Recently added articles from Crain's Chicago Business:

Quarterbacking change; He sells the government on energy efficiency.(Focus: Green Business)

Jun 30, 2008 ... Byline: CHRISTINA LE BEAU Ermin Arslanagic is late for an interview. He doesn't say why, only that something unexpected happened. Later, he explains: While riding his bike to work, he got a flat tire. Mr. Arslanagic, 35, is an account executive with Johnson Controls ...

State sues Countrywide Financial.(Briefs)

Jun 30, 2008 ... Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan sued Countrywide Financial, claiming that Countrywide knowingly put borrowers in mortgages they couldn't afford, leading to thousands of people losing their homes. The suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court the same day as a similar one in ...

SOUPING UP SALES; Tighter emissions rules a potential boon for Tenneco.(News)

Jun 30, 2008 ... Byline: BOB TITA Tenneco Inc. CEO Gregg Sherrill, unlike many of his counterparts, is welcoming increased government regulation. Mr. Sherrill aims to expand on Tenneco's market-leading position in supplying mufflers and exhaust systems for passenger cars and pickups ....

Shake-up stirs Fortune; As Jim Beam unit misses internal targets, it's last call for some spirits execs.(News)

Jun 30, 2008 ... Byline: DAVID STERRETT Fortune Brands Inc. is shaking up management of its spirits business as sales fail to meet expectations. A dozen executives have left or been forced out of the Deerfield-based conglomerate's spirits division since January, an exodus that has ...

PUMPED UP ON PRIVATE LABELS; TreeHouse Foods cashing in as beleaguered shoppers opt for cheaper store brands.(Markets)

Jun 30, 2008 ... Byline: DAVID STERRETT TreeHouse Foods Inc. is getting fat on grocery shoppers' growing appetite for bargains. Shares of the Westchester-based maker of store-brand pickles, salad dressings and soups for major chains such as Kroger Co., Supervalu Inc. and Wal-Mart ...

Zell's plan shrinks Cubs' value in sale; Pricey stadium rent would pinch team's buyer, critics charge.(News)

Jun 23, 2008 ... Byline: ANN SAPHIR Tribune Co. CEO Sam Zell's plan to sell the Cubs and Wrigley Field separately is driving down the value of the team, some observers say. To entice real estate investors to bid on Wrigley, Mr. Zell estimates an owner of the park can charge the Cubs ...

Corrections.(News)(Correction notice)

Jun 23, 2008 ... A June 16 story on United and American airlines seeking a temporary waiver on flight slot rules at O'Hare International Airport should have identified the discount carrier trying to enter the Chicago market as Virgin America. A June 16 Focus story on how the 2016 Olympics would ...

Gibsons, RL don't jump to allow dogs.(The Business of Life)(Brief article)

Jun 23, 2008; Kapos, Shia ... Byline: shia kapos Are primo restaurants pooh-poohing the idea of pooches on their patios? The city says there's no wait time-presuming a restaurant has no debt and there are no administrative issues-to receive the $450 dog-friendly license. But the ...

Need to Know.(Focus: Tourism)

Jun 23, 2008 ... $10 billion Amount tourists contributed to Chicago's economy last year. 926,973 Number of flights in 2007 at O'Hare International Airport, making it the second-busiest airport in the U.S. 6,576 million Gallons of fuel consumed by ...

Corvette show squeals into area.(The Business of Life)(Brief article)

Jun 23, 2008; Murphy, H. Lee ... Byline: H. Lee Murphy Talk about inflation protection. Steve Bramati, a bond trader from suburban Deer Park, spent $155,000 for a rare 1969 Corvette L88 just five years ago. Today it's worth more than $400,000. Among Corvette fans, the L88 is the holy grail of car ...

State gets defensive; Illinois reaps $8.3 billion in federal contracts as military hikes spending.(News)

Jun 23, 2008 ... Byline: PAUL MERRION Illinois grabbed $8.3 billion in federal contracts last year, its highest-ever total, as stepped-up spending on defense flowed toward local companies such as Navistar International Corp. Federal procurement contracts-the government's purchases of ...

Paying along; MONEY STILL TALKS IN SPRINGFIELD AS CONSUMER PROTECTION BILLS SPUTTER.(News)

Jun 23, 2008; Hinz, Greg ... Byline: Greg Hinz With Springfield's power centers all run by presumably liberal Democrats, consumer organizations had been hoping for big things from lawmakers this spring. They got a piece of what they wanted from one group often accused of treating consumers like ...

Caliterra mix yields both hits, misses; California Asian, Italian influences pair up; ahi with avocado, mango.(The Business of Life)(Caliterra Bar & Grille )

Jun 23, 2008 ... Byline: LAURA BIANCHI Caliterra Bar & Grille shares the same street address as Capital Grille-a favorite restaurant of mine-but there the similarity ends. The latter, at St. Clair and Ontario streets, excels in every category and typically enjoys a high-powered lunch ...

Full steam ahead on new products at Acco.(People)(Brief article)

Jun 23, 2008; Tita, Bob ... Byline: Bob Tita Job: President of global market development for Lincolnshire office products maker Acco Brands Corp., since April. Vitals: 54 years old; bachelor's degree in business and management, Indiana University, 1976; master's of business administration, ...

SEARS' RISING STAKES; Short-sellers upping ante as Lampert's turnaround plans draw dim reviews.(Markets)(Sears Holdings Corp.)

Jun 23, 2008 ... Byline: Monee Fields-White Short-sellers are scaling up bets against Sears Holdings Corp. and the backsliding retailer's chairman, Edward Lampert. During the second half of May, the number of Sears shares sold short rose 1.3 million to 26.2 million, or 42% of the ...

Boeing's sizable challenge; Must convince Pentagon smaller tanker is better.(News)

Jun 23, 2008 ... Byline: JOHN PLETZ Boeing Co. has to convince the U.S. Air Force that size doesn't matter. The Air Force cited the larger size of a refueling tanker from Northrop Grumman Corp. and Airbus when it chose their plane over Boeing's for a lucrative contract in February ....

Spelling out 'con-con' cons; Biz raising millions to argue constitutional rewrite is a bad idea.(News)

Jun 23, 2008; Tita, Bob ... Byline: BOB TITA The state's largest business groups are out to convince voters that the devils they know-corruption and paralysis in Springfield-are preferable to the Pandora's box of taxes and regulations that a rewrite of the state constitution could bring. The ...

Info Junkie.(The Business of Life)

Jun 23, 2008; Bianchi, Laura ... Byline: Laura Bianchi A former political science major, J. Patrick Gallagher Jr., 56, eagerly awaits spirited presidential debates. "For the first time in a long time, we have a really clear choice: One is very liberal, one is very conservative,'' says the Republican-leaning ...

UAL, Continental in partnership.(Briefs)

Jun 23, 2008 ... UAL and Continental Airlines announced a partnership that appears to stop short of a merger: Continental will ask federal regulators for permission to join United Airlines' Star Alliance network as part of the deal. "This is as close as they are going to get to doing a merger without ...

Olympic lure in harbor deal; Winner of park district marina contract offered to help pay for games.(News)

Jun 16, 2008; Hinz, Greg ... Byline: GREG HINZ The winner of a controversial Chicago Park District contract that's now under federal probe promised to help City Hall pay for the prized proposed 2016 Olympics here if it was awarded the pact. Official bid documents made available to Crain's ...