ArtMail Milwaukee (www.ArtMailMilwaukee.com), a free, subscriber-based service that sends images of art to subscribers' desktops via e-mail, was launched today.
The inaugural e-mail brought the art of Milwaukee painter Jim Finnerty to the inboxes of art lovers across Wisconsin and as far away as New York. 
Subscribers to ArtMail Milwaukee will receive a fresh piece of art from a Wisconsin artist delivered to their e-mail inbox each week.
ArtMailMilwaukee.com also features a calendar of local arts events, and the opportunity to opt-in to learn about upcoming specials from local restaurants, galleries, art shows and performing arts groups.
"We developed ArtMail to celebrate the diversity of art being produced by the many world-class artists right here in Milwaukee," said Johnathan Crawford, president of Milwaukee-based Data Dog Interactive Marketing, the creator of ArtMail Milwaukee. "ArtMail is a perfect way for time-strapped art lovers to enjoy art at their convenience.  It is also a perfect tool for teachers and home-schoolers to bring art into their classrooms.  For everyone at Data Dog, it truly has been a labor of love. We anticipate many of our list members will be from outside of the state of Wisconsin, so we believe ArtMail will help export Milwaukee's burgeoning arts scene to the rest of the country. We're confident our efforts will help boost the city's image as a cool place to live."
ArtMail will feature an array of Wisconsin artists, initially including Charles Dwyer, Tom Uttech, Marion Coffey, Gary Gresl, Ann Miotke and Reginald Baylor.
Art lovers interested in subscribing to ArtMail can visit www.ArtMailMilwaukee.com to register. Artists interested in submitting their art for review by ArtMail's juried selection committee may submit their art on the submissions page at the site.

The Marcus Corp. announced that its board of directors has elected Gregory Marcus, 43, as president of the company, succeeding his father, Stephen Marcus.
Stephen Marcus, 72, will continue in his current position as chairman and chief executive officer of the Milwaukee-based company.
"Since joining The Marcus Corporation in 1992, Greg has served in various positions throughout the company, giving him a well-rounded base of experience in many aspects of our business. He has been actively involved in our real estate development and acquisition programs, and also served as chief operating officer of our former Baymont Inns & Suites division. Most recently, he served as senior vice president-corporate development and chairman of the corporate investment committee. This promotion recognizes Greg's many contributions to the company and his strong leadership role in continuing to move the company forward," Stephen Marcus said.
In addition to his role within the company, Gregory Marcus serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, Columbia St. Mary's Hospital, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and the Betty Brinn Children's Museum, where he is a former president.

Cramer-Krasselt, the third-largest independent ad agency in the nation, announced today it has signed Chris Jacobs to be the new executive creative director in the company's Milwaukee office.
Jacobs joins C-K from the Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., where he served as senior vice president and creative director for clients including UPS, Wal-Mart, BFGoodrich Tires, Olympus and NASCAR.
Jacobs previously served as vice chairman and partner at Cole Henderson Drake in Atlanta and New York's Hampel/Stefanides, which is now Cramer-Krasselt's New York office.
"The Milwaukee office has traditionally been one of C-K's brightest creative sparks, and it has always been a creative leader in the Milwaukee community," said Marshall Ross, chief creative officer of Cramer-Krasselt. "Chris was chosen among many excellent candidates because we feel he has both the credentials and the personality to help the work in Milwaukee continue to excel. Chris has a laid-back way about him. He's a truly insightful, innovative thinker, and that's exactly what C-K needs."
"We spent months interviewing candidates and searching for the right person to fill this position," said Betsy Brown, general manager of C-K Milwaukee. "We were looking for a culture fit with the agency and also top-notch creative capabilities. We're thrilled to have Chris on board and look forward to producing fantastic work with him in 2008."

Madison-based Third Wave Technologies Inc. today announced the appointment of Christopher Burton as the company's senior vice president of sales and marketing.
Burton will have overall responsibility for the global sales and marketing of Third Wave's clinical and research businesses. John Bellano, the company's vice president of sales, will continue to lead Third Wave's clinical sales and customer service teams in the Americas.
Burton, 41, brings nearly 20 years of selling and marketing experience to his new role at Third Wave. He joins the company from GE Healthcare, where he was most recently the general manager of sales and marketing for its $200 million maternal and infant care unit.
"Third Wave is very pleased to welcome Chris Burton to the company and our management team," said Kevin Conroy, president and chief executive of Third Wave. "Chris brings a wealth of marketing and selling experience that will be invaluable to the company as we commercialize our HPV products. Chris' experience in the hospital market will be equally as important as we execute our plan for leadership in molecular diagnostics in that market."
"I am delighted to join Third Wave at this exciting and very significant time in its development," Burton said. "I look forward to working with the great team at Third Wave to carry out the company's strategy for leadership in both the HPV and hospital laboratory markets."

Gov. Jim Doyle on Tuesday unveiled a new program, Innovate Wisconsin, which will offer incentives for private businesses to focus on future breakthroughs by encouraging them to invest in research and development.
Innovate Wisconsin is part of the next phase of Doyle's Grow Wisconsin agenda.
Spending on research and development was $2.7 billion in Wisconsin, or 1.23 percent of the state's gross domestic economy in 2005. Nationally, states on average invested 1.65 percent of their economies in 2005 to research and development. Minnesota devoted more than twice as much of its economy to R&D than Wisconsin.
"When it comes to research and development, our manufacturers are competing at the high end and already have a clear advantage over competitors around the country and the world," Doyle said. "To continue to stay ahead of the competition, Wisconsin's manufacturers must invest more in research and development to improve existing products and develop new ones. Wisconsin has become a world-renowned center for research, particularly in the public sector. The next phase of Grow Wisconsin will do more to foster research in the private sector as well."
The Innovate Wisconsin plan will increase the state's focus on research and development by: providing new Innovate tax credits; providing sales tax exemption for research and development equipment; and providing property tax exemptions for equipment used in research and development.

Portions of the NBC Universal film "Public Enemies," starring Johnny Depp as Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger, will be shot in Wisconsin. It is the first major production to come to Wisconsin since new tax incentives for the film industry took effect Jan. 1. Read more in SBT's daily roundup of headlines from newspapers across the state at www.biztimes.com.

The Oconomowoc Plan Commission will review the new plans for a regional mall at Pabst Farms tonight. Read more in the new edition of the BizTimes Real Estate Weekly bulletin.

A federal ruling is casting doubts about the proposed casino in Kenosha, according to a report by Small Business Times executive editor Steve Jagler. Read his weekly blog at OnMilwaukee.com, a media partner of SBT.

The BizTimes Stock Index dropped an astounding 13.66 points to close at a 52-week low of 151.34 Tuesday, and local stocks showed little signs of recovering from the tailspin in early morning trading today, with decliners outnumbering advancers. The largest local decliners this morning were Rockwell Automation Inc. (down $1.13 to $59.81) and Briggs & Stratton Corp. (down 73 cents to $20.05). The largest local gainers this morning were Fiserv Inc. (up 62 cents to $53.44) and Marcus Corp. (up 26 cents to $14.35). 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.