Milwaukee real estate developer and philanthropist Joseph Zilber formally announced today that he will donate $50 million to "revitalize Milwaukee's neighborhoods and reconnect all of her citizens to social and economic opportunity."
As the BizTimes Daily first reported on Friday, Zilber, the 90-year-old founder and chairman of Zilber Ltd. and Towne Realty Inc., announced his commitment to "rebuild" his hometown.
"We all recognize that Milwaukee is at an important crossroads. We have suffered the loss of too many good jobs over the past four decades. Our rates of crime, of poverty, of drug addiction, of neighborhoods in bad shape, of individuals and families of despair, of hunger and homelessness are much too high. Such conditions make some people skeptical about the prospects for Milwaukee," Zilber said in his announcement at Milwaukee City Hall this morning.
"But I believe the current reality presents a far more interesting and hopeful story. In fact, Milwaukee may have the best chance in decades to engineer a new future for itself and its citizens. We have, in Milwaukee, civic and community leaders who are working hard each and every day to improve the conditions in our neighborhoods and the lives of Milwaukeeans. We can, and must, do more to support them as together we create the future we want … for ourselves, our children and our children's children," he said.
Zilber said he wants to leverage his $50 million donation to generate a pool of $200 million in resources to benefit Milwaukee by calling on other philanthropists, corporations and foundations to join the cause.
Zilber said the money will be used to support "programs that work and replace those that don't."
Zilber has hired Dr. Susan Lloyd, formerly of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago, to oversee his Milwaukee venture.
"In 10 years, I will be 100 years old. I hope to be with you again, at that time, to mark the first decade of the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative and to celebrate our common achievement. You all know that there is no future without hope. Our hope for a brighter future for Milwaukee starts right here, right now. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work," Zilber said.
Today's announcement was warmly embraced by Milwaukee governmental officials.
"I am sure that the foundation and Joe Zilber want to see the best bang for their buck and want the money to get into the hands of people who can do the most good with it," said District 4 Alderman Robert Bauman.
"Joe Zilber has climbed the ladder of opportunity and when he got to the top, he never forgot about those who did not climb it," Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said. "He recognized that we in government, as much as we would like to address all of the city's needs, we cannot do it alone. He understands the power of partnerships, of working together and giving back. And he knows that we must create hope in the minds of young people in this community."
Other prominent Milwaukeeans will likely make similar gifts, Barrett said, which will help the city transform some of its most troubled neighborhoods.
"We are at a crossroads, where partnerships like this will help take the city to a new level," Barrett said. "Earlier this morning Mr. Zilber said to me, 'We're going to do this.' I know we're going to do this. I want this to have a catalytic effect, a ripple effect. And together, we can do it."
District 15 Alderman and Common Council President Willie Hines said, "This city is filled with great potential, tremendous opportunity and great promise. The challenges we face are great. Mr. Zilber understands how great they are and he's willing to meet them head on."
Today's announcement of a $50 million donation comes in addition to Zilber's announcement last August that he would donate $30 million to the Marquette University Law School and $10 million to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to create a School of Public Health, as well as other donations.

The 44th annual Wisocnsin International Trade Conference will take place Tuesday in Milwaukee, with a strong panel of speakers who will discuss doing business in China and the importance of the trade relationship between the United States and Canada. For more information, view the latest edition of the BizTimes Manufacturing Weekly.

Kohl's Department Stores announced today that it plans to convert more than 50 of its existing New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland stores to solar power, representing nearly 80 percent of its locations in the three states.
With the East Coast solar installation, Kohl's will become the largest retail host of solar power, and its distributed solar program is now the largest in the world among retailers. In a distributed solar program, silent, renewable energy is produced and used at the same location requiring no transmission infrastructure.
Kohl's has converted more than 25 of its 88 California locations to solar power with plans to activate approximately 50 additional sites in the state.
Solar installations are also under way at three Wisconsin locations, and Kohl's hopes to add other states to its growing solar offering before year-end. The Wisconsin stores that are being converted include: the Kohl's Photo Studio in Milwaukee at 11200 W. Heather Ave.; the store in Sussex at N66 W25099 Silver Spring Drive and the store in southwest Waukesha at 2140 W. St. Paul Ave.
Initial construction for the East Coast solar conversions began in January. On average, solar panels provide 30 percent of a store's annual energy, or enough to power 54 homes annually. The total East Coast program is expected to offset 370 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) over the 20-year program and is equivalent to removing more than 36,200 cars from the road for one year.
"Our solar program is one of many ways Kohl's is working to become a leading environmentally responsible retailer," said Ken Bonning, executive vice president of logistics for Kohl's. "We launched our California solar initiative one year ago and are excited to add East Coast locations to the program, making Kohl's distributed solar power program the largest in the world among retailers."

The losses continue to pile up for Merge Healthcare Inc., a West Allis-based medical software company. The company's net loss for the first quarter totaled $7.8 million, or 23 cents per share, which was a slight improvement from a loss of $9.7 million, or 29 cents per share, in the first quarter of 2007.
The company's quarterly revenue was $13.7 million, down from $15.9 million in the same period a year earlier.
Merge executives did not comment on the latest quarterly results today. The company said it will conduct a conference call with analysts on Thursday, May 15, at 8 a.m.
The company's common stock traded this morning at just 33 cents per share. The company was warned last month that it is danger of being de-listed from the Nasdaq Stock Market because its stock has been trading at less than the minimum bid price of $1 per share. Merge has until Sept. 29 to regain compliance.
To regain compliance with the minimum bid price rule, the closing bid price of the company's common stock must close at $1 per share or more for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days.

Zilli Hospitality Group will take over as the new caterer of record for the Milwaukee Public Museum, beginning Saturday, June 7.
Under the agreement, Zilli Hospitality Group will provide food and beverage for the Costa Rica Café and Kiosk as well as special events.
"We are very excited to work with Zilli Hospitality Group," said Dan Finley, president and chief executive officer of the Milwaukee Public Museum. "With ZHG as a new partner we will be able to heighten the guest experience and move the museum forward."
Zilli Hospitality Group will be part of all large exhibits that visit the museum, including the anticipated Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, which will open Oct. 10.
"We are thrilled to develop a valuable partnership with the Milwaukee Public Museum,” said Jim Zilli, CEO of Zilli Hospitality Group. "The Milwaukee Public Museum is a fantastic venue, and we are looking forward to helping them reach their potential."
The previous caterer at the museum was Sodexho Inc. of Gathersburg, Md.

Richard Telfer, Ph.D., interim chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, has been recommended as the institution's next chancellor.
UW System President Kevin Reilly and the Board of Regents¹ Special Committee for the UW-Whitewater Chancellor Search announced the recommendation. The full board is expected to act on the recommendation in June.
"With 23 years of service to UW-Whitewater, Dick Telfer knows the campus from top to bottom," Reilly said. "He came up through the faculty ranks, earning the respect of fellow educators and students along the way, demonstrating an uncommon commitment to the university and the whole community. Dick has a lot of sweat equity in this public university. He has been, and will be, a tireless champion for higher education in Wisconsin."
Prior to his appointment as interim chancellor in June 2007, Telfer served as provost and vice chancellor at UW-Whitewater for five years, and associate vice chancellor from 1997-2002. He first joined the campus as an assistant professor in 1985.
"I am pleased and humbled to have been selected as the next chancellor of UW-Whitewater  a great institution. I am committed to leading this university by building on its strong foundation," Telfer said. "We will continue to emphasize our regional leadership, national presence and global vision."

John Antaramian, who recently retired as mayor of the City of Kenosha, is launching a new brownfield redevelopment consulting business and will join Carthage College as a visiting professor of government and as counselor for community partnerships.
Antaramian is launching Emerging Communities Corp., a consulting business that will work with governments and private businesses on brownfield planning and redevelopment projects.
Emerging Communities plans to offer employment, work-study, and internship opportunities for Carthage students to participate in such projects.
"I would like to see students involved in the decision-making process, not just going out and compiling data,” Antaramian said. “When they get out to the private sector, they'll know what's involved."
Antaramian will serve on the President's Advisory Council and as an officer of Carthage College.
Antaramian was sworn into office in 1992 and was re-elected three times, before retiring after 16 years, the longest service of any Kenosha mayor.
He took a highly visible role in leading the city into a number of new projects, including redevelopment of the lakefront brownfield into the thriving HarborPark area, the initial redevelopment of two other major brownfield sites (the MacWhyte Co. and Anaconda Brass sites), and the expansion of the city's existing business and industrial parks.  Highlights of his tenure also include reduced crime, development of three museums and updates to the city's budget and financial processes.
"By working together, we were able to change Kenosha into a growth-oriented community, focused on redevelopment, and the cultural activities that make a city great," Antaramian said.
"Mr. Antaramian will provide Carthage student hands-on opportunities in government affairs. They will be learning from a consummate master of the political art,” said F. Gregory Campbell, president of Carthage.

A team of five students from the University School of Milwaukee representing the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's Seventh District will compete on May 18-19 in the national finals of the High School Fed Challenge competition to be held in Washington, D.C.
The University School of Milwaukee team competed against teams from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan to become district champions of the Federal Reserve's High School Fed Challenge competition.
The Fed Challenge was developed to encourage greater awareness among students of how the U.S. economy functions and the role of the Federal Reserve in the economy. Each team is required to analyze current economic data, develop a monetary policy recommendation and defend that recommendation in front of a panel of judges. The team prepares a 30-minute demonstration, which encompasses a 15-minute presentation on the economy and a 15-minute period where students answer questions from the judges.
The students on the University School team are Stewart Long, Ryan Khanna, Emily Cooley, Maxwell Wernecke and Henry Stewart.
Presentations in the competition include: a discussion of economic conditions as of the day of the competition; a forecast of near-term changes in economic, financial and international conditions, such as unemployment and inflation; identification of conditions or situations that warrant attention in the formulation of monetary policy; and a recommendation as to whether the Fed should move to raise or lower interest rates.
Judges at the final competition will include members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and presidents of Federal Reserve Banks.

Legislative leaders have reached a deal to repair the $527 million shortfall in the state budget ending in June of next year, an aide said. Read more in SBT's daily roundup of headlines from newspapers across the state at www.biztimes.com/#news.

The BizTimes Stock Index gained .66 points to close at 162.36 Friday, and local stocks surged again in early morning trading today, with advancers far outnumbering decliners. The Dow Jones Industrials Averaged posted triple-digit gains, as investors took heart in gains by the U.S. dollar and oil retreating a bit from record high prices. The largest local advancers this morning were Bucyrus International Inc. (up $2.83 to #139.37) and Manpower Inc. (up $2.43 to $69.42). Only a handful of local stocks posted meager declines this morning. Decliners included Strattec Security Corp. (down 32 cents to $36.23) and Metavante Technologies Inc. (down 12 cents to $24.51). 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.

The American Red Cross in Southeastern Wisconsin is in dire need of some local "Heroes." Learn about the campaign in today's Milwaukee Biz Blog by Kate Hinze.

The Carroll College Board of Trustees announced today it has voted unanimously to change the school's name to Carroll University, effective July 1.

"We are changing our name, quite simply, to reflect truth in advertising," said William Laatsch, Ph.D., a 1960 Carroll graduate and chairman of the Carroll board. "Based on our wide array of academic programs, we are already classified as a university by national organizations. We also believe the name Carroll University will help us recruit non-traditional, graduate, distance-learning and international students. Programs for these types of students have been shown to provide support for the core traditional Carroll Experience for undergraduate students."

The institution that became Carroll College was started in 1839 as Prairieville Academy and incorporated as Carroll College on Jan. 31, 1846, two years before Wisconsin became a state.

Carroll has more than 3,300 full- and part-time students and more than 60 areas of study. The school offers four undergraduate degrees and four graduate degrees, including a clinical doctorate in physical therapy.
In September 2007, Carroll launched a wide-ranging discussion about the possibility of changing the institution's name to Carroll University.

"From the very beginning, our intention was to hold a deliberate and inclusive discussion that would give all of Carroll's constituents multiple opportunities to ask questions, make suggestions and give their opinions," Laatsch said. "Our efforts were successful. Carroll has sent a total of nearly 112,000 messages about the name study to about 26,800 constituents, including alumni, donors, students, staff, faculty, friends and community leaders."

The transition to the new name will be phased in over time.