansion of off-reservation casinos in Wisconsin, has registered four "of the highest-paid lobbyists in the state" and has commissioned a public opinion poll. "That does not sound like the work of a few average citizens," Robson said in a letter to other legislators. Enough! executive director Brian Nemoir had described the organization as a grassroots coalition. Small Business Times first reported that Nemoir is refusing to disclose the identities of the organization's financial backers. Robson said the group should make such disclosures. "Before I agree to meet with lobbyists, I find out who they represent. I urge all of you, my colleagues in the Legislature, to do the same with Enough! When we know who is paying the lobbyists, we will be in a better position to evaluate their statements. We would find out, for example, whether pro-gaming interests were claiming to be anti-gaming," Robson wrote in her letter. Nemoir is an Oconomowoc resident and former state Republican Party director who also formed Not Another Hospital Inc. to oppose Aurora Health Care's proposed hospital in Waukesha County. Nemoir operates Full Impact Communications LLC in Madison. Enough! was formed earlier this year as the Menominee Indian Tribe proposed building a new $808 million casino at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha. "Enough! calls itself 'strong' and 'diverse,' but curiously, the group steadfastly refuses to name its funding sources or members. Some in Madison say the group is linked to Illinois and/or Iowa gaming interests trying to squelch competition, but who knows?" said Evan Zeppos, a Milwaukee public relations executive representing the Menominee Tribe.

The print edition of this week's Small Business Times features a cover story headlined, "Big Brother: Should your company monitor employees' Internet use?" Employers walk a fine line between protecting themselves from litigation and imposing restrictive policies that workers resent. SBT examines practical solutions to the problem. This week's SBT also features a story about three north shore women who are postponing their retirements and are instead starting new phases of their careers. Readers also will find profiles of the Waukesha Chamber of Commerce Top Ten Small Businesses of the Year. This week's SBT features the Commercial Real Estate Spotlight, the Baby Boomers Retirement Planning Guide, a special report on Legal & Accounting and a special Waukesha County Report.

Milwaukee-based A.O. Smith Corp. cuts is earnings forecast for the year Friday after a decline in recent shipment data for its water heaters and said it is in talks with Ontario-based GSW Inc. about purchasing the Canadian firm.A.O. Smith and GSW said that GSW's two majority shareholders are in exclusive talks about a possible sale transaction. As part of the ongoing discussions, GSW, a provider of water heaters and building products, has agreed to provide confidential information to A.O. Smith. The talks are ongoing and are expected to take several months. If completed, the transaction would be made available to all GSW shareholders on the same terms, the company said. A.O. Smith Corp. blamed higher-than-expected wholesale inventories of water heaters for its reduced earnings estimate, which now stands at $1.25 to $1.45 a share for 2005, down from $1.45 to $1.65 a share. A.O. Smith said second-quarter earnings would be between 15 cents and 20 cents share. Those forecasts include restructuring charges of 35 cents for 2005, the majority of which, 30 cents, will come in the second quarter. Shipment data for April and May show a decline of 14 percent in residential units and 25 percent in commercial units compared with 2004, A. O. Smith said. In early trading Friday, shares of A.O. Smith stock dropped $4.33 to $27.74.

Milwaukee Alderman Joe Davis this morning announced his support for moving the Potawatomi casino from the Menomonee Valley to downtown Milwaukee. Bringing the casino downtown would be a shot in the arm for the downtown area, said Davis, the chairman of the Common Council's Community and Economic Development committee. Davis called for the city to begin a dialogue to discuss the potential of a downtown casino and its possible benefits for the city. The current location of the Potawatomi casino in the Menomonee Valley is "in oblivion" and the casino is not able to reach its full potential there, Davis said. Davis compared the casino with the location of Miller Park in the Menomonee Valley and said that location was also a mistake that has not allowed the stadium to achieve the revenue that it could. "The numbers will dictate how effective (a downtown casino) will be," Davis said. "The new council understands the viability and synergy of downtown." Recently, Mayor Tom Barrett met with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to learn about the process for relocating the casino, which would have to be approved by the federal agency and the governor. Tribal officials have consistently said they need a consensus of support from local elected officials and the local business community before considering a move to downtown.