Readers of the BizTimes Daily are invited to get a jumpstart on competing in the new year ahead by attending the 2007 Northern Trust Economic Trends Breakfast, to be presented Friday, Jan. 19.
The annual event will take place from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee.
At the conference, insights about the year ahead will be provided by:
- Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, who will discuss the key political issues of 2007.
- Michael Knetter, dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, who will discuss the macroeconomic outlook.
- Paul Shain, chief executive officer of Berbee Information Networks Corp., who will discuss the emerging trends in business technology and the impact of his company's acquisition by CDW Corp.
- Michael Koss, chief executive officer of Koss Corp., who will discuss new strategies for developing markets in foreign countries.
- Harry Stratton II, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Strattec Security Corp., who will discuss the future of the American automotive industry and how Wisconsin manufacturers can compete in the global marketplace.
The Northern Trust Economic Trends Breakfast is presented by Small Business Times, in conjunction with TEC (The Executive Committee) and the Independent Business Association (IBA) of Wisconsin. Individual seating at the breakfast is available for $50. Corporate tables of 10 are available for $500. Seating is limited. For further information, contact Sarah Wilson at (414) 277-8181, ext. 129, or visit www.biztimes.com/cal/sbt-events/2007/1/19/economic-trends-2007.

Muskego-based InPro Corp. announced today that it has acquired Lippert Corp, a Menomonee Falls manufacturer of bathroom and kitchen fixtures.
Lippert, which employs a staff of 50, was acquired by InPro from Dan Lippert.
"This acquisition advances our corporate vision of being the recognized global leader in the industries we serve," said Steve Ziegler, president and chief executive officer of InPro. "Lippert's brand identity, along with InPro's market position, will accelerate our growth."
InPro is the nation's leading manufacturer of interior and exterior architectural products. All of the Lippert managers and employees will be retained, and the Menomonee Falls plant will remain open, InPro spokesman Evan Bane told SBT. The Lippert name also will be retained as a product line of InPro, Bane said.
With the Lippert acquisition, InPro's workforce will grow to approximately 375 employees.

Great Lakes Contracting Inc., a Milwaukee-based Native American-owned and -operated contractor, was recently awarded the steel fabrication contract for Potawatomi Bingo Casino's $240 million expansion project.
Bill Beson Jr., vice president of Great Lakes Contracting, said steel fabrication, the process of preparing the material before installation, will begin in February and will take four to five months for completion.
Great Lakes Contracting also did steel fabrication work during Potawatomi Bingo Casino's 2001 expansion project.
"We're very pleased to be awarded this contract," said Beson, a member of the Lac de Flambeau Chippewa Tribe and vice president of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin. "With the company's history of working on a number of major projects in the area, we're looking forward to taking on this challenge."
Great Lakes Contracting also has worked on projects at General Mitchell International Airport, Miller Park, the Midwest Express Center and the Milwaukee Art Museum.
The Potawatomi Bingo Casino expansion project, expected to be completed in summer of 2008, will add more than 500,000 square feet to the existing casino in Milwaukee.
 The addition will include two new restaurants, a center lounge and a food court, in addition to a new six-story parking structure and a vehicular bridge that will connect the existing parking structure to the James E. Groppi Unity Bridge.
So far, Potawatomi Bingo Casino has awarded $90 million in contracts for the expansion project.
Great Lakes Contracting is based at 4810 N. 124th St.

Godfrey & Kahn S.C. announced today that former Wisconsin Congressman Mark Green has rejoined the law firm's Green Bay office.
Green will work with clients on administrative and regulatory legal matters as well as assist businesses in their needs in international markets. Godfrey & Kahn has five offices in Wisconsin as well as Washington, D.C., and Shanghai, China,
Prior to being elected to Congress, Green practiced law with Godfrey & Kahn for 11 years, beginning in 1989.
As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1998 until he gave up his seat for his unsuccessful 2006 campaign for governor, Green represented Wisconsin's Eighth Congressional District which covers much of the northeastern part of the state, including Green Bay and Appleton.
"“I am excited to rejoin my colleagues in Green Bay and at a larger law firm - in number of attorneys and offices - than the firm I left in 1998," Green said. "Building on my experiences in both Madison and Washington, D.C., I will work with businesses on their legal matters involving state and federal government, guiding them through the mazes they often encounter in enforcement actions and other regulatory proceedings. I also will assist Wisconsin and other Midwestern businesses in international matters, building on my experiences as an active member of the House International Relations Committee and my long-time interest in foreign affairs."

US Signal Co. LLC, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based provider of data bandwidth capacity in the Midwest, today announced plans to expand its fiber optic network metropolitan Milwaukee.
The expansion will include seven new "on/off ramps" for businesses to connect to the US Signal network in the region by Jan. 31.
US Signal's network deployment will include an 81-mile fiber synchronous optical network (SONET) ring extending around Milwaukee powered by a Cisco 15454 optical platform.
"We're excited to bring US Signal facility-based solutions to Milwaukee over our dedicated fiber network," said Stephen Oyer, executive vice president of sales and marketing. "The addition of the metro Milwaukee SONET ring and connecting DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) transport adds cost effective access for advanced data solutions, as well as, one-stop connectivity within or outside of the Midwest region."
US Signal originally expanded to Milwaukee in mid-2005 with just one access point at the AT&T-Wisconsin downtown office at 740 N. Broadway.
US Signal's customers, including carriers and larger businesses, have been asking the company to consider expanding its presence in Milwaukee, according to Barbara Boshoven, vice president of business development for the firm.
"So, the announcement today is a culmination of that request and US Signal's planning to meet that request," Boshoven told SBT this morning.
US Signal's new local access points will include: 6812 Aetna Court, Milwaukee; 7404 W. County Line Road, Brown Deer; 405 Fairway Drive, Elm Grove; 916 N. 26th St., Milwaukee; W156 N8930 Pilgrim Road, Menomonee Falls; 220 Wisconsin Ave, Waukesha; and the Wells Building at 324 E Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee.
For additional information about connecting to the service, visit www.ussignalcom.com.

The winners of the Professional Dimensions 2007 Sacagawea Awards are Cathy Buck, executive vice president of operations for Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, and Margaret Henningsen, co-founder and vice president of Legacy Bank.
Professional Dimensions also has selected the Quarles & Brady LLP Women in Leadership Program as its 2007 Pathfinder Award recipient.
The recipients will be honored at the Professional Dimensions annual dinner on Wednesday, March 14, at the Midwest Airlines Center.
The Professional Dimensions award is named for Sacagawea, the only woman on the Lewis & Clark expedition. Sacagawea was a Native-American woman of many dimensions and was a trailblazer who distinguished herself throughout her life by her leadership, intelligence, foresight, common sense and adaptability.
The Pathfinder Award recognizes organizations that are supportive of women through programs that promote opportunities to develop and use their leadership skills.
Founded in 1978, Professional Dimensions is an organization of more than 350 members from southeastern Wisconsin. The group promotes the personal and professional growth of women through social and business exchange and through community participation. For additional information about attending the event, contact the Professional Dimensions office at (414) 374-3570 or at pd@ywcamilw.org.

Milwaukee-based 800-CEO-READ, the nation's largest distributor of business books, will soon launch "LeaveSmarter," a 2007 business event series that will feature presentations from renowned authors and business experts.
Each LeaveSmarter event will be captured on video, compiled with other exclusive footage and author related documents, and presented on Hybrid DVD media, which will then be distributed along with a limited number of author-signed books.
The company is partnering with Mequon-based Great Lakes Media Technology, which helps companies share their stories through DVD, CD-ROM, Web and other New Media formats. The partnership creates a platform where multiple publishing formats and live experiences create interaction between attendees, authors and the business community at large.
Business authors to be featured at the events and on the DVDs include: Chip and Dan Heath, Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba, and Nikos Mourkogiannis.
Occupying a unique niche in the book industry, 800-CEO-READ is a sister company of Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops in Milwaukee. For additional information, visit www.800ceoread.com.

Two Baby Bells and Ma Bell are now reunited under one corporate umbrella.
After months of deliberations, the Federal Communications Commission gave its approval on Friday for AT&T Inc. to acquire Atlanta-based BellSouth Corp. for $85 billion,, creating the largest telephone company in the world.
The FCC's approval came after the phone companies agreed to extra concessions demanded by the two Democrats on the agency's five-member board.
The combined company will serve 70 million local phone customers in 22 states. The acquisition also consolidates the ownership of Cingular Wireless, the largest mobile operator in the United States.
"AT&T will be an engine for innovation, competition, and growth for our customers at home and abroad," said Edward Whitacre Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of the firm.
To achieve bipartisan FCC approval, San Antonio, Texas-based AT&T made several commitments, including making broadband access more affordable and available to consumers and supporting public safety.
The new AT&T was formed last year with the acquisition of the former AT&T by SBC Communications, a Baby Bell company, and the merged entity is now united with BellSouth, another Baby Bell.
To read a recent SBT interview with Scott VanderSanden, president of AT&T-Wisconsin, visit www.biztimes.com/news/2006/12/8/this-at-t-is-not-your-fathers-ma-bell.

The BizTimes Stock Index ended the year at 177.92 points Friday, up 12.1 percent from its value of 158.79 when 2006 began. The index measures the stock values of publicly held companies based in southeastern Wisconsin. A full report about the performance of the individual stocks in the index will be included in the Economic Trends report to be featured in the Jan. 19 edition of Small Business Times. The stock market was closed today to honor former U.S. President Gerald Ford, who passed away last Tuesday. The BizTimes Stock Index, which was created by Small Business Times and is monitored by North Shore Bank. is updated daily and can be viewed at www.biztimes.com.