The Post-Crescent from Appleton, Wisconsin • 8

Foil Va re, YOURCCNTACT Larry Avila, business editor 920-993-1000, ext 292 e-mail: lavilapostcrescent.com MARKETS MONEY A-7 A-8 www.postcrescent.com The Post Crescent Wednesday, December 30, 2009 eras' Ateaiii) c3ea 1 nA hit Deal's closure likely to push into 2010 The Post-Crescent NEENAH Bemis Co. $1.2 billion purchase of Alcan Packaging from mining giant Rio Tinto, likely will not close before year's end. Representatives for the Neenah-based flexible packaging maker said Tuesday that discussions are ongoing with the Department of Justice, regarding the deal. The early next year. Bemis in July announced its intent to buy Alcan Packaging from Rio Tinto.

The deal will grow the company from one with $3.8 billion in sales to a $5.3 billion giant. Alcan had administrative offices in Chicago, which Bemis planned to absorb in company did not disclose specifics of concerns raised by the government, though the company believes any issues surrounding the sale will be resolved. Because talks are continuing, the company now expects the deal won't receive regulatory approval until Neenah. The purchase also will make Bemis among the Fox Valley's largest employers. The company now employs about 3,300 in the Fox Valley and has 10 plants in addition to its administrative offices in Neenah.

Alcan employs about 1,000 people in operations in Neenah and Menasha. When the purchase was announced, Bemis did say some joo consolidation was possible. In November, Bemis announced a total of 50 salaried positions would be cut by Jan. 9 at Alcan Packaging Food America's technical center, 2103 Industrial Drive. Bassett selects new CEO Bill Bassett stays on as chairman of metal fabricator The Post-Crescent BUSINESS BRIEFS Free small business counseling available The Small Business Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will offer free business counseling Jan.

7 at chambers of commerce offices in Clintonville and Waupaca. SBDC representatives will be in Clintonville from 9 a.m. to noon and Waupaca from noon to 4 p.m. Appointments must be made in advance by calling 800487-7389. H0V chamber to hold session with utilities KAUKAUNA The Advocacy Council of the Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a meet your government officials session from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m.

Jan. 8. The session will be at the chamber office at State 55 and Wisconsin Avenue in Kaukauna. Invited are representatives from Kaukauna Utilities, We Energies and WPPI Energy. The session is free to chamber members and $3 for nonmembers.

For more information, call the chamber at 920-766-1616. Call quality still important -ng; "'MR I Util Uj 'l 1 I r- I i I 4 i 1 .1 -i Jit I KAUKAUNA Kim Bassett-Heitzmann was elected president and chief executive officer of Bassett Mechanical at the company's board of directors meeting Tuesday. During the past two years as presidentchief operating officer of the company, Bassett-Heitzmann took over day-to-day operations from iLi? Ji Bill Bassett, P.E., chairman of the board, the company said in a statement. She played a lead role in establishing the strategic plan for the next NETWORKING OPPORTUNfTY: Professional Career Networking Group will hold a session at the DJ. Bordini Center, Room 139, across from the Fox Valley Technical College campus in Grand Chute.

For more information or to reserve a seat, visit www.opnetx.com or e-mail jbamesopnetx.com. 4 to 5 p.m. STATE, LOCAL STOCKS i in1 Gannett Wisconsin Media pnoto by King DAVID KEYES OF WIRELESS ZONE talks about cell phone options with customer Chris LaSalle of De Pere at the De Pere store Dec. 17. Mobile phone users remain focused on basic reliability Lnt ATjrmc 28 34 Adventn u43 MxiyKI .2263 Wumlfgy 3089 AndfcWIh 66 Aoscdttanc 11 38 Badge 40 31 BankMuti 708 BkotAm 16 12 Bern 30 09 BrrWyCp 30 51 BnoStral 1973 BurtNSF 9B46 CBSA 14 32 CdnNflyg 64-71 CiHgip 337 ClliRactl 68 DoWvHfl U22 71 FanraeMae 1 2S FaWattiU 2363 FMn 4896 FordM 1011 FredMac 1 SO Gannett 1506 GenDvnam 68 56 GetiElec 15 44 GoWfcn 361 MarwvO 25 44 IShtMka 41 18 ITO 48 48 Daily I KM 56 56 .11 dig I Kosb a 5 45 01 1255 Xl MGf 36 29 13 MagcSft U2 23 38 Manitowoc 10 07 06 Manpwl 65 83 .09 Mama 12 90 01 Marat 5 50 05 Mananl 1806 'ra MMLite 3527 18 MicranT (110 38 .34 mam 1210 -30 NalPraito 109 39 07 NwnaW 14 10 -6 UnveliHijt) 1511 OsltaetiCp 37 52 -1 05 5 PteMi 2927 -B ProclGam 61 58 .33 -1 I OwaslCm 4 24 50 RagelBBl u53 52 -0? I RodcMAut 47 05 I Scnootsp 24 80 10 i Saramm 2689 30 09 SmrtftAO 44 55 10 SnapOn 4317 -17 SpnnttMl 3.81 16 -02 Sim U112 56 10 strattec IB 40 01 Suotrcroj 24 80 -01 Targe! 48 58 .13 14 TwmDrac 10 42 24 .57 US Bancip 22 39 03 16 ViacomA 3175 43 WMtsFarga 26 68 07 Wwolip 23 79 07 -01 Weywti 4399 28 03 U5027 33 phase of the company's growth along with overseeing the company's operations.

Her election to CEO is the final step in the company's succession plan. "I continue to be very proud of Kim's accomplishments, and am equally proud of the strength and dedication of our current management team," said Bill Bassett, who has no plans at this time to retire. Bassett-Heitzmann joined Bassett Mechanical in 1996 in a sales position, and over the years took on various roles to learn the business, including working in the shop and field alongside the company tradesmen, as well as other leadership positions in various divisions. She has a master's degree in speech pathology from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a second graduate degree in construction management from UW-Stout. Bill Bassett will remain as chairman of the board and continue to be involved with the strategic direction of the company.

He purchased the company, along with several other key employees, from his uncle in 1974. By Nathan Phelps Gannett Wisconsin Media DE PERE Believe it or not, people still ask about call quality when buying a new wireless device. With a dizzying array of applications GPS, music players, live television the equipment that has become a staple of 21stentury communication has come a long way from the days of the early mobile phone and its lunchbox-sized bag. "Customers ask about call quality. They want a phone that gets good reception and doesn't drop calls, so that's high on the list," said David Keyes, owner of Wireless Zone of De Pere.

"Then there's all the bells and whistles. Everyone is a little different in what they are looking for in a phone." Wireless devices have morphed from mobile phones to devices crammed with tools and toys ranging from Internet access to barcode readers that can scan the Net for price comparisons. "People use them to communicate, and obviously they're using them ditferently than they did in years past," Keyes said. "People are using phones for more than just making calls, it's an all-in-one device with a camera, MP3 player." But he points out they also sell a lot of basic phones for making calls. BIAKelsey, a consulting and research firm versed in areas like mobile advertising and telecommunications, released a survey last month looking at the services people access via their cell phones including video, text messages and the Internet.

Most of those areas showed a year-over-year growth in the number of people using those services. For instance, about 17.7 percent of survey respondents said they had sent or received a video, while about 7.9 percent said they had either watched or purchased a TV program or segment. "Consumers have basically doubled their use of the mobile platform for nonvoice communications," Rick Ducey, chief strategy officer for BIA Kelsey, said in a statement. "This represents a fundamental and rapid shift in media use. Media companies that do not currently offer a differentiated mobile advertising option had better get there quickly." Consumers are also using their phones for commerce, whether that's searching for local products and services (18.5 percent), looking for movies or entertainment (15.9 percent) or buying products that need to be shipped (4 percent).

The online survey was conducted in October and questioned 504 cell phone users. Mark Van Handel, who manages several retail locations for U.S. Cellular in the Green Bay area, said the wireless device has come a long way during the 14 years he's been in the business. "The base is still calling, but what consumers are looking to do now with wireless devices is clearly changing," he said. Some of the blossoming technologies and trends include tethering computers to cell phones like the BlackBerry or smartphone and using the cell phone as a wireless modem, Van Handel said.

Nathan Phelps writes for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. 4265 ImegrvaE WPap 27 22 JPMagCh 41 49 JotwanCB 27 82 KKnbC 64 41 Prices are as of yesterday's close. Wireless stocks For updated Jl quotes, send a text j-JI message witn the stock ticker symbol (such as KMB, for Kimberly-Clark) or fund ticker symbol (e.g., AGTHX) to 44636 (4INF0). DILBERT by Scott Adams Hungry Howie's out; Brothers Three coming in MORGAN: THE MAN WITH NO COMMUNICATION SKILLS A co-worker informed Brothers Three is the new Bumpa's Bagels in Neenah THEY DECIDED TO DO OPTION ONE. Maureen 6 WallenfangnT Post-Crescent staff writer I The Bun WHO IS WHAT IS OPTION ONE? AND ARE THEY TESTING OR IMPLEMENTING? Each Wednesday, Maureen Wallenfang answers readers' questions about the Fox Valley business community Watch for her weekly Friday column, The Buzz, to get the scoop on comings and goings.

Check in daily by reading her online Buzz Blog at www.postcrescent.com buzzblog. E-mail tips to mwallenfangpostcrescent.com. ing? Its fate is still being determined. Scrapbooking and Stamping Memories is at 410 Mall Drive, on the southern edge of the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute. It's part of a family owned, three-store operation based in Janesville.

"We are not going out of business," said Nicole Smith, an employee at both Janesville and Grand Chute Stores. "We are in the process of renegotiating our lease terms. The building itself is up for lease renewal. "We have until April to renegotiate our terms," Smith said. "If they're not met it's possible we'll relocate." She said the final decision on staying put or relocating will be up to co-owner Frank Werfal.

Werfal was not immediately available for comment. Maurcwn Walienfang- 920 993 1000, ext 287, or mwallenfanpostcrescent com me that she went to Hungry Howie's on E. College Ave. and that location is closed. She is just crushed, to put it mildly.

A pizza-deprived bookkeeper is not a pretty sight. Have you heard any news on if they may reopen in the future? Both Hungry Howie's locations in the Fox Cities have closed. The Grand Chute branch at 3414 W. College Ave. closed in November and has been leased to a new pizza operation.

The east side branch you're referring to, at 3020 E. College, Appleton, closed Dec. 21. "Unfortunately I have had to close the stores permanently," said Chuck Kil-patrick, coowner of both branches, by e-mail. "It has been a tough battle the last couple of years to survive in this economy and I could no longer make it.

I have had some very loyal cus- pizza operation that leased the Grand Chute location. It will be up and running around Feb. 1. If you've headed north to Marinette, by the UP border, you may have heard of it. It's been in business since 1972.

That restaurant (www.thebrothers three.com) has a full menu. Here, it will be pizza takeout and delivery. "When people think of Brothers Three, they think of pizzas. That's what we do well," said owner Keith Dau, who purchased the restaurant from the original brothers five years ago. "We've been looking for a place in the Valley and Hungry Howie's provided the set-up and platform where we could come in pretty quickly and easily." The Brothers Three pizza, he said is a thin-crust, gourmet-type pizza that doesn't compete with the large-volume pizza chains.

I tried to go to two weeks ago for lunch, but the door was locked. There was no sign on it Do you know if they closed? Yes, it closed a week before Christmas I have been unable to reach owners Mykle and Heidi Reagan to find out the reason for the closure. The store, however, will be offering bagels again very soon under new owners and a new name. It will be called Lewie's Bagels and could be open as soon as Jan. 6.

The location is 1 160 Westowne Drive, next to Botanical Indulgence and behind Taco Bell. Tom and Nancy Lewandowski leased the spot and are currently cleaning the shop and getting organized. "We'll change the decor later on," said Nancy. I just noticed today that there is a for sale sign up at the scraprxxiking memories store. Are they closing or are they just mov YOU JUST EARNED YOURSELF A CREEPY STARE UNTIL THE TOPIC CHANGES.

OKAY, MOVING tomers while in business, but unfortunately I can no longer survive." Hungry Howie's corporate office in Michigan would like to find a new buyer for the eastside branch, "but at this point nothing has been determined," said spokeswoman Taylor Jackson. Pa( editor Dan Roherty tt.