St. Mary's Receives $476,000 in Federal Funds for CT Scanner for Sun Prairie Facility (Press Release)

St. Mary's Hospital today thanked Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) for securing $476,000 in federal funds for the St. Mary's Sun Prairie Emergency Center under construction in Sun Prairie. The funds, requested by Baldwin and Kohl, were included in the FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act signed into law March 11, 2009, by the President. The funds will be used to help purchase a CT scanner for the new facility which will enable doctors to determine the best course of treatment quickly.

"This is a great example of our government leaders identifying a need in their districts, advocating for funding in Washington and using those federal funds to directly benefit people in our local communities in a very positive way." said St. Mary's President, Dr. Frank Byrne.

The Emergency Center, set to open in July, is a department of St. Mary's Hospital, Madison. It will be a full service emergency center open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year featuring 10 treatment rooms--including one specifically for children, a lab with the latest equipment to expedite diagnoses, and state-of-the-art radiology equipment. All in all, it will be 13,500 s.f. of prompt and personal emergency care.

"The Emergency Center will bring life-saving treatment and peace of minde to people in and around Sun Prairie who need emergency care," said Congresswoman Baldwin. I'm pleased to bring these federal funds to help construct such an essential medical facility. This type of federal/local partnership is vitally important to our families and communities, especially in such difficult economic times," Baldwin said.

"Sun Prairie is a vibrant community with needs that continue to grow," said Sun Prairie Mayor Joe Chase. "We're pleased to have the St. Mary's Sun Prairie Emergency Center located in our City and thankful our local politicians are willing to make a case in Washington to ensure our health care needs are met."

General Casualty's Parent Company, QBE's Americas Division, Reports Revenue Growth (Madison.com)

QBE’s Americas division, the U.S. parent company of General Casualty in Sun Prairie, reported net income of $236 million in 2008 on gross premium revenue of $3.7 billion, which is up 22 percent from 2007.

QBE spokeswoman Anne M. Smith on Monday credited the company’s "very good year" primarily to growth by acquisitions and disciplined premium pricing to ensure adequate amounts were collected.

General Casualty itself, a big part of QBE’s Regional Insurance business unit within the Americas Division since 2007, also posted positive numbers.

QBE Regional, based locally in Sun Prairie, reported net income of $159.5 million on gross premium revenues of $1.17 billion. General Casualty, which writes policies in Wisconsin and 24 other states, makes up nearly 80 percent of QBE Regional’s total business.

Overall, QBE’s Americas division has 42 offices and 3,200 employees — including 2,800 U.S. workers — in 20 states and five Latin American countries. In Sun Prairie, there are 824 full-time and 18 part-time employees, Smith said.

Click here for the full article at madison.com.

WPPI Energy Establishes $10 Million RLF for Energy Saving Projects (Sun Prairie Star, WPPI Energy Press Release)

WPPI Energy has established a $10 million revolving loan fund to make zero-interest loans to help its members lead by example in the areas of energy efficiency, conservation and the use of renewable energy. The WPPI Energy Member Loan Program is designed to help members implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects on utility and other municipally owned property, thereby lowering operating costs and meeting members' local energy needs with local renewable resources.

Typical projects will include:

• Building or equipment efficiency upgrades;
• Meeting U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards for building projects;
• LED street lights and traffic signals;
• Efficient fleet vehicles; and
• Photovoltaic solar panel systems.

Only projects involving property owned by WPPI Energy member utilities or municipalities may qualify. Eligible projects include those that will reduce local energy costs as well as those that visibly demonstrate developing or cutting-edge energy technologies.

In each member community, WPPI Energy will lend up to $500,000 at zero percent interest for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Each member borrowing under the program will make 120 equal monthly payments over 10 years. WPPI Energy Services representatives will help members identify qualifying projects and assist with the member loan application process.

The zero-interest, revolving loan program is designed to be used in conjunction with WPPI Energy's other incentive programs. WPPI Energy's member utilities have access to a variety of WPPI Energy conservation and efficiency programs and services, including project consulting and grant funding. Projects receiving loan funding also will be eligible for other WPPI Energy programs.

Click here for the full story posted by the Sun Prairie Star.

Click here for the press release from WPPI Energy.

Shoppers Tailgate Before Target Opening in Sun Prairie (NBC15.com, Sun Prairie Star)

Target Stores are bucking the bad economy and opening new locations across the country including bringing nearly 200 jobs to the Madison area. Sun Prairie's newest store is a prototype for the next generation of Target stores. As of 5:30 p.m. today, they're open for business!

Taking a cue from Badger Saturdays, a group of Sun Prairie mothers partied in the parking lot in anticipation.

Target had their ribbon cutting on Tuesday March 3rd, and will have its official grand opening on March 8th.

Again...the store is open for shopping so stop by and spend some money!

Read more about these Target Tailgaters at NBC15.com.

UPDATE: Click here for full coverage of the Target store opening in Sun Prairie from the Sun Prairie Star Online.

UPDATE: Click here for coverage from CNN.com on Target's 27 new openings across the U.S.

UPDATE: Click here for the full article at Channel3000.com.

UPDATE: Click here for the full articl at madison.com.

Coakley Brothers Unit Datastore Expands in Sun Prairie (Madison.com, Busines Journal of Milwaukee, Sun Prairie Star Online)

A Milwaukee-based company that stores and protects data has opened a new, 87,000-square foot facility in Sun Prairie while adding 10 new jobs here. Datastore, a wholly owned subsidiary of Coakley Bros. Co. of Milwaukee, has opened a newly constructed, 87,000-square-foot records and operations center in Sun Prairie. The facility is located in the Sun Prairie business park off of U.S. 151.

The building is specifically designed for housing vital information records and operations. It is located in the Sun Prairie Industrial Park and will allow Datastore to expand its services to the Madison area. The warehouse-like building provides security and fire protection. It allows customers to store boxes of paper records but also provides digital imaging services to convert conventional documents into electronic records. In addition, Datastore provides information destruction and shredding, along with content and document management services.

“As Datastore continues to expand both in regional coverage and in breadth of service offerings, we felt that we could elevate the standards for information services and facilities in the Madison market,” Mike Ball, president of Datastore, said in a press release. "As we continued to expand, we felt we could elevate the standards for information services and facilities in the Madison market."

Founded in Milwaukee in 1973, Datastore serves more than 500 customers in Wisconsin and northern Illinois. It has about 65 total employees.

Click here for the story at madison.com.

Click here for the story at bizjournals.com.

Click here for the story at sunprairiestaronline.com.