Prices for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the Milwaukee market soared past the $4 mark to $4.05 at several stations today.
According to MilwaukeeGasPrices.com, the average cost for a gallon of regular unleaded gas today is $3.91, which is up from $3.38 a year ago.
Crude oil prices climbed to another new record of $126.98 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange this morning.

The shareholders of New Berlin-based Emteq Inc. announced they have acquired individual shares of Cable Technologies of Montana Inc. (CTI), a Great Falls, Mont.-based designer and manufacturer of wire and cable-related assemblies.
The partnership is intended to strengthen Emtequ's electronic assembly and integration work.
Emteq specializes in avionics systems and integration, interior lighting and cabin comfort as well
as exterior lighting products for retrofit and forward fit applications in the military, corporate, helicopter and air transport market.
Both companies will retain their names and will continue conducting business as usual.
Jerry Jendusa, Emteq's chief executive officer, said, "This partnership provides us with an
opportunity to offer a greater realm of products and services that compliments our current product
offering, and we will be working together, with CTI, toward common goals in customer and
operational excellence in the worldwide aviation industry."
Ed Buttrey, president of CTI, said, "Emteq proves to be the ideal partner in the avionics
business. They offer operations, people and processes which provide a level of synergy with our
current operations and manufacturing and assembly capabilities to further enhance the growth of
CTI in the aerospace and military industry."
Buttrey will retain all responsibilities as the president of CTI, and Jendusa will continue his role of
CEO of Emteq.
The two businesses will collectively be involved customer relations, strategic growth plans and process improvements in growing the businesses and their employees.

Waukesha-based InvestorsBank has added two prominent commercial bankers to its leadership team, establishing an executive succession plan. Also, LauberCFOs Inc., a provider of part-time chief financial officers to privately held companies, will move next week from its offices in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. to Summit Place in West Allis. Read more in the new edition of the BizTimes Money bulletin.

DRS Technologies Inc. announced it has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Finmeccanica, S.p.A. of Rome, Italy, for $5.2 billion.
DRS is the parent company of DRS Power & Control Technologies Inc. in Milwaukee at 4265 N. 30th St. The Milwaukee plant was formerly owned by Cutler-Hammer Manufacturing Co., which was acquired by Eaton Corp. and then DRS in 2002.
Finmeccanica will acquire 100 percent of DRS stock for $81 per share in cash.
The boards of directors of Finmeccanica and DRS each have approved the terms of the agreement. DRS will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary, maintaining its current management and headquarters in Parsippany, N.J.
"DRS' dramatic growth over the past five years and the premium provided through this acquisition will provide attractive returns for our stockholders," said Mark Newman, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of DRS. "This investment in DRS - with an increased emphasis on research and development - will mean the combined company will be able to compete for and win additional contracts around the world, accelerating growth and expanding opportunities at our facilities in the U.S."

At its annual spring conference, the Human Resource Management Association (HRMA) unveiled a new association name and logo.
Board president Janet Mangold revealed that the HRMA will now be known as Metro Milwaukee SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management).
SHRM is a national human resource association, and Metro Milwaukee SHRM is an affiliate chapter.
"Since SHRM is the primary source of direction, resources, professional standards, certification prep and education, it seemed logical to me that our status as an affiliate of SHRM should be as obvious as possible," Mangold said. "The new name and logo have been well-received by association members and the Milwaukee community."
Branding research conducted in 2006 indicated that a more specific geographic identity and connection to SHRM at the national level were critical to leveraging our SHRM affiliation and resources for the benefit of members going forward, Mangold said.
Metro Milwaukee SHRM, with association membership approaching 1,000, will continue to be a professional, human resource focused group committed to "serving the professional" and "advancing the profession."
Joanne Krueger, president-elect of the Milwaukee organization, said, "The name may be changing, but the solid level of programs and services available to members will stay the same or increase."

Columbia St. Mary Hospital in Milwaukee announced that Brian Regan has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer at Columbia St. Mary's Health System.
Regan, a certified public accountant, formerly served as senior vice president for strategy and finance at Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital in Binghamton, N.Y., and regional CFO of the Northeast Region for Ascension Health, St. Louis, Mo.
Regan has more than 27 years of experience in the health care field ranging from serving as a public accounting consultant in a "Big Four" firm to an independent consultant for the health care industry.

Scott Kossoris recently joined Schroeder Solutions as controller and chief financial officer of the New Berlin-based company.
Kossoris is a certified public accountant with more than 26 years of financial management experience. He began his career as an auditor with Arthur Anderson and then spent seven years in various financial roles with Sensient Technologies Inc. in Milwaukee. He also worked with Openfirst in Milwaukee, where he joined the company as the fourth employee helped the firm grow to 425 employees and $36 million in revenue before its sale to Quad/Graphics Inc. in 2006.
Schroeder Solutions is a full-service interiors company specializing in interior design, office furnishings, architectural products, furniture installation and corporate relocation.

AT&T Inc. today announced the immediate availability of its AT&T U-verse platform for high-speed Internet access to small businesses in more than 40 U.S. markets, including the Milwaukee/Racine market.
AT&T High Speed Internet U-verse Enabled Business Edition offers download speeds up to 10 Mbps, which, depending on the applications needed, can serve up to 32 Internet access connections over existing telephone wiring in a customer's business.
AT&T Business U-verse also provides free unlimited access to the company's nationwide Wi-Fi network, the largest in the United States, to small business subscribers. The network comprises more than 17,000 Wi-Fi hot spots nationwide.
"Today's small businesses need velocity to better serve their customers, stay ahead of their competitors and continue moving forward," said Roman Pacewicz, senior vice president, AT&T Regional Business Marketing. "Our new Business U-verse provides outstanding connectivity at a great price for small businesses by offering higher speeds than ever before."
AT&T Business U-verse service will be made available to businesses in additional markets within AT&T's 22-state local service footprint over the coming months. AT&T is the largest provider of broadband service in the United States, with more than 14 million customers.
For more information, visit http://smallbiz.att.com/businessuverse.

The National Business Group on Health (NBGH), a national nonprofit organization of large employers, today honored Brookfield-based Fiserv Inc. for its commitment to promoting a healthy workplace and encouraging a healthy lifestyle for its employees and their families.
Fiserv is one of 52 employers that received the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles Award at the Leadership Summit sponsored by the NBGH's Institute on Costs and Health Effects of Obesity. Fiserv received a Gold Award in recognition of its successful wellness program, aimed at helping employees and their families adopt healthier lifestyles. This is the first year Fiserv has won a Gold Award, and the third year it has been recognized, receiving Silver Awards in 2006 and 2007.
Fiserv launched its wellness initiative in 2003, developing a comprehensive program to address chronic disease and to keep associates healthy. The strategy includes building a solid foundation for wellness benefits for Fiserv's 25,000 employees in nearly 200 facilities across the United States.
"We are honored to accept the Gold Award for the improvements in our wellness program," said Wendy Salmon, Fiserv vice president of compensation and benefits. "We are continually looking for better ways to promote lifestyles that help employees improve their health. The promotion and support of a healthy lifestyle provides our employees the opportunity to be happier and more productive both inside and outside of the workplace, which in turn, provides us with a return on our investment."
One of the most popular Fiserv wellness campaigns, the Healthy You Fitness Challenge, began company-wide in 2006. During the campaign, more than 6,000 employees accumulate nearly 2 million miles of walking, running and biking over the eight weeks of the event.
“We are very pleased to honor Fiserv for their innovation and commitment to providing lifestyle improvement programs designed to encourage healthier lifestyles for their employees," said Helen Darling, president of NBGH. "Fiserv and its management team should be proud of their initiatives and ongoing support of helping employees to choose a healthier way of life."
For more information on NBGH and the award winners, visit www.businessgrouphealth.org.

Steinbine Development LLC of Watertown has developed the Steinbine Systems "New Hydro," which is an impulse turbine that can provide renewable energy and green power in a distributed energy system. The system will initially be focused on energy recovery from river dams.
"Imagine a long rolling pin stretched across the base of the dam," said Randal Mueller, a partner at the company. "Rather than the water hitting the bottom of the apron and being wasted, the falling water hits the outer edge of the rolling pin and is converted into power."
The idea was a semi-finalist in the 2008 Wisconsin Governor's Business Plan Contest. To read more, visit WisBusiness.com, a media partner of Small Business Times.

Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit organization working to preserve affordable homeownership for low-income homeowners, will conduct National Rebuilding Day on Saturday, May 17.
Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee, along with more than 200 Rebuilding Together affiliates across the country and the help of thousands of volunteers, will rehabilitate and improve homes of low-income Americans at no cost. Recipients of services include the elderly, disabled, military veterans and families in need.
"Rebuilding Day is a wonderful program that assists homeowners," said Lynnea Katz-Petted, executive director of Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee. "At a time when the nation is dealing with an unprecedented housing crisis, there is an overwhelming need for our work. We make it possible for homeowners to remain in safe and healthy homes, keep their independence and dignity while improving their quality of life."
Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee, with the help of more than 30 businesses and more than 700 volunteers, will assist 32 homeowners at 14 local home sites in receiving free repairs to their homes.
Among them will be Thaddeus and Barbara Haney, who live in their Habitat Home built by Jimmy Carter in 1989. Over the past 15 years Thaddeus, who has multiple sclerosis, and Barbara, who suffers from the effects of Polio, both have been dealing with deteriorating health problems. Rebuilding Together, along with volunteers from Potawatomi Casino, will install an automatic front door opener, as well as complete major and minor home repairs, install various home modifications and assistive devices, install new carpet and complete general landscaping at the home.
To learn more information about the project, contact Katz-Petted at (414) 704-1581.

Ocean Spray expects to complete the first phase of an expansion project of its Wisconsin Rapids plant soon. The company broke ground last summer on a 100,000-square-foot, $50 million Craisins production facility that will begin producing sweetened dried cranberries Sept. 1. In July, the company's board of directors approved a second 100,000-square-foot expansion at a cost of $27 million, which is expected to go online March 1. More than 600 people applied for the 100 open positions the expansions will bring. Read more in SBT's daily roundup of headlines from newspapers across the state at www.biztimes.com/#news.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said today that despite some signs of improvement, U.S. financial markets remain severely stressed and are still "far from normal."
In a speech of prepared remarks to a conference in Atlanta, Bernanke said the Fed's efforts to provide cash to financial markets have helped, citing a lessening of pressure on brokerage firms and a return of liquidity in some markets.
"These are welcome signs, of course, but at this stage conditions in financial markets are still far from normal," Bernanke said. "Well-functioning financial markets are an essential link in the transmission of monetary policy to the economy and a critical foundation for economic growth and stability. However, since August, severe financial strains have shaken this foundation. A sharp housing contraction has generated substantial losses on many mortgage-related assets and a broad-based tightening in credit availability."
The stock market slumped today after the BizTimes Stock Index had gained 3.57 points to close at 165.93 Monday. Today's largest local decliners were Joy Global Inc. (down $1.60 to $78.36) and Manpower Inc. (down $1.50 to $68.85). The largest local advancers this morning were Ladish Co. (up 32 cents to $31.54) and Johnson Controls Inc. (up 27 cents to $34.75). To view the BizTimes Stock Index, visit www.biztimes.com.

Doug Neilson of Visit Milwaukee is optimistic about the tourism industry in the region. Read more in today's Milwaukee Biz Blog.