Sonopress USA announced today it has purchased a 535,000-square-foot plant in the Lakeview Corporate Park in Pleasant Prairie, where the company plans to operate a new distribution center that will create more than 200 jobs.
Sonopress, a subsidiary of Arvato A.G., a German company, is a media manufacturing, packaging and supply chain firm that replicates cassettes, CDs and DVDs for music, software and video production.
The Pleasant Prairie facility was formerly operated by Deluxe Media.
“Sonopress has already long been recognized as a worldwide leader in the manufacturing and packaging of high-quality media products,” said Joe Mann-Stadt, president and chief executive officer of Sonopress USA. "With the strategic purchase of the Pleasant Prairie facility from Deluxe Media, we are ensuring that our customers can depend on us for full service integrated supply chain services.”
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle announced today that Sonopress will receive $1.6 million in Enterprise Development Zone tax credits from the Department of Commerce to operate the distribution center in Pleasant Prairie.
"To be competitive long into the future, we need to work together with companies to provide the best environment and opportunities to thrive in our economy," Doyle said. "Today, we’re taking another step forward to create opportunities for business and hardworking families, and give our state the edge we need to compete, and win in the global marketplace. I am pleased to welcome Sonopress to Wisconsin and look forward to a long and productive relationship."
Sonopress has a network of more than 4,000 employees worldwide. The company also has facilities in Weaverville, N.C. and Louisville, Ky.
For more information on Commerce programs and services, visit http://commerce.wi.gov/BD/BD-FAX-0901.html.
 

The Vistage CEO Confidence Index dropped to 90.5 in the second quarter from 95.4 in the prior quarter and 97.8 a year ago, reflecting a slowdown in the U.S. economy
The index is a compilation of responses from 2,118 CEOs of small- to mid-sized companies across the country.
Although CEO confidence in the U.S. economy dropped in the quarter, the majority of firms expect the pace of economic growth to remain largely unchanged in the year ahead.
The most important factor for CEOs in 2007 is recruiting and retaining talent. As companies across the board step up hiring, competition for skilled workers has increased. One-third of the firms cite staffing as their top concern, far outstripping other issues, including cash flow, the economy, growth and health care costs.
Just 1-in-10 CEOs think it will become easier to find qualified employees.
"Executive outlook in Q2 emphasizes the general confidence in the U.S. economy that we've seen in the last year," says Richard Curtin, Ph.D., a consultant for the Vistage CEO Confidence Index and director of consumer surveys at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. "Although CEOs remain cautious about their prediction, they are planning for growth and expansion."
Additionally, CEOs are turning their attention to strategies and programs designed to curtail the effect of rising energy prices by implementing energy saving programs. Firms are conserving energy in all aspects of their operations, from the factory floor to the front office. Product design and delivery are also key areas for reinvention and savings.
"CEOs increasingly cite their environmental effect as a concern, but they're finding ways to incorporate programs that ultimately boost their bottom line," says Dan Barnett, chief operating officer, Vistage International. "Green initiatives have become an important investment for companies around the world."
U.S. small- and mid-sized businesses represent the most vital component of the nation's economy. That sector creates 75 percent of all new jobs and generates 50 percent of all national revenue.
Vistage International and its affiliates have 14,000 members in 16 countries representing the world's largest CEO membership organization based on revenue. Vistage affiliates include TEC, The Executive Committee and The Executive Connection.

Local taxes in Wisconsin claimed 12.13 percent of personal income in 2004-05, down slightly from 12.18 percent in 2003-04, according to new figures released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Badger State was one of 11 states in which taxes declined as a share of income, according to calculations by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX).
Using the new Census, WISTAX calculates that Wisconsin's state-local tax burden ranked eighth highest nationally, an improvement over the ranking of sixth in the prior year. The change in rank was due primarily to increased taxes elsewhere, rather than reduced taxes in Wisconsin.
Among Wisconsin's major taxes, only the corporate income tax claimed a larger share of income in 2005 compared with 2004. Corporate income tax collections rose from 0.41 percent to 0.44 percent of personal income, but the state's rank for highest corporate income taxes still fell to 15th from 12th.
When user fees and charges are added to the tax figures, Wisconsin's taxes-plus-fees claimed 15.20 percent of personal income, which was 13th-highest among the states (compared with an eighth-place ranking in the prior year).

A $1 million lead gift from KBS Construction Inc., and its chairman, Dennis Klein, will transform Marquette University's men's and women's soccer programs. As a result of the gift, the Marquette Athletic Department has officially launched a campaign to build a new soccer stadium to be named for the Klein family, the university announced today.
The new stadium, to be constructed on the programs' current home at Valley Fields in the Menomonee River Valley, will feature a natural-grass pitch, partially covered spectator seating, team locker and meeting rooms, concessions and restrooms.
The cost of the new stadium, which will be funded through private gifts, will total approximately $5 million. 
"Two of my greatest loves are Marquette and soccer. One of my greatest joys in recent years has been the opportunity to see my sons play soccer at the collegiate level," Klein said.  "My wife and I recognize the important and positive role interscholastic sports can play in a young person's life, and we are pleased to have this opportunity to help develop a premiere soccer facility for Marquette."
"The Klein family's gift provides significant momentum toward the construction of a first-class soccer facility and further demonstrates Marquette University's commitment to excellence in soccer. The commitment, generosity and leadership of our alumni and benefactors makes it possible for our coaches and student-athletes to have the resources necessary to compete nationally. The impact of this gift will be felt by student-athletes for years to come, and we are truly grateful," said Steve Cottingham, interim athletic director at Marquette.
Klein and his wife, Barbara, are graduates of Marquette's College of Business Administration. Both started their careers in banking, and Dennis Klein became a successful real estate developer in Wisconsin, Arizona and Florida. He is also the chairman of KBS Construction, Inc., which has built numerous residential, institutional and commercial projects in Milwaukee and Madison. Barbara Klein is an active volunteer for several community organizations, including Journey House.

Comparable store sales increased 10.5 percent for Kohl's Corp. in May, fueled by warmer spring weather that sparked more purchases of apparel.
The Menomonee Falls retailer's total sales for the month increased 18.5 percent to $1.2 billion from $1.0 billion.
Larry Montgomery, Kohl's chairman and chief executive officer, said, "May results were driven by broad-based strength in all of our apparel businesses, footwear and home. We continued our consistent performance as we achieved positive comparable sales increases in all regions."
May's results also were affected by a calendar shift of Memorial Day into fiscal May from fiscal June. As a result, the company expects a decrease in June comparable store sales in the low-single digit range.

Milwaukee-based ARI Network Services Inc. today reported a fiscal third quarter net loss of $205,000, 3 cents per share, compared with net income of $1.5 million, or 22 cents per share, in the same period a year ago.
The Milwaukee-based provider of technology-enabled business solutions that help equipment dealers, distributors and manufacturers build sales and profits said its revenues increased 15 percent to $4.1 million in the third quarter from $3.6 million a year earlier.
"Our catalog business experienced a disappointing quarter. New sales continued to be sluggish. A lost bulk purchase customer in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006 is impacting results because we amortize catalog subscription revenue over a 12-month period and our European operation continues to under perform", said Brian Dearing, chairman and chief executive officer of ARI.
The company is still absorbing the costs of its acquisition of Cypress, Calif.-based OC-Net Inc.
"We experienced substantial acquisition integration costs associated with OC-Net and support and development costs associated with the release of PartSmart 8.0. We expect these expenses to drop off over time," Dearing said.
The company's stock is traded over the counter.

The Wisconsin Blue Book, the venerable chronicle of all things state government and so much more, becomes a fully searchable online database today - all 56,000 pages of 87 editions. For the first time, every word of the biennial almanac, including the rare inaugural edition of 1853, is available free on the Web. Read more in SBT's daily roundup of headlines from newspapers around the state at www.biztimes.com.

The Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce has launched a revamped and more robust Web site at www.hartfordchamber.org.
The revamped site is designed to bring more business and tourism to the city, according to Kim Infalt, director of the chamber. The site includes more information about the Hartford area's business climate, housing, education, health care, entertainment and tourism. It also includes a local calendar of events.
"Our new Web site is so much more than a brochure on the Web. Using this template, we at the chamber office are able to quickly and accurately make updates to the Web site, reflecting the pace of change in our community," Infalt said.
The relaunched site was developed by KD Interactive Marketing, a Watertown company that has revamped the Web sites of more than a dozen chambers of commerce.

Steve Gardner, author of today's Milwaukee Biz Blog, says Milwaukee is his kind of town, and readers already are responding.

The BizTimes Stock Index lost another 1.25 points to close at 197.81 Wednesday, and local stocks showed no signs of recovery in early morning trading today. The largest local decliners this morning were Bucyrus International Inc. (down $2.08 to $67.93) and Kohl's Corp. (down $1.04 to $72.81). The largest local advancers this morning were Badger Meter Inc. (up 43 cents to $27.50) and Midwest Air Group Inc. (up 15 cents to $15.23). 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.