BizTimes Media LLC today launched the BizTimes Wisconsin Morning Headlines bulletin.
The new exclusive e-newsletter will be sent to subscribers of the BizTimes Daily every weekday morning.
Wisconsin Morning Headlines are links collected from online news sources throughout the state.
“With one glance at this new bulletin, our readers can be brought up to date about the top news stories from around the state, with headlines from cities such as Madison, La Crosse, Eau Claire, Hayward, Superior, Wausau, Rhinelander, Eagle River, Appleton, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Green Bay and Manitowoc,” said Dan Meyer, publisher of BizTimes Media LLC. “Our readers won’t have to search the Web to find out what’s going on in Wisconsin each day. We’ll do that for them and compile the top stories in one convenient bulletin.”
The Wisconsin Morning Headlines bulletin will be sent early each morning.
BizTimes will continue to provide the award-winning BizTimes Daily bulletin, featuring exclusive news, around noon each day. Breaking news bulletins also will be provided by BizTimes as they happen.
The Wisconsin Morning Headlines and the BizTimes Daily are among BizTimes Media’s company’s growing stable of popular free e-newsletters, which include: BizTimes Manufacturing Weekly on Mondays; BizTimes Money on Tuesdays; BizTimes Real Estate on Wednesdays; the BizTimes Bubbler on Thursdays; MKEpolitics on Thursdays; and BizTimes Nonprofit Weekly on Fridays.
To view the Wisconsin Morning Headlines, visit www.biztimes.com/wimorningheadlines. To subscribe to all of the BizTimes newsletters or manage your subscriptions, visit www.biztimes.com/subscribe.

Brookfield-based Evans Transportation Services Inc. today announced the launch of Evans Freight Services (EFS) to complement its logistics services division.
“Manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers likely will experience difficulty accessing transportation services as the economy continues to improve,” said Tom Aumann, who leads Evans’ EFS division. “When the economy skidded, transportation fleets were taken off the road and a lack of transportation capacity resulted. With economic recovery, business owners must keep an eye out for rising transportation costs and decreases in service levels as demand outpaces transportation capacity.”
Evans has developed a loyal carrier base over 25 years.
“The proven performance of our logistics division throughout the supply chain year over year has delivered dependable service, reduced costs and significant client loyalty,” Evans’ chief executive officer Don Cox said. “Nearly all of our clients have been with us for a decade or more because our disciplined approach, which determines the optimal carrier based on cost, service and specific client requirements. I believe our growing stable of brokerage clients will experience similar satisfaction.”

The PNC Financial Services Group Inc.  today announced it has successfully completed the conversion of more than 6 million customers and 1,300 branches from National City Bank to PNC Bank, six months ahead of schedule.
The overall branch conversion, which ranks among the four largest in U.S. banking history, was completed without any major issues, the Pittsburgh-based company said.
"We wanted a seamless transition for our customers and I believe we have achieved that goal based on the tremendous teamwork of our employees and our investments in products and services," said James Rohr, PNC's chairman and chief executive officer. "This is a historic accomplishment as we double the size of our franchise and create a powerful deposit franchise with significant opportunities to generate revenue growth and create value for our customers, employees, shareholders and communities."
PNC acquired National City on Dec. 31, 2008, and remains on track with a two-year plan for the overall integration.
The branch conversion spans across nine states, including Wisconsin.

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation announced it has selected Ellen Gilligan as its new president and chief executive officer.
Gilligan, currently vice president for Community Investment at The Greater
Cincinnati Foundation, will become the foundation’s third chief executive officer effective Sept. 1. Gilligan succeeds Douglas Jansson, who is retiring after 17 years of service. She was selected by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation board after a nationwide search.
“Ellen has a depth and breadth of experience over more than two decades of community service that uniquely positions her to guide the Greater Milwaukee Foundation into our next century of service,” said foundation Board chair Judy Jorgensen. “The foundation and the greater Milwaukee community are truly fortunate to have a leader of her caliber
and ability.”
“What impresses us most about Ellen is her dedication to the entire Cincinnati community and her belief that community foundations play a critical role working with other community partners to successfully address many of the long-term issues facing us, particularly issues involving education,” said incoming foundation board chair John Daniels Jr. “We are confident that Ellen, working closely with the Foundation Board and staff, will be a key leader in efforts to successfully identify and address some of the pressing issues facing our community.”
In Cincinnati, Gilligan has collaborated with diverse groups of funding partners and community leaders, including:
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is a family of more than 1,000 individual charitable funds, each created by donors to serve the charitable causes of their choice. Grants from these funds serve people throughout Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties and beyond. In 2009, the foundation made grants of more than $27 million and achieved assets of $519 million. Started in 1915, the foundation is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the world.

The Fond du Lac Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (FACVB) has named Craig Molitor as president.
Prior to joining the FACVB, Molitor’s professional career spanned four distinct areas in the hospitality, tour and travel industries: operations, management, sales and marketing and, most recently, project management for SearchWide.
Molitor said, “A region’s population is significantly served by the economic activity generated by the hospitality and tour and travel industries. Educational opportunities, employment, infrastructure, philanthropy, culture and many other quality-of-life issues see positive impact from increased travel to the area. I am humbled by the opportunity to join the FACVB Team. This is a group of accomplished and dedicated destination marketing professionals. Of course, my wife and I have fallen in love with this community. Fond du Lac is beautiful with so much to offer visitors and residents alike.”

U.S. stocks rallied this morning for the fifth consecutive session after China announced it will allow its currency to appreciate against the dollar, boosting hopes for U.S. manufacturers and other exporters.
China has kept its yuan currency artificially low for nearly two years to support its exports. A cheaper yuan made imported consumer goods from America pricier.
The largest local advancers this morning were Joy Global Inc. (up $2.36 to $58.95), Bucyrus International Inc. (up $2.04 to $52.72), Rockwell Automation Inc. (up $1.28 to $55.11), Ladish Co. (up $1.13 to $28.50) and Strattec Security Corp. (up $1.09 to $22.81). The largest local decliners this morning were Kohl’s Corp. (down 58 cents to $52.13 and Actuant Corp. (down 46 cents to $20.61).

The Milwaukee MillerCoors brewery is now testing a new beer bottling line, and if perfected, it could dramatically change and improve the company’s national operations. Read more in the new edition of the BizTimes Manufacturing Weekly bulletin.

The Doyle administration’s recent request to use $23 million in federal recovery funds - combined with a state match of $5.7 million - to expand broadband access in Wisconsin is of vital importance for the state, according to Thad Nation, author of today’s Milwaukee Biz Blog.

Sussex-based Quad/Graphics Inc. has eliminated funding for a Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus route that runs from the south side of Milwaukee to the company’s plants in Sussex and Pewaukee.
Without Quad’s funding, Milwaukee County Transit System lacks the funding to continue the route, so it will be eliminated. Sunday, June 27, will be the last day of service for the route, called Route 8.
The route costs about $220,000 annually to operate, and Quad has paid for 70 percent, or $154,000, of the costs, said MCTS spokeswoman Jacqueline Janz. MCTS, which is funded by a combination of federal, state and local funds and fare box revenues, provides the remaining 30 percent, or $66,000, for the route.
The route originates at the corner of Mitchell Street and Kinnickinnic Avenue on Milwaukee’s south side. The bus makes two trips from there to Pewaukee and back each day, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon/early evening.
On an average weekday, the route provides about 80 rides, Janz said. A worker who rides the bus to and from work counts for two rides a day on the bus.
A majority of the riders on the route are likely Quad employees, but non-Quad employees also use the route, Janz said.
The route began service in 1995. Federal grant funds previously supported the route. Quad increased its contributions for the service in later years, Janz said.
“The partnership with Quad has been wonderful,” she said.
A spokeswoman for Quad could not be reached for comment about why the company cut its funding for the bus route.
MCTS has significant funding problems, and some county and MCTS officials have said that the bus system will need to cut services, so Route 8 could be the first of several routes to be eliminated.
A proposal for a sales tax to provide a dedicated funding source for the Milwaukee County bus system was not approved by the state Legislature in the last session, and another similar sales tax proposal was vetoed from the state budget by Gov. Jim Doyle.
“The last thing we want to do is cut routes,” Janz said. “We do everything we can to avoid it. It’s unfortunate we just don’t have funding to supplement (Route 8).”
More information about Route 8 is available at:
http://ridemcts.com/uploadedFiles/_RouteAssets/Route_Guides/8.pdf