Logistics Health awarded top employer award

The Department of Defense has announced the recipients of the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their outstanding support of their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve. La Crosse-based Logistics Health Incorporated was among the 15 winners in the country and the only Wisconsin business chosen from a field of more than 2,500 nominees.

“As an organization, we decided long ago that no employee of LHI who is called to active duty should ever have to worry about their job back home,” explains Logistics Health CEO Don Weber. “We want them to know we are behind them 100 percent, that their seniority, salary and benefits will not be compromised in any way while they are in service to our country. Simply put, we do it because it is the right thing to do.”

The national award comes in the wake of other Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve state awards. LHI was one of nine
recipients of the Wisconsin “Above and Beyond” awards as well as the top prize winner in the state with the “Pro Patria” award. Both were presented to LHI this past spring.

Thrive creates Capital Connections

One of the barriers that companies and communities face when seeking economic development funding is the lack of concise, accessible information — there just isn’t time to identify and understand each of the hundreds of programs that are available.

To address this barrier, Thrive has created a comprehensive inventory of financial tools that are available for businesses and economic development projects in the 8-county Mad-ison Region. The inventory includes over 350 financial programs available at the federal, state and local levels to businesses, communities, and nonprofits.

The inventory includes a brief description and basic eligibility criteria for each program. It also includes typical program terms such as loan or grant amounts, loan amortization periods, interest rates and contact information.

The Capital Connections Inventory is freely available as an online PDF or download. Printed, bound copies are free to investors, and  available for a fee to the public.

For more information, log on to www.thrivehere.org/capitalinventory.

MOVERS

>> LifelineUSA, a manufacturer of professional-grade functional fitness products, has hired Glenn Polinsky as director of product development and design.

>> Mark Misun, transportation engineer, and Kyle Peschel, municipal engineer, have joined the Madison office of MSA Professional Services.

>> Mary Grundahl has been promoted to director of business & community development at JG Development Inc. in Blue Mounds.

>> Miron Construction Co., Inc. has hired Rhonda Peterson as a project coordinator for its Madison office.

>> EraGen Biosciences Inc. has announced that Maria L. Foster, its vice president of commercial operations, has assumed responsibility for the company’s sales organization.

>> Thrive has added Jennifer Post Tyler as project director.

>> Wisconsin Community Bank has added Mike Weber as senior vice president of business banking.

>> John Sylla has been promoted to senior vice president and regional manager for M&I Wealth Management’s Southwest Region.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

ONALASKA: La Crosse Sign Co. has purchased Badger Display Signs Inc. of Madison, creating a newly named company, Badger Display Sign Co. Inc. The transaction was completed in June, and the new company continues to operate out of the existing location in Madison.

BELOIT: McKenzie Taxidermy Supply based in Salisbury, N.C., has expanded and relocated its taxidermy warehousing and distribution operation to Beloit. The Beloit facility, one of six in the United States, will inventory and distribute taxidermy forms, supplies and tools used by taxidermists in producing fish, big game and other wildlife displays.

LA CROSSE: The Western Wisconsin Workforce Development Board has received an additional $9,819 grant to further efforts to make the Coulee Region a biocomposite manufacturing and bioplastics hub. The funding is expected to assist in training needs, help in the development of curriculum for entry level workers and aid in creating an industry hub in the region.

MADISON: Kahler Slater has announced it will be providing the programming and architectural design for the new facility for the School of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The firm has already begun work on the project with the first step being the recent completion of two planning sessions; one with students and one with School of Nursing leadership and other key stakeholders. The nearly 162,000-sq. ft. building will include areas for collaborative learning and team research, clinical simulation labs and faculty offices, with an expected project cost of $52 million.