Berbee Information Networks Corp., one of Wisconsin's corporate technology jewels, has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Vernon Hills, Ill.-based CDW Corp. for $175 million in cash.
Founded in 1993 by James Berbee, the company is one of the nation's largest independent providers of information technology (IT) solutions to a broad spectrum of corporate and governmental clients.
Berbee is based in Madison and has other Wisconsin offices in Waukesha, Appleton and Wausau.
CDW Corp., a Fortune 500 company, is a leading provider of technology products and services to business, government and education.
"Our customers' IT challenges are increasingly complex - customers want easy access to technology solutions," said John Edwardson, CDW chairman and chief executive officer. "We are committed to being the best-in-class, single source for both core technology needs - and now with this acquisition, more advanced IT services and solutions."
Berbee has an established track record of growth and profitability through the delivery of category-leading services and IT products primarily across the Cisco, IBM and Microsoft platforms.
Berbee has grown to have annual revenues of $390 million and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of about $22 million. Berbee, which has 800 employees, has consistently grown revenue at double-digit rates for the past five years. CDW's objective is to double Berbee's revenue in five years.
As part of the transaction, Berbee's top three executive officers, including chief executive officer Paul Shain, have agreed to remain with and lead the business. Berbee will operate as a separate strategic business unit of CDW with its current product and service offerings, management team, staffing, operations and locations.
"CDW and Berbee have a strong common bond - we are both industry leaders that focus on empowering coworkers and providing a superior experience for our customers. We are confident that our shared cultural values will enable our two organizations to succeed together," Edwardson said.
While CDW and Berbee's business models are different, they are highly complementary, Edwardson said. Berbee's sales model is primarily a field sales force working out of 11 branch offices in six states.
Approximately two-thirds of Berbee's customers are currently not CDW customers. The companies' complementary offerings will create significant cross-selling opportunities, Edwardson said.
James Berbee, who is chairman of the company, said, "It's very gratifying to know that as Berbee moves onto an increasingly national stage it will have a premier industry partner with the resources, cultural values and commitment to support its growth as a leading national solutions provider. I want to thank the Berbee staff members for their dedication and hard work in consistently exceeding our customers' expectations, building the premier IT solutions provider in the nation and making this combination possible. They have a bright future with CDW."
Shain said,"Today marks an important milestone for both Berbee and CDW. Industry consolidation will increasingly reshape the solutions provider marketplace. Once again, we're leading rather than following key changes in the industry, just as CDW has done many times before. We're fortunate to be able to partner with an industry leader that is financially strong and shares our commitment to advanced technology, extraordinary customer service and similar cultural values. We're confident that CDW is the right partner for the Berbee team."
CDW was founded in 1984 and employs approximately 4,450 coworkers.

Sussex-based Lechnologies Research Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the company's AfibAlert Atrial Fibrillation Monitor for use by heart patients.
The AbibAlert is a health care provider-prescribed ambulatory cardiac monitor for improved atrial fibrillation management. The lightweight, pocket-sized monitor is a tool for the more than 2 million Americans who suffer from atrial fibrillation (AF), an erratic heart rhythm.
Lechnologies Research Inc. is a family-owned cardiac device manufacturer founded by Timothy Lohman and Susan (Lohman) Wendland.
"The AfibAlert is an innovative monitor for patients with AF because they get immediate, visual feedback from their test," said Tim Lohman, president and chief executive officer of the firm. "The AfibAlert monitor is designed for testing on demand. The AfibAlert monitor is also a vital tool for health care providers because it captures and records vital diagnostic information - an electrocardiograph (ECG) reading - that is easily transmitted to them for analysis."
The AfibAlert monitor uses a proprietary computer algorithm to monitor for the presence of atrial fibrillation. To operate, the patient holds the small monitor with his or her hands, placing thumbs on the raised pads. Each ECG test takes 45 seconds to complete and record. Testing also can be done using wristbands. When testing is complete, a red or green icon illuminates to indicate which action the user should take. The AfibAlert monitor stores the ECG data using a Cascading Memory system.
Patients can transmit the latest recordings via the telephone or Internet to their health care provider.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained heart rhythm disorder and increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, both leading causes of death in the United States. Atrial fibrillation occurs when the top right chamber of the heart quivers and causes a rapid and irregular beat.

Wayland, Mich.-based Denali Flavors Inc., one of the nation's leading inventors and marketers of premium flavors for the ice cream industry, has acquired an ice cream ingredient manufacturing plant in New Berlin.
The plant at 2400 S. Calhoun Road was sold by Toronto-based CoolBrands International Inc.
The 65,000-square-foot facility makes a variety of flavors and other ingredients for the dairy industry and has about 31 employees.
The acquisition signals Denali's strategic move toward achieving greater consolidation and new capabilities in the ingredient production segment of its operations.
"Denali Flavors is looking to combine its experience with the experienced employees at the plant to expand production, but they do not have a finite number to announce at this point," a company spokesman told SBT.
Denali said the addition of the facility, which generated approximately $20 million in annual sales in 2005, will nearly double its overall business. The facility will operate as Denali Ingredients LLC and serve dairy customers throughout North America.
In addition to developing more than 30 ice cream recipes, Denali partners with a majority of the nation's independent local dairies making regional and store-branded products to produce Denali's portfolio of flavor varieties, including the company's signature Moose Tracks brand.
The Denali product line also includes Bear Claw, Bear Foot, Mother Lode and Caramel Caribou.
In purchasing the CoolBrands facility, Denali said it intends to expand into manufacturing the flavors, chocolate coatings, fudge sauces, powders and other key ingredients required in its recipes. In addition, Denali expects to continue supplying ingredients to a number of other private-label manufacturers currently served by the plant.
"As we look to the future, the development of a more integrated approach to ice cream creation and production represents the next strategic step in our growth," said Neal Glaeser, president of Denali Flavors. "At a time of increasing consolidation in the dairy industry, bringing an ingredient manufacturing capability in-house not only provides more control from a quality and supply standpoint, it also allows us to expand our product line of innovative products. We expect to bring more winning flavors to our partners and consumers as a result."

Verizon Wireless plans to add 360 new sales and customer service jobs in its Illinois/Wisconsin region. The region includes Wisconsin, northern and central Illinois, the Quad-Cities and northern Indiana.
The new job openings are in addition to more than 300 positions filled in the region by Verizon Wireless since the beginning of the year.
"Customer satisfaction is our No. 1 priority," said T.J. fox, president of the region for Verizon Wireless. "Our aggressive hiring is an effort to provide our customers with more personal attention and individualized service and the best wireless experience possible."
The new jobs include customer service representatives, customer service supervisors, assistant store managers, retail sales representatives and retail sales supervisors. Reflecting the region's tight labor force, the full-time positions include health care benefits, profit-sharing, a 401(k) plan, tuition reimbursement and an employee wireless phone discount program. For additional information, visit www.verizonwireless.com/careers.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has launched a new marketing campaign, replacing its five-year old tagline of "Learn More" with "Something Great in Mind."
The "Learn More" campaign was designed educate the community about UWM's potential, while the new campaign features a more inspirational message that explains how the university is meeting its potential, said UWM spokesman Tom Luljak.
"'Something Great in Mind' is a very inspirational campaign," Luljak said. "The words do a great job of capturing the essence of what this administration is committed to doing. That is to fully realize the potential of UWM as an institution and the human capital in southeastern Wisconsin."
A university screening committee and focus groups of people both inside and outside the university affirmed that "Something Great in Mind" captured the spirit of what UWM can do for southeastern Wisconsin, Luljak said.
Chicago-based Lipman Hearne was contracted in September 2005 by UWM to begin developing a new marketing strategy for the urban institution. The firm, which specializes in higher education and nonprofit marketing and communication, was chosen over 18 other Midwest firms that had vied for the contract, Luljak said.
The urban institution previously had used Versant, a Milwaukee-based marketing firm, since 1997.
The university is focusing on its fundraising goal of $100 million, of which about $73.4 million has been raised, and reinforcing the value UWM has to the community and prospective students, Luljak said.
So far, about $50,000 has been earmarked for the campaign through foundation funds, program revenue and UWM branded merchandise, but the university is still working on the budget for the total packaging of the campaign, Luljak said.
"UWM has more Wisconsin residents attending the institution than any other public university in the state," said UWM chancellor Carlos Santiago. "We are also proud that more than 75 percent of our alumni remain in Wisconsin to work after graduation. The 'Something Great in Mind' campaign captures the spirit of UWM - a university that makes major contributions to the quality of life and learning in our community."
“It's a little ambiguous, so kids especially would read into it in the focus groups," said Nancy Levner, a UWM alum who is managing director and principal at Lipman Hearne, a company that has helped to market the Medical College of Wisconsin, the University School of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Art Museum. "Plus, a lot of people are beginning to see UWM as a real partner with the Milwaukee region. It's a catalyst for economic development and betterment of greater Milwaukee."
Luljak said the institutional brand and black and gold colors will remain the same, and he said no state tax dollars will be used in the new marketing strategy.

Fair Indigo, the brainchild of former Lands' End executive and e-commerce guru Bill Bass, launched its new online business today. A retail store in Madison's Hilldale Mall will open Nov. 1.
The company’s motto is "Style With A Conscience." Fair Indigo’s aim, according to a statement on its Web site, www.fairindigo.com, is to "pioneer a change in the apparel industry" by putting the people who make the clothes first.
The company is promoting the "fair trade" concept, which was first advocated by coffee consumers who wanted small-scale producers to get a better return for their work and crops. Activists say the ideal is for businesses to return one quarter of their profits back to growers in developing countries.
"We want to create stylish, high-quality clothes while paying a fair and meaningful wage to the people who produce them," Fair Indigo states on its Web site. "Instead of driving costs down, we’re trying to lift people up."
To put workers first, a company spokeswoman said Fair Indigo has handpicked what it considers the best, most ethical factories around the globe and presented them with a new concept of paying workers a fair wage for making what it says are stylish and beautiful clothes.
"You couldn’t do this without the Internet," said Anna Schryver, a Fair Indigo spokeswoman. "This will be very transparent."
for additional information about the company, read the full report at www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=71849. WisBusiness.com is a media partner of Small Business Times.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Continuing Education will present a two-day conference to help employers and baby boomers prepare for retirement.
As the essence of retired life changes with technologies and medicines that keep people healthier and vital for longer than ever before, the AARP estimates that as much as 60 percent of the American workforce currently aged 40 to 60 years old are planning to continue to work beyond age 65.
UWM will present a conference titled, "Staying Ahead of the Boom: Reinventing Yourself for the New Retirement," on Oct. 26-27 at the school's downtown Milwaukee center.
The conference will offer information about making career path decisions as workers age. The conference will feature authors and speakers discussing the future needs of employers as well as strategies employees can use to stay active in a semi-retired, part-time, consulting or volunteer role.
The first day of the conference will be designed for employers and focus on teaching them management strategies to retain and empower mature workers. The second day will feature author and human resources professional Ellen Freudenheim. Freudenheim's book, "Looking Forward: An Optimist's Guide to Retirement." includes chapters about the health benefits of staying active in activities such as volunteering and working with children.
Freudenheim emphasizes the need to stay busy, even into retirement years. She said, "The notion that you retreat after you retire is giving way to the idea that retirement is a new active chapter in an active life."
The public is invited to attend one or both days of the conference. For additional information, contact Saad Akbar Khan at (414) 227-3379 or Saad@uwm.edu, or visit www.sce-workforce.uwm.edu.

A conference will be held later this month to celebrate Milwaukee's technology companies. Organizer Pete Prodoehl is calling "all tech geeks" to attend the first BarCampMilwaukee, an "unconference" dedicated to learning, sharing and participation. The participants will create and lead the content of the sessions, Prodoehl said.
"We want to shine a bright light on the technology industry in Milwaukee," Prodoehl said. "There are great opportunities in this city, it's just a matter of making all the interesting people aware of each other."
BarCamp occurs nationwide as an ad-hoc gathering fueled by people who want to learn and share in an open environment. The event will feature technology and creativity focused discussions, demonstrations and interaction.
BarCampMilwaukee is free, but there's a catch, Prodoehl said. "Campers" must participate in some aspect of the event, whether it be leading a session, helping with a session, setting up before the event or cleaning up afterward.
Campers will expand their minds, share their passions and have an unforgettable time. BarCampMilwaukee will take place at Bucketworks, 1319 N. Martin Luther King Drive, Milwaukee, starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30, and ending at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1.
For more information and to pre-register for the event, visit http://barcampmilwaukee.com/ or contact Prodoehl at pete@2xlnetworks.com  or (262) 490-4531.

The Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin has announced its statewide finalists for its 2006 Torch Awards for Business Ethics and Integrity.
"These companies and charities have fostered an environment of ethics and integrity with their clients, employees, vendors, donors, industry and community, which in turn has led to their long-term success," said Randall Hoth, president and chief executive officer of the Wisconsin BBB. "We're proud - through our statewide ethics award - to shine the spotlight on them and give them the recognition they deserve."
This year's corporate finalists are: (1,000 or more employees) Alta Resources, Neenah, and Marshall & Ilsley Corp., Milwaukee; (100-999 employees) The Boldt Co., Appleton, and R.A. Smith and Associates, Brookfield; (11-99 employees) Batzner Pest Management, New Berlin, David Hobbs Honda, Glendale, and Kelmann Corp., Wauwatosa; and (1 to 10 employees) The Creative Co., Monroe, and Kerzner Remodeling & Construction, Oconomowoc.
The charities that are finalists are: Children's Hospital & Health System, Milwaukee; the Milwaukee Center for Independence, Milwaukee; and Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, Milwaukee.
The finalists were judged by a statewide, independent panel of 11 business ethics experts.
Winners will be announced at the BBB's annual Torch Awards Banquet on Wednesday, Oct. 18, at the Italian Conference Center in Milwaukee. For reservations, contact Carole Milos at (414) 847-6064 or visit www.wisconsin.bbb.org/events.html.

Marta Bianchini, owner of Cubanitas, 728 N. Milwaukee St., Milwaukee, has been awarded the fifth annual Maria Arias Memorial Business Fund Award by Wells Fargo & Co.
Bianchini opened Cubanitas in September 2003. The restaurant was named this year as one of the top 50 U.S. Hispanic restaurants by Hispanic Magazine. Because of her entrepreneurial spirit and inclusion of the flavors of her home country in Cubanitas, Bianchini was a perfect recipient for the award, said Tim Rios, senior vice president and national spokesman for Wells Fargo's Latino Business Services program.
"This year's award recipients fulfill an important part of Anna Maria's legacy – promoting and giving a voice to the success of Latinas everywhere," he said. “Marta Bianchini is pursuing her dreams and opening doors to establish economic empowerment for other Latinas. She is a trailblazer and is making a real difference in her community and nationwide."
The award, presented in partnership with LATINA Style Magazine and the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), will include a $5,000 cash grant. Bianchini will receive the award this week at the 27th annual USHCC National Convention and Business Expo in Philadelphia.

The BizTimes Stock Index lost 1.88 points to close at 158.94 Friday, but local stocks tried to start the new week on a positive note in early morning trading today. The largest local advancers this morning were Twin Disc Inc. (up 99 cents to $33.01), Joy Global Inc. (up 72 cents to $37.00) and Kohl's Corp. (up 64 cents to $67.49). The largest local decliners this morning were Strattec Security Corp. (down 71 cents to $37.62) and Johnson Controls Inc. (down 64 cents to $71.22). 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.