Parisippany, N.J.-based DRS Technologies Inc. recently announced a $10.8 million remodeling project of its 610,000-square-foot facility at 4265 N. 30th St., in Milwaukee's central city. The project will upgrade to existing infrastructure, install energy-efficient systems, and improve employee space, company officials said. DRS is a designer, manufacturer and supplier of products, systems and services to all branches of the U.S. Military.

The company currently employs more than 300 full-time employees at its Milwaukee power and control technologies unit. There are no hiring plans now, but the company hopes its upgrades will allow for future expansion and create an environment to attract and retain new workers, a DRS spokesperson said. DRS' renovations in Milwaukee are being made because the company received several new U.S. Navy contracts worth a combined $21 million in August, 2006. The contracts, to design and produce power and control equipment for next-generation Destroyers, aircraft carriers, submarines and other ships. Work on the contracts is expected to last through September, 2011.

The city of Milwaukee is providing a $1.5 million forgivable loan and $3 million in tax credits for the remodeling project. "What I'm interested in are jobs, jobs, jobs," said Mayor Tom Barrett. "I recognize, in a national economy, that DRS could have picked anywhere to make this investment, but you chose Milwaukee and that means a lot to me as mayor and I know it means a lot to this surrounding community." The project has been in the planning stages for more then six years, said Sally Wallace, vice president and general manager for DRS Power and Control Technologies. "A vision was created a number of years ago and that vision becomes a reality today," she said. "We are ready to update our infrastructure, create an anchor for this community and create an enhanced work environment that allows us to grow as a company."

Schlitz beer brewed with its original formula will make its return to Milwaukee on Tuesday at Libiamo Restaurant, 221 W. Galena St., originally Schlitz's Brown Bottle tasting room. The community is invited to the event, starting a 12 noon, to sample the 1960s formula. After the tasting ceremony, the beer will be ceremoniously delivered to 50 locations throughout Milwaukee, including Sobelman's, Comet Café, Wolski's, Nomad, Y Not II and many more.

"This is an incredible tasting beer – it's got a lot more flavor than you find in the traditional liquids from many of the major brewers today," said Kyle Wortham, senior Schlitz brand manager for Pabst. "We keep hearing 'It tastes like the beer I stole from my dad's fridge.'" Through the mid 1970s, Schlitz was the second largest beer in the United States behind Budweiser. Changes in the beer's formula, along with a large 1981 strike, caused a significant loss of market share, and its Milwaukee brewery was closed in the early 1980's.

The beer brand is now owned by Pabst. In Milwaukee, Pabst's beer is contract brewed by the Miller brewery, and the original Schlitz formula is being produced here as well, Wortham said.

General Motors will lay off an additional 96 workers from its Janesville plant by late August or early September. The workers are being laid off because of the company's slowing of the Janesville plant, which will now produce 44 vehicles per shift. It currently makes 58 vehicles per shift. The workers who will be laid off are being used as vacation replacements until late August or September, said Chris Lee, a GM spokesperson.

Earlier this month, GM announced that it would cease producing trucks and SUVs at the Janesville plant by 2010, eliminating about 2,600 jobs. The company will also close plants in Moraine, Ohio; Oshawa, Ontario; and Silao, Mexico. GM has been operating a plant in Janesville since 1923.

The closures are part of a series of strategic decisions GM is making to shift its product line from trucks and sport utility vehicles to more fuel-efficient cars. General Motors also announced yesterday that it was stalling plans to revamp its line of large SUVs and trucks, because of reduced demand caused by skyrocketing oil prices.

Spacesaver Corp., a Fort Atkinson manufacturer of high density mobile storage and filing systems, recently completed a $7.5 million, 45,000 square foot expansion. The expansion resulted in 20 new jobs, the company said. Spacesaver has 508 employees. Spacesaver, a division of Green Bay-based KI, began the expansion last fall to accommodate production of its XTend Mobile High-Bay Storage (MHBS). The system is designed for academic libraries, government and commercial entities that require efficient off-site media storage.

Orion helps Miller brewery save energy costs
New lighting fixtures built by Manitowoc-based Orion Energy Systems Inc. inside Miller Brewing Company's facilities has helped the company save 9 million kilowatt hours annually, Miller's 2008 Sustainable Development Report states. Miller first installed Orion's energy efficient systems in its Milwaukee brewery. The company later expanded the system to facilities in North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Texas and California. In addition to environmental benefits, Miller is estimated to save $595,000 annually in energy costs or nearly $12 million across the system's 20-year lifecycle.

Orion VP to speak at national energy-efficiency summit
Steve Heins, vice president of communications and governmental affairs for Orion Energy Systems, will speak at the 2008 Demand Response and Energy Efficiency National Summit, held June 24 and 25 in San Diego. The event, which attracts energy professionals from across North America, will address energy efficiency, energy management and their positive effect on the environment. In his presentation, Heins will address the emission trading protocol for energy efficiency including emission reductions, measurement and verification requirements, and trading logistics. "Energy efficiency can greatly reduce our dependence on fossil fuels," Heins said. "Orion Energy Systems has been working diligently to promote energy efficiency as an alternative to rising costs through the use of its products, which reduce energy without compromise."

ARI names Ohio resident to board of directors
Milwaukee-based ARI Network Services Inc. announced that P. Lee Poseidon, 52, of Shaker Heights, Ohio, has been appointed to its board of directors. "Lee's broad and deep experience in the automotive industry — including providing electronic parts catalogs and dealer business management software systems as well as managing the industry's premier dealer association — will be an important asset as ARI enters its next phase of profitable growth," said Brian E. Dearing, chairman of the board.

Poseidon's recent business experience includes chief operating officer roles at Quorum Information Technologies, a Canadian supplier of automotive information management systems and services, and the National Automotive Dealers Association's Dealership Operations unit.

"I am really looking forward to leveraging my skills and experience as a member of ARI's Board of Directors," Poseidon said. "I have seen, first-hand, how information technology has dramatically improved the automotive service and distribution channel, and I believe that the same potential exists within ARI's core markets, including power sports and power equipment. I am excited about the opportunities that are available to ARI by building out a strategic vision to deliver a full range of technology-enabled services that connect manufacturers, distributors and dealers, and I can't wait to help make that vision a reality."

ARI is a provider of electronic parts catalogs and related technology and services for dealers, distributors and manufacturers in the manufactured equipment markets.

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