Traffic & Parking Control Co. Inc. (TAPCO) has outgrown its plant in Elm Grove and plans to move its headquarters to Brown Deer. The company will receive a $5.1 million Industrial Revenue Bond allocation from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce to acquire and equip an existing 128,000-square-foot production facility at 5100 W. Brown Deer Road.

With the move, the company will double its square footage, create 15 new jobs and invest more than $1 million to upgrade the site. TAPCO manufactures and distributes traffic signs and related equipment.

"We hope to boost our nationally distributed cataloging efforts as well as providing new customer friendly services like a quick turnaround - specialty sign shop," said TAPCO president and co-owner John Kugel. "We would like to personally thank the State of Wisconsin Department of Commerce, the MMAC (Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce) and the Village of Brown Deer for their diligent efforts to help a growing Wisconsin based business stay in Wisconsin. We will look to boost our employment immediately."

TAPCO was established in 1956 by Raymond Bergholz in the basement of his Wauwatosa home and now has more than 120 employees. The company plans to move to its new site by Jan. 1. The firm's current facility at 800 Wall St. in Elm Grove is up for sale.

For more information about Department of Commerce programs and services, contact the Commerce area development manager at http://commerce.wi.gov/BD/BD-AreaDevManagers.html.

Abbott Laboratories plans to eliminate 1,000 jobs, including some at its Lake County headquarters just across the state line in Abbott Park, Ill. The jobs cuts will come as part of a restructuring of the company's diagnostic business, even though the business is growing, according to a report the company filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission last week.

The drug and medical device company expects the restructuring plan, to be implemented over the next four years, to generate more than $150 million in annual pre-tax savings. Abbott said the cuts will be made globally, but the company declined to say how many jobs will be cut in Illinois.

Abbott spokeswoman Kelly Morrison told SBT that only 100 jobs will be eliminated over the next year. Ultimately, the company will close its plant in South Pasadena, Calif., and eliminate jobs in Abbott Park and Santa Clara, Calif., she said.

Abbott's diagnostic business reported global sales of $1.8 billion in the first half of the year, up 17 percent from the same period a year ago.

This week's announcement of job cuts is likely to put a damper on speculation that the company plans to move its headquarters and build a new campus in Wisconsin. Abbott has purchased 482 acres near the intersection of Interstate 94 and the Highway 165/Q interchange in Pleasant Prairie.

Pleasant Prairie officials recently approved a development agreement for the site. According to the development agreement, the company planned to build a gated campus of office and research buildings.

"Today's announcement is unrelated to Pleasant Prairie," Morrison said. She said the company purchased the Pleasant Prairie site in anticipation of future growth. "No definitive timeline or specific plans are in place at this time for the property," Morrison said.

As a fallout from the MillerCoors LLC merger, the beer distribution industry in southeastern Wisconsin is consolidating, with Pewaukee-based Beer Capitol Distributing Inc. acquiring Miller Brands-Milwaukee LLC of Wauwatosa.

Beer Capitol, which sells Pabst and other brands in Milwaukee County, has agreed to buy Miller Brands, which has sold Miller Brewing Co. products throughout Milwaukee County for many years, for an undisclosed amount. The sale is set close by Oct. 31.

The consolidation will create one distributor for all Miller, Coors, Pabst and the newly relaunched Schlitz products throughout southeastern Wisconsin, with 250 employees and 2,000 sales accounts. Beer Capitol is owned by Aldo Madrigrano and his family, which also operates W.O.W. Distributing Co. of Sussex and CJW Inc. of Racine. W.O.W. Distributing sells MillerCoors products in Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties. CJW Inc. sells MillerCoors products in Kenosha, Racine and Walworth counties.

The acquisition of Miller Brands will bring MillerCoors' Milwaukee County accounts, including Summerfest, downtown Milwaukee and Miller Park, under the Madrigrano corporate umbrella.

"The joining of these two great companies represents a strategic move that better aligns both organizations with the newly formed Miller-Coors joint venture, building upon each companies' recognized strengths in delivering exemplary customer service and developing long-standing relationships within local operating communities," said Aldo Madrigrano, who will serve as chairman of the Beer Capitol after the sale.

Mike Merriman, president of Beer Capitol, will continue in that role, and Dave Neville, currently the vice president of sales for Miller Brands, will lead sales efforts.

"This is a joining of two great organizations and we fully intend to build on the strong consumer loyalty to the Miller brands in Milwaukee County," Madrigrano said. "This deal gives us long-term continuity and combines the forces of a bigger, better and stronger service organization to serve our customers and offer consumers an expanded array of top-flight brands."

Miller Brands president Steve Johnson and vice president Mike Gallagher will not be part of the leadership team of the merged company, a Beer Capitol spokeswoman said.

Miller Brands has about 150 employees in Wauwatosa. When asked about the status of those jobs, Beer Capitol spokeswoman Mary Brophy said, "There are no other changes planned at this time."