AAA expects Thanksgiving travel to increase slightly this year, after U.S. travel for the holiday fell 25.2 percent last year just after the financial industry crisis hit.
AAA projects 38.4 million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more away from home over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend; a 1.4 percent increase over last year when 37.8 million traveled.
In Wisconsin, 778,000 people will be traveling this holiday weekend, an increase of 3 percent from 2008, according to AAA.
“Although far too many Americans remain unemployed or under other financial stress, AAA’s projected increase in Thanksgiving travel from one year ago is another hopeful sign that economic conditions are stabilizing and improving in some areas. We can also be thankful the gradual recovery we have been seeing in the U.S. travel industry since the start of the summer is continuing,” said Tom Frymark, AAA Wisconsin regional president.
The number of Thanksgiving travelers by automobile is expected to be 33.2 million in 2009 compared to 32.5 million last year, an increase of 2.1 percent.
However the number of travelers by air is expected be 2.3 million compared to 2.5 million in 2008, a decline of 6.7 percent.
The number of those traveling by “other” means, including, trains, watercraft, buses and multiple-modes of transportation, is expected to be 2.9 million compared to 2.8 million last year, an increase of 1.2 percent, AAA said.
This Thanksgiving, travelers will be paying much more in gasoline than they did last year. The current nationwide average price of self-serve, regular gasoline is $2.63, over 50 cents per gallon higher than 2008. In Wisconsin, gas prices currently average $2.61, nearly 55 cents higher than last year’s prices.
AAA’s travel projections are based on research conducted by IHS Global Insight.

The stock market headed downward this morning after the U.S. Commerce Department reported that new construction on housing units dropped to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 529,000, the lowest level since April. The 10.6 percent drop was the biggest percentage decline for starts since January. The BizTimes Stock Index fell 0.41 points Tuesday to close at 122.28. Local decliners again outnumbered advancers in trading this morning. The biggest local decliners were Manpower Inc. (down 81 cents to $50.39) and Johnson Outdoors Inc. (down 73 cents to $9.16). The biggest local gainers were Modine Manufacturing Co. (up 49 cents to $11.74) and MGIC Investment Corp. (up 27 cents to $4.52).

Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will hold a groundbreaking ceremony today at 11 a.m. to celebrate the start of construction of a new Wal-Mart supercenter store in Muskego.
The 156,400-square-foot store, which will include a grocery department, will be built southeast of Moorland Road and College Avenue.
Read more in this week’s edition of BizTimes Real Estate Weekly.

Menomonee Falls-based ZBB Energy Corp. today announced that it has received an order for four standard, modular ZESS 50 energy storage systems from Powertech Labs, a subsidiary of BC Hydro, for the Bella Coola Hydrogen Assisted Renewable Power (HARP) project in Bella Coola, British Columbia.
The ZESS energy storage systems will be used as part of a demonstration project that uses multiple components (power generation, utilization, storage, and dispatch optimization) to provide electrical power to an isolated remote area grid with the goal of reducing reliance on diesel generation and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in remote communities in British Columbia. The project objective is to increase the utilization of BC Hydro’s Clayton Falls small hydro plant and reduce the reliance on diesel generators at its Ah Sin Heek generating facility. The ZESS units will be used to store excess power from Clayton Falls, to be later dispatched during periods when Clayton Falls is unable to supply sufficient power to the community. “We are delighted to have been selected by Powertech Labs for this demonstration project,” said Kevin Dennis, ZBB’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We recognize their global reputation as a leader in technology advancement and implementation in the electrical utility industry. Being successfully selected following a thorough evaluation of our technology has shown that the ZESS products integrate effectively with conventional generation systems.”

Racine-based Modine Manufacturing Co. today announced that its operation in India has been awarded a contract by Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, Ltd.
The program, which will support Daimler’s light, medium and heavy-duty trucks for the Indian market, will be manufactured in Modine’s new production plant in Sriperumbudur, Chennai.
“We are pleased with the confidence Daimler India has shown in our ability to meet its requirements in today’s highly competitive market,” said Thomas F. Marry, Modine Regional Vice President – Asia. “The key to our success with Daimler India is our intelligent globalization strategy to have local production capabilities. This strategy puts us in a position to address application-specific customer needs, while at the same time offering truly globally standardized products within the very competitive commercial environment in India.”
Modine employs approximately 7,000 people at 32 facilities in 15 countries.

Milwaukee-based Assurant Health has formed a marketing alliance with USAA to be the exclusive provider of individual medical insurance to its more than 7.3 million members over the next four years. USAA is a leading provider of financial planning, insurance, investments and banking products to members of the U.S. military and their families. Effective today, USAA will refer its members to Assurant Health individual medical insurance products in the 45 states in which Assurant Health does business.
“We are pleased to be teaming with a company that has such an excellent reputation for meeting the financial needs of the men and women in uniform and their families,” said Assurant Health President and CEO Don Hamm. “The alliance is a win-win for both companies and we look forward to continuing our relationship with USAA for years to come.”

The so-called "Cable Consumer Repair Bill," introduced Tuesday by State Rep. Gary Hebl, would gut the successful Video Competition Act that was enacted in January of 2008 says Thad Nation, executive director of Wired Wisconsin, and author of today’s Milwaukee Biz Blog.

Manitowoc Tool & Machining, which has 300 employees, has hired 80 workers since June, some called back from layoff, and it will be hiring 15 to 20 more. Read more in BizTimes Milwaukee's daily roundup of headlines from newspapers across the state at www.biztimes.com/#news.