A consultant for Spectrum Brands asked Wisconsin officials for help consolidating its operations in Wisconsin as early as June 2010, but it was not until nine months later in mid-March 2011 that the company — already in Madison — disclosed its identity.
The consultant for the company, which later received a $4 million forgivable loan from the state, went so far as to say protests at the State Capitol last year could be a strike against choosing Madison, according to emails obtained by the Wisconsin State Journal through an open records request.