The U.S. and global economies have emerged from the Great Recession, and while opportunities are re-emerging for investors, significant risks remain, according to Sandy Lincoln, senior vice president and investment strategist with M&I Investment Management Corp.

“I think when the economists close the door on this, which hopefully will be sometime in the next few months, they’re probably going to look at either July or August of (2009) as sort of the end date (of the recession),” he said.

For Lincoln’s view on the state of the global economy, click here.

Lincoln also believes that the U.S. and global economies could grow at better-than-expected rates this year and in 2011. To hear his economic outlook, click here. 

Because many publicly traded companies made such drastic cutbacks during the recession, many of them have significant opportunities for larger-than expected dividend payments if sales expectations are exceeded. Hear Lincoln’s view here.

During the economic recovery of the second half of 2009 and earlier this year, many investors looked at stocks they believed would rise the fastest. However, Lincoln believes that historic performers are some of the best bets today. For more, click here.

There are some sectors within the stock market that are better bets than others, Lincoln says. To hear him discuss what industries he likes right now, click here.

While the U.S. and global economies have emerged from the Great Recession, the risk remains of a W-shaped or double-dip recession. To hear Lincoln talk about the likelihood of a double-dip recession and what might cause it, click here.

Securant Bank & Trust adds new settlement trust group

Securant Bank & Trust recently added a new service group, dedicated to serving structured settlement planners, which represent people who have won structured settlements in personal injury cases.

“Settlement planners have typically used annuities for those payments,” said David Davis, Securant Bank & Trust president and CEO. “Adding trusts to the mix gives planners greater flexibility in meeting the injured party’s needs and wants.”

The Settlement Trust Group will support settlement planners with specialized knowledge in trust administration and marketing.

Adding the group furthers the bank’s strategic plan for growth into new markets, Davis said.

“This is a prudent growth opportunity,” he said. “We’re in the right position to offer unique services to an expanding market.”

Securant has named Benjamin Malsch and Deanna Haught vice presidents, and each will work in the newly formed Settlement Trust Group.

Malsch worked previously for First Capital Surety & Trust Company, most recently serving as vice president/trust officer. Haught has 15 years of financial planning experience, most recently working six years as a trust officer for First Capital Surety & Trust Company.

“Ben and Deanna offer unmatched expertise in settlement trusts and public benefits,” Davis said. “Settlement planners across the country rely on their knowledge, insight and understanding of the injured party’s needs. We’re proud they’ve chosen to join our team and pleased that their skills match our plans for growth.”

Waukesha State Bank opens new branch

Waukesha State Bank has opened its 13th branch location, located at East Racine Avenue and Highway 164 in Waukesha. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held today at 4 p.m. and will be attended by local business leaders, city and county officials and bank staff, including City of Waukesha Mayor Larry Nelson, County Executive Dan Vrakas, Ty R. Taylor, bank president and CEO, and Michele Johnson, East Racine Avenue bank manager.

"We're pleased that our newest office is in the city where we began growing our community roots 65 years ago," said Taylor. "It's an ideal location for our many customers who already live on that side of the city who now have another, more convenient banking location. We also recognize that this part of our city continues to grow and we are better able to meet the area's increased banking needs with the addition of this location."

New York private equity firm to acquire RedPrairie

RedPrairie Holding Inc. has abandoned its plan to become a publicly held company and instead entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by a fund affiliated with New Mountain Capital LLC, a New York private equity firm.

Executives at RedPrairie, which is based in the Town of Brookfield, said the acquisition will enable the company to accelerate its rapid growth rate while enhancing its commitment to customer success.

“Our objective is to be the leading provider of productivity solutions for manufacturers, distributors and retailers,” says Mike Mayoras, chief executive of RedPrairie. “Our relationship with New Mountain Capital will allow us to reach our strategic goals quickly, efficiently and with certainty. We believe there are significant opportunities to provide more value to our customer base by expanding our product portfolio and entering new markets.”

Alok Singh, managing director of New Mountain Capital, said, "We are delighted at the prospect of being able to add RedPrairie to our family of companies. They have consistently, over their long history, been committed to the success of their customers. We aim to work closely with RedPrairie's management team to help them accelerate their growth and strategic development, making them an even more valued partner to their customer base."

David Golob, chairman of the RedPrairie board of directors and partner at Francisco Partners, said, “RedPrairie has a strong vision, proven set of solutions and talented management team. I believe RedPrairie and New Mountain Capital will be a great combination. I wish them continued success.”

With the acquisition, the RedPrairie name will be retained, as will the company’s management team and employees.

Last fall, RedPrairie filed paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a $172.5 million initial public offering.

“We are not pursuing the IPO at this point,” said RedPrairie spokesman Kari Janavitz.

New Mountain Capital currently manages private and public equity funds with approximately $8.5 billion in aggregate capital commitments.

Merge Healthcare makes offer to acquire competitor

West Allis-based Merge Healthcare Inc. has made an offer to acquire Amicas Inc. for $6.05 in cash per share in a deal with an estimated value of $248 million.

The stock for Amicas, which is based in Boston, is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol AMCS. Amicas is a provider of imaging IT solutions.

Merge’s proposal represents is 13 percent higher than a previously announced offer to acquire Amicas by a newly-formed affiliate of Thoma Bravo LLC for $5.35 cash per share.

Last week, Merge intervened in Massachusetts litigation challenging the adequacy of Amicas’ disclosures relating to this transaction, as well as the process by which its proposals have been considered by the AMICAS board of directors.

Merge has received a signed bridge financing commitment from Morgan Stanley to provide $200 million of debt financing. Based on that commitment and available cash, including $40 million of pre-funded equity investments from mezzanine investors, Merge has proposed to commence its offer and close the acquisition as quickly as possible thereafter.

Merge develops solutions that automate health care data and diagnostic workflow to enable a better electronic record of the patient experience, and to enhance product development for health IT, device and pharmaceutical companies.

Weyauwega company acquires Wiza Industries in Muskego

Wiza Industries LLC, a Muskego industrial machine shop that entered Wisconsin Chapter 128 protection last year, has been acquired by Weyauwega-based World Class Manufacturing Group.

Before it entered Chapter 128 protection, Wiza Industries had about 250 employees. The company now has about 40 workers in its 200,000-square-foot plant, said Darold Paisar, president of World Class Manufacturing.

“Long-term (growth) is to be determined, but we’re calling a few people back every week,” Paisar said. “I can see there being 100 people working there by the end of the year.”

World Class Manufacturing has effectively been operating the Wiza facility since Dec. 30, Paisar said. The company was able to reach terms with Wiza’s owners and its court-ordered receiver this week.

“We were able to save five or six good clients,” Paisar said. “We’re trying to put a (long-term) plan together.”

The agreement with Wiza’s former owners is only effective for one year, Paisar said.

“We’re taking one hell of a risk,” he said. “We did this to save jobs in Wisconsin. If this facility is going to be open next year, I don’t know.”

At its peak, Wiza Industries had about $56 million in annual revenues. While it will take several years to rebuild the company, Paisar sees an opportunity for significant sales there this year.

“I think we could do about $10 million worth of business this year,” he said.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Wells Fargo & Co. announced that Robert Howard has been named business banking manager for Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.

“There are tremendous opportunities for growth in the Milwaukee area, and we know that as our business banking team satisfies all of our customers’ financial needs and helps our customers succeed financially, we will continue to build our business in southeast Wisconsin,” said Ralph Miller, Wells Fargo’s business banking manager for Wisconsin, Michigan and Chicago. “Bob is a great addition to our team. He’s a proven leader with a passion for community involvement and team member development.”

A 21-year veteran of Wells Fargo, Howard has served as commercial real estate manager, community banking president, business banking manager, business banker, branch manager and teller.

Wells Fargo in Wisconsin provides financial services from 88 locations and employs 3,100.

M. Dale Fritz, CFA, has been named executive vice president and chief investment officer of Jacobus Wealth Management Inc. Fritz will chair JWM’s Investment Committee and will serve on the firm’s board of directors.

Fritz has more than 35 years of experience in investment management, including nine years with Brinson Partners/UBS Global Asset Management in Chicago, London, Tokyo and Zurich; 11 years with Bank One Wisconsin Trust Company; and eight years with First National Bank of Chicago. He served as chief investment officer of UBS Brinson Asset Management Japan, was one of six managing partners at Brinson Partners overseeing the investment teams, and served as senior vice president and chief investment officer at Bank One Wisconsin Trust. 

“We are pleased to welcome Dale to JWM,” said Richard Jacobus, vice chairman of JWM. “His broad industry experience and well-established track record in leading successful investment management teams will be an asset to JWM and to our clients.”

Miller Park’s Metavante Club is renamed for NYCE

The Milwaukee Brewers have announced that the Miller Park dining area formerly known as the Metavante Club has been renamed the NYCE Stadium Club.

Work on re-branding the club, including signage and updates to decor, will be completed in time for the beginning of the Brewers 2010 season in April.

Metavante Technologies Inc. and FIS joined forces in October 2009. NYCE Payments Network LLC, an FIS company, is a leading U.S. electronic payments network. FIS is one of the world’s largest providers of banking and payments technology.

Commenting on the renaming, Frank Martire, FIS president and chief executive officer, said, “We’re excited to extend our relationship with the Brewers organization and reinforce our commitment to the local Milwaukee area. We look forward to continuing the tradition of the club that has been so well-received by fans and patrons alike.”

Marcia Danzeisen, senior vice president, FIS global marketing and corporate communications, said, “The opportunity to introduce the NYCE brand to the thousands of consumers who frequent Miller Park will help drive greater brand recognition for NYCE, which is a leader in advanced payment solutions to consumers nationwide.”

Located on the Club Level in the left field corner, the private NYCE Stadium Club features a 200-seat, multi-tiered dining room that offers a unique view of the action on the field, a buffet and an outdoor patio area for fans.

Membership is exclusive to season seat holders and only a limited number of memberships are available.

Northwestern Mutual again tops ranks for customer satisfaction

Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. again has the highest customer satisfaction score among U.S. life insurers, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s (ACSI) fourth quarter 2009 report.

Northwestern Mutual led all competitors with a score of 81, the company’s best score on record in the history of the survey, up from 78 in the previous year.

“Now more than ever, people want to work with companies they can trust, so we’re very proud to be recognized as the industry leader by our clients,” said Greg Oberland, executive vice president of insurance and investment products for Northwestern Mutual. “We’ve earned this trust by maintaining exceptional financial strength while consistently providing long-term value to our clients. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to always do what’s best for our more than 3 million clients.”

The ACSI study tracks the attitudes of more than 65,000 customers of products from more than 200 companies on service, quality, value, expectations and loyalty. Northwestern Mutual’s score was determined by surveying a sample of the company’s clients.

One of the key factors highlighted by Northwestern Mutual clients was the company’s financial strength. Northwestern Mutual is the only company in its industry to maintain the best-possible insurance financial strength ratings with a stable outlook from the nation's four major rating agencies: Fitch, Standard & Poor’s, A.M. Best and Moody’s.

The survey is produced by the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, the Milwaukee-based American Society for Quality (ASQ) and CFI. To view the full report, click here.

Clifton Gunderson will present the webinar “M&A Today: Financial Reporting and Tax Implications” on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The free, hour-long webinar will discuss valuation, tax and legal issues that are changing in the M&A industry, which has gained traction as the economy has recovered. Registration is required at http://www.cliftoncpa.com/Resources/Events.

BizTimes Media will present its “M&A Forum: Buy? Sell? Hold?” on Tuesday, March 30, from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. at The Pfister Hotel, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee. The event is designed to help business owners identify ways to build their business through acquisition or to help them prepare for an eventual sale.

The keynote speaker will be Mark Herndon, president of Dallas-based Parkwood Advisors LLC, a financial services firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions, investment banking and private equity financing. Herndon is co-author of “The Complete Guide to Mergers and Acquisitions: Process Tools to Support M&A Integration at Every Level.”

Several breakout sessions will follow Herndon’s keynote presentation. The breakout sessions will be designed to help business owners and their advisors develop plans and strategies for an acquisition, prepare a company for an eventual sale or craft strategies to invest a windfall realized once a business sale is complete.

The cost to attend the event is $75 per person and $600 for a table of eight. For information or to reserve a spot, visit www.biztimes.com/maforum.

Banking

• Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions 
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
• Wisconsin Bankers Association 
• Community Bankers of Wisconsin
• Wisconsin Mortgage Bankers Association
• American Bankers Association
• Bankers Association for Finance and Trade
• Commercial Finance Association 
• Risk Management Association

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Association for Corporate Growth 
• International Business Brokers Association 
• Mergers.com

Wealth Management/Financial/Retirement Planning

• Financial Planning Association
• Financial Planning Association of Southern Wisconsin
• Investment Management Consultants Association
• National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA)

Other 

• Society of Financial Service Providers
• Small Business Administration
• State public awareness campaign
• Wisconsin Credit Union League
• CFA Institute
• CFA Society of Milwaukee
• Wisconsin Angel Network