Editor's Notebook

That Didn't Take Long

Bucyrus name is removed after deal with Caterpillar closes.

The Bucyrus name has been eliminated. And eliminated quickly. The acquisition of Bucyrus by Caterpillar officially closed on Friday, and as part of the deal, the Bucyrus name was scrapped. As the Milwaukee Business Journal reports, company officials wanted "a single brand for our mining customers." But the speed in which the Bucyrus brand was removed was stunning. Signs were replaced mere hours after the sale closed, including at the company's administrative offices in Oak Creek. By the time the weekend was over, one would barely know Bucyrus existed at all. For Oak Creek, Bucyrus' time here didn't last long. The company announced it would move its headquarters into the former Midwest Airlines Corporate Center, 6744 S. Howell Ave., into …

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Governor Visits Bucyrus Headquarters

Walker was in Oak Creek to talk about skilled labor shortage.

Gov. Scott Walker was in Oak Creek yesterday for a meeting at the headquarters of Bucyrus, according to a Journal Sentinel report. There, Walker talked about a skilled labor shortage and met with company CEO Tim Sullivan and Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman, according to the newspaper. Bucyrus, 6744 S. Howell Ave., is in the process of being acquired by Caterpillar. Click here for the entire report.

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Justice Dept. Clears Bucyrus Sale

Company's sale to Caterpillar takes another step forward.

The U.S. Department of Justice has closed its investigation into the pending acquisition of Bucyrus by Caterpillar Inc., concluding the antitrust review process, the companies announced Friday. The clearance by the DOJ allows the acquisition, valued at $8.6 billion, to proceed as soon as all other conditions have been satisfied, according to a news release. "This is a critical and important step as we move toward closing this historic transaction that will deliver tremendous value to all the Bucyrus stakeholders," Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan said in the news release. The transaction of Bucyrus, headquartered at 6744 S. Howell Ave. in Oak Creek, is expected to close in the middle of this year.

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Report: Bucyrus CEO Will Consider Senate Run

Sullivan says he will ponder entering race once sale of Bucyrus closes.

Add Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan into the mix of possible U.S. Senate candidates. Sullivan told WTMJ-TV he will be "weighing all his options" when it comes to a possible run for Herb Kohl's U.S. Senate seat. His first priority is closing the sale of Bucyrus to Caterpillar, and when that's over, he will consider a Senate run more closely, he told the television station. Sullivan has already said he will leave the company when the Caterpillar deal closes, which is expected to happen this summer, according to this Journal Sentinel report.  As Erik Brooks notes in his South Milwaukee Blog, if Ron Johnson can do it, why not Sullivan? He's had an extremely successful tenure as Bucyrus CEO, with annual sales jumping from $280 million in 2000 to $3.65…

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Will 2011 be as eventful as 2010?

Possibly. But 2010 saw everything from the controversial to the tragic. Here's a look back at ten of those stories.

With so many issues still to play out, 2011 could wind up every bit as eventful as 2010. Perhaps even more.  But the past year saw many big news stories in Oak Creek. Here is a look at ten of them. 1. Eminent domain halted on 94-year-old's farm. Earl Giefer is the 94-year-old farmer who still works his land at Howell and Oakwood. In May, the city began eminent domain proceedings on that land - developers wanted it as part of a planned business park, and Giefer refused to an offer to purchase.  The city's plans got out in the local media, most notably Mark Belling's radio show, and the resulting public outcry forced Oak Creek to drop those plans. But the damage had been done. Many were critical of the city's approach, though local officials…

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2010 Recap: Five Interesting New Businesses

The tough economy didn't stop these new businesses from opening in the city this year.

Recession? What recession? Oak Creek saw some bright spots and growth in 2010, despite the economic storms businesses are weathering. Here's a look at five such new entries in Oak Creek's business community over the past year.  Most important: Bucyrus Bucyrus gets the "most important" label for one reason: jobs. The South Milwaukee company moved its headquarters into the old Midwest Airlines Corporate Center, 6744 S. Howell Ave., on the north end of Howell Avenue. Senior management and other personnel are moving into the two buildings in Oak Creek to make room for more employees in South Milwaukee.  The deal was announced in May. Company officials said then that between 200 and 300 employees would work in Oak Creek as part of a plan to …

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