Crain's Chicago Business back issues from March 2008:
Perpetual elections put the peoples' business on hold.(Viewpoint essay)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Gerald D. Skoning Gerald D. Skoning is a lawyer with Seyfarth Shaw LLP in Chicago who specializes in labor and employment law. The psychology of "election-year politics'' is offered as an explanation (or, make that an excuse) for all sorts of governmental ...
Crain's Picks.(Business of Life)(List)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Crystal Yednak ART Gordon Matta-Clark 220 E. Chicago Ave. (312) 280-2660 www.mcachicago.org 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday Admission: $10, free on Tuesday Combining ...
Pritzker stands up for small startups.(Business of Life)(J. B. Pritzker)(Interview)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Mary Cameron Frey The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center was formed in 1999 to help start-up businesses network and raise money. The CEC, a non-profit affiliate of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, works mostly with small to medium startups in technology, retail, ...
16. NO JERKS, PLEASE: Perkins coie.(Focus: Best Places to Work)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Kevin McKeough Jerks need not apply at Perkins Coie, which has an unwritten policy of not hiring attorneys who don't play well with others. "We have turned down major rainmakers on that basis,'' says Chris Wilson, 45, managing partner of the Chicago office. ...
SHOWING CRACKS; Clay maker Amcol's shares slip from record on concern economic slump will cut demand.(Markets)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: BOB TITA After riding an expanding global economy much of this decade, Amcol International Corp. has developed clay feet. Shares of the Arlington Heights-based producer of industrial clays have fallen 30% from a record $41.23 in November, reflecting concern ...
Scalpels drawn in Evanston; NW medical school threatens to sever ties with hospital group.(News)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: MIKE COLIAS Northwestern University's medical school is threatening to end an affiliation with Evanston Northwestern Healthcare over a protracted financial dispute, according to people familiar with the matter. Feinberg School of Medicine Dean J. Larry Jameson ...
TRADING PLACES; Step one of exchange merger went smoothly; now comes the hard part.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: ANN SAPHIR Bryan Durkin admits he's "never relaxed,'' but his tension level was even higher than usual as he surveyed a bank of computer monitors at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Jan. 13. That was the day electronic trading at the Chicago Board of Trade ...
HUDDLE UP: staubach.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Company overview)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Kevin McKeough Play fair, play together and play to win. It's no surprise that sports analogies abound at Staubach Co., given that its founder is Roger Staubach, who quarterbacked the Dallas Cowboys in four Super Bowls in the 1970s. The staff in the Chicago ...
For The Record.(Briefs)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Northrup Grumman and EADS trumped Boeing for a $35-billion contract to make military tanker aircraft. It's a big reversal for the Chicago aerospace giant, which supplied the Air Force with tankers for nearly 50 years. Home sales fell 34% in January. Nine-county area sales ...
2. Benefits, Benefits: Microsoft.(Focus: Best Places to Work)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Kevin McKeough Nick Schenck used to pay $300 a month for speech therapy classes for his 9-year-old stepson. He also paid $1,100 out of pocket for his 14-year-old daughter's braces, despite having medical and dental coverage through his previous employer. But ...
Plan for S. Loop tower takes a hit; Lender foreclosing on 80-story Park Michigan.(News)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: EDDIE BAEB AND THOMAS A. CORFMAN Plans for an 80-story condominium tower that would overlook Grant Park on South Michigan Avenue are in doubt after a lender filed a foreclosure lawsuit, seeking to recoup more than $4.25 million. The foreclosure action by ...
20. DOUBLE THE FUN: DRAFTFCB.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Matthew Carmichael Why it's a best place to work: In 2006, DraftFCB had the unenviable task of merging strong cultures, as two units of agency giant Interpublic Group of Cos. (Draft Worldwide and FCB) became one. "We had to get people not thinking in their separate ...
Reasons to merge: Try money; UAL's Tilton, others stand to make millions in an airline merger.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: JOHN PLETZ United Airlines' top executives have a lot of reasons to do a merger-about 13 million of them-and another 17 million reasons not to stick around after the deal. The five highest-paid execs at parent UAL Corp. would receive $13.3 million, mostly in ...
Ex-campaign chief to open trial.(Briefs)(Rod Blagojevich )(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Gov. Blagojevich's former campaign finance director will be the leadoff witness at the fraud trial of political fundraiser Antoin "Tony'' Rezko, federal prosecutors said. Jury selection was due to begin Monday. Along with businessman Stuart Levine, Mr. Rezko, 52, is accused of scheming to ...
11. No groupthink SDI.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(System Development Integration Inc.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Michelle Evans Why it's a best place to work: Cecelia Bolden was handed the reins as soon as she walked through the door at System Development Integration Inc. The Chicago-based firm hired Ms. Bolden, 41, four years ago to oversee a custom development ...
12. DO-GOODING THOUGHTWORKS.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(ThoughtWorks Inc.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Michelle Evans Why it's a best place to work: ThoughtWorks employees don't live in cube farms or toil away in corner offices. A consultant is as likely to sit next to a manager as he is a fellow project member- symbolic of a firm that shares financial data and allows ...
5. No quitters at this place: Wrightwood capital.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Michelle Evans Why it's a best place to work: No one quit his job at Wrightwood Capital last year. And, in a Crain's survey of employees, most said they would be there in 12 months if they had their way. So why do people stick around? "Everybody ...
7. like a rock:.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(William Blair and Company L.L.C.)(Company overview)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Michelle Evans Why it's a best place to work: Sam Tinaglia, a principal at William Blair & Co., was recently hired to advise a company through a $100-million acquisition. The reason: stability. The client had Mr. Tinaglia's business card in his Rolodex-the same one the ...
15. GOT MILK AND MORE WEBER SHANDWICK.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Company overview)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Michelle Evans Why it's a best place to work: Had it not been for Weber Shandwick, Janna Porrevecchio says she never would have experienced her Sicilian heritage firsthand. Each year, the Chicago office of this global public relations firm awards 10 employees ...
Safe bet; A PRIVATE OPERATOR COULD REKINDLE LOTTERY REVENUE GROWTH.(News)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Greg Hinz Any product manager whose revenues have been dead flat for a decade had better be looking hard for a solution-or for a new job. So why has Team Blagojevich so far pretty much fumbled a fiscal no-brainer: the privatization, in whole or part, of the ...
17. GLOBETROTTING McDONALD'S.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Company overview)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Kevin McKeough A year ago, Ivan Torrico left his position as McDonald's senior director of human resources and started over, working the french fry station at a McDonald's in Algonquin. It was the first step in a two-year operations training program that now has Mr ....
10. INSIDE THE BEER CAVE: UPSHOT MARKETING.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Company overview)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Kevin McKeough The beer starts flowing around 5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month, when Upshot staffers-some sporting neckties-gather in the employee lounge for happy hour. "Schbooze,'' held each month, and the optional "Dress for Success ...
The Small Print.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Matthew Carmichael Who was eligible? Any business with more than 100 employees as of Dec. 31, 2006, in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. The application process, which took place last fall, was advertised in Crain's. A notice of the issue ...
Foreclosure flu spreads; Home loan defaults rising from Plainfield to Portage Park.(News)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: STEVE DANIELS The housing crisis hit virtually every Chicago neighborhood and suburb last year as foreclosures swept from the city's Bungalow Belt all the way to the exurbs of Will County. Foreclosures in Chicago surged almost 50% last year as middle-class ...
13. EDUCATION MATTERS: CHUBB.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Sonja Robertson)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Kevin McKeough Sonja Robertson, a claims assistant at Chubb, gets to her desk at 6 a.m. so she can leave by 2:30 p.m. to attend classes at Northeastern University, where she's a full-time student working toward a bachelor's degree in sociology. "I've always ...
1: THE BEST OF THE BEST - Google.(Focus: Best Places to Work)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Kevin McKeough Yes, Google employees get a free hot lunch every day. And chair massages on Wednesdays and Thursdays. And unlimited access to the foosball table in the break room. But those perks are secondary for much of the staff in the California-based ...
19. WORK AND PLAY: GOLINHARRIS.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(GolinHarris International Inc.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Allison Riggio Why it's a best place to work: For the public relations agency that picked up a hamburger-peddling client named Ray Kroc in 1957, it's fitting that the Chicago office of GolinHarris has a 1950s-era break room dubbed "Al's Diner.'' Named for founder and ...
On the Move.(People)
Mar 03, 2008 ... CONSUMER SERVICES Food for Thought, Lincolnwood: Jeffrey Winograd, 45, to vice-president of food-service management, from director of operations at Go Roma. FINANCIAL SERVICES William Blair & Co. LLC, Chicago: John Brennan, 45, to head of private wealth ...
ADM's inside man looks for external leverage.(People)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Bob Tita Job: Chief financial officer, Archer Daniels Midland Co., as of March 1. Vitals: 52 years old; bachelor's degree in mathematics, Illinois College, Jacksonville, 1977; passed certified public accountant exam, 1981; accountant, State Farm Insurance ...
Info Junkie.(Business of Life)(Michael D. Maves)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Laura Bianchi A self-proclaimed "sports nut and gear head,'' Michael D. Maves, 59, is CEO and executive vice-president of the Chicago-based American Medical Assn. Dr. Maves is also an ear, nose and throat specialist. His resources: Visits www.formula1.com for ...
Modern Asian style takes over Shikago; Powerful flavors mixed with care; seared tuna with hazelnut, pear.(Business of Life)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: LAURA BIANCHI Dining in Chicago's top restaurants is always an adventure, but once in a while an experience really stands out. Such is the case with Shikago, located in the former cafeteria of law firm Mayer Brown LLP, which has since moved out. ...
9. EVERYBODY WANG CHUNG: ASSURANCE AGENCY.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Allison Riggio Why it's a best place to work: Assurance Agency executives want their employees to look forward to coming to work every Monday morning. They've even invented a new adjective to describe some of the office perks: "wang-chungy.'' The term comes from the ...
8. DAY ONE READY: RESOURCES GLObAL PROFESSIONALs.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Allison Riggio Why it's a best place to work: Executives at Resources Global Professionals say experience is the foundation of the consulting firm's business model. Associates at Irvine, Calif.-based Resources have, on average, 20 years' experience in fields ...
14. CLIMBING THE LADDER: AVANADE.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Matthew Carmichael Why it's a best place to work: A joint venture between Microsoft Corp. and Accenture Ltd., global IT consulting firm Avanade Inc. wants employees to move up the corporate ladder: It promotes 15% of its workforce each year. But they have to earn it. ...
No dogs here: DIAMOND CONSULTANTS.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Matthew Carmichael Why it's a best place to work: There is no game room in Diamond Management's office. There's no coffee bar, either. Chicago-based Diamond doesn't spend its resources on the quirky perks common to many tech companies. "We're not the kind of place where ...
18. PERSONAL TOUCHES: Mesirow financial.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Matthew Carmichael Why it's a best place to work: As James Tyree leads a tour of his company's Chicago offices, the chairman of Mesirow Financial Holdings Inc. greets employees by name. With a small margin of error, he also knows how long each has been with the firm ....
On the `l' word: TRANSWESTERN.(Focus: Best Places to Work)(Transwestern Commercial Services)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Matthew Carmichael Why it's a best place to work: The "L'' in real estate is usually location. But for Transwestern Commercial Services, it's loyalty. The Dallas-based commercial real estate firm focuses on attracting and keeping top-level talent. Accessible leaders and ...
Lawyers, they sure are zany.(Business of Life)(stand-up comedy contest for doctors, lawyers and accountants)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Kevin Davis A doctor, a lawyer and an accountant walk into a comedy club . . . No, that's not the opening line of a joke. MDs, JDs, CPAs and other professionals have been invited to take part in a yearlong search for "The Zaniest Person in Chicago,'' a ...
Mr. Driehaus, can you leave extra towels?(Business of Life)(vacation homes becoming popular in Chicago)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Shia Kapos Second homes are hot-especially on the auction block at some of Chicago's notable charity events. A week's stay at the Telluride home of Peter Krivkovich, CEO of Cramer-Krasselt advertising, went for $7,000 at the Goodman Theatre's annual auction ...
TOLAN'S WAY; Taste for 'ferocious debate' powers Accenture alum to entrepreneurial summit.(News)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: STEVEN R. STRAHLER Accretive Health, a $250-million Chicago company built from scratch in four years, counts on a glitzy board that includes former Secretary of State George Shultz and Hollywood mogul Edgar Bronfman Jr. But the real force behind the company is ...
Pritzkers to auction Lake County parcels; Two tracts could support almost 1,500 home sites.(News)(Pritzker family )
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: EDDIE BAEB The billionaire Pritzker family is auctioning off three big parcels of farmland in Lake County, including 344 acres in Warren Township on which almost 1,500 homes could be built. The properties being sold are southwest of the intersection of ...
LETTERS: City smoking ban means the butt stops everywhere.(Opinion)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Every action results in one or more reactions, some planned, some unintended. Such is the case with the recently implemented statewide smoking ban. When the snow melts, it's clear that one of the unintended results of the indoor smoking ban is the number of cigarette butts on ...
Destination: Dublin, Ireland.(Business of Life)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Anne Ford GET AWAY: St. Patrick's Day falls the week before Easter this year, a rare confluence that's led some towns to reschedule their celebrations-but not Dublin, which will hold its parade March 17 just like always. Join the cheering crowds on the street or splurge ...
Are they scared yet? Staff says no; The writing's on the newsroom wall. So why are many at the Sun-Times sticking around, full of hope?(Business of Life)(Sun-Times Co.)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: LISA BERTAGNOLI To the grim satisfaction of many at the Chicago Sun-Times, both Conrad Black and David Radler are now doing penance after a thieving ownership that drained financial resources and creative energy from the newspaper for a decade. But there's little joy in ...
Decline seen in apartment sales; After 'monster year,' market worries in '08.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: ANDREW SCHROEDTER Sales of Chicago-area apartment buildings could drop 30% this year, to $1.8 billion, from a record-breaking 2007, according to a report from CB Richard Ellis Inc. "The shift in the capital markets has some people on the sidelines,'' says ...
Tower builder tie-up? Related Cos., Magellan discuss a combo as two major projects falter.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: THOMAS A. CORFMAN AND EDDIE BAEB Powerhouse New York developer Related Cos. is in advanced negotiations to acquire a stake in Chicago residential high-rise developer Magellan Development Group LLC, which would take over Related's faltering Chicago office. ...
Hair of the dog is no cure for a credit binge.(Opinion)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Tails wagged on Wall Street last week as Federal Reserve officials dangled traders' favorite treat: interest rate cuts. Few of the puppies who dutifully bid up stock prices when Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke all but promised another reduction in the fed funds rate paused to consider ...
ELECTION OUTCOME MAY BE TAXING FOR INVESTORS; A conversation with money manager MARK SOEHN.(Markets)(Interview)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Bruce Blythe Mark Soehn, 37, principal and managing director, Financial Solutions Advisory Group Inc., Chicago Experience: 12 years Assets under management: $110 million Crain's: What's your outlook? Mr. soehn: The ...
Opening/On Sale.(Business of Life)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Opening "Catholic Chicago" 1601 N. Clark St. (312) 642-4600 www.chicagohistory.org 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday Admission: $14 The Chicago History Museum explores the city and its faith with ...
A Sterling example of condo bust; Foreclosures, falling prices: a bad omen?(News)
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: ALBY GALLUN AND THOMAS A. CORFMAN The sign out front says, "The Sterling Private Residences,'' but the 50-story tower at 345 N. LaSalle St. recently has earned a less distinguished title: condo foreclosure capital of Chicago. Over the past three years, ...
Million-dollar musts; What buyers won't live without: elevators, heated floors and lots of his-and-hers spaces.(News)
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: LAURA BIANCHI When trying to sell a seven-figure house, there are certain up-market amenities that can't be ignored. And they seem to change by the year, so keeping a high-end home fresh requires constant updating. "If a house doesn't have quite a few of ...
Apple Dippers for small fries; Image bruised, McD's changes course on kids ads.(News)
Mar 10, 2008 ... Byline: DAVID STERRETT Ronald McDonald is changing his pitch. After spending the past few years trying to depict the company mascot as a fitness fanatic, McDonald's Corp. execs are shifting to a strategy that touts healthy foods like apples and milk in all its ...
Foiling counterfeiters with nanotechnology.(People)(NanoInk Inc.)(Brief article)
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: Mike Colias Job: CEO, NanoInk Inc., since Jan. 21. Vitals: 48 years old; bachelor's degree in pharmacy, Butler University, Indianapolis, 1982; MBA, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1984; held marketing, new-business development and management positions at ...
Four-year college not the only path to rewarding career.(Viewpoint essay)
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: Ronald D. Bullock Ronald D. Bullock is a trustee of the National Assn. of Manufacturers' Manufacturing Institute. Amid all the speculation about a possible recession, a new report by the Urban Institute, a non-partisan Washington think tank, finds that nearly ...
Guv's tax gamble; Budget plan hurts odds for Chicago casino.(News)
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: BOB TITA Gov. Rod Blagojevich has proposed a 30% hike in state gambling taxes to fund education spending, a move that would squeeze casinos already grappling with declining business as the economy founders. The proposed increase, unveiled last month as part of ...
CRAIN'S LIST: list high-end home sales.(News)(Public notice)
Mar 10, 2008 ... Includes 25 most expensive home sales in 2007 in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties and all home sales higher than $1 million in McHenry County. Data gathered from county deeds by Record Information Services Inc. w COOK $6,800,000 1112 Michigan ...
Info Junkie.(News)
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: Laura Bianchi Commuting is a short walk for Maureen Beal, who lives "above the store'' at National Van Lines Inc.'s Broadview headquarters. The 65-year-old CEO shares the modern, spacious apartment with her husband, a daughter and a schnauzer. What moves her: ...
Crain's Picks.(Business of Life)(List)
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: Crystal Yednak Opening "The Glass Experience" 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive (773) 684-141 www.msichicago.org 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday Entry: $23 for adults, $14 for ...
A 'most generous' donor to causes near and far.(Business of Life)(Interview)
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: Mary Cameron Frey The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University was endowed by Ann Lurie after her husband's death from colon cancer in 1990. The National Cancer Institute in 1998 awarded the center the "comprehensive'' designation, ...
Destination: Vail, Colo.(Business of Life)
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: Anne Ford GET AWAY: Ski season slip past you this year? It may be March, but you can still hit the slopes at Vail. The Snowsports School provides half- or full days of private instruction, tailored to your group of six or fewer (www.vail.snow.com; 800/475-4543; ...
At Burling mansion, even gravel is French.(Business of Life)
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: Shia Kapos Money's no object and dreams are sky-high. Sounds like the Democratic primary, but it's actually a homebuilding project that's taken even longer to wrap up. "It got away from me, but it's a labor of love for my wife,'' insurance tycoon Richard ...
BEAR MARKET BLUES? POUR A DRINK, BUY A BOND; A conversation with money manager J. Bryant Evans.(Markets)(Interview)(Brief article)
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: Bruce Blythe J. Bryant Evans, 44, portfolio manager, Cozad Asset Management Inc., Champaign Experience: Eight years Assets under management: $600 million Crain's: You're somewhat bearish on the U.S. stock market for the remainder of ...
Daley: New furnace in every home; Mayor's energy plan taps Peoples, ComEd.(News)(Commonwealth Edison Co.)(Peoples Gas and Oil Company Inc.)(Richard M. Daley)
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: STEVE DANIELS Mayor Richard M. Daley, continuing his push to make Chicago greener, wants ComEd and Peoples Gas to help Chicagoans buy big-ticket, high-efficiency appliances like furnaces and cooling systems. His plan would enable customers to buy efficient ...
Elegant breakfasts smooth an early start; Caviar omelets, pastry in striking surroundings.(Business of Life)(ristorante we )
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: ALISON NEUMER LARA Handling business over an early breakfast can be an efficient move: Everyone is generally fresh and bright for the workday, menu choices tend to be uncomplicated, and the whole shebang often clocks in under an hour. Plus, given the rush of ...
High-end 'closers' step up their game; Top brokers hustle in slow luxury market; reaching out to CEOs.(Business of Life)(Margie Brooks )
Mar 10, 2008; ... Byline: KEVIN DAVIS Margie Brooks, a top agent for Baird & Warner in Highland Park, sold a home on the way to her son's wedding. "I also sold one right after my daughter said `I do,' '' she says. "I waited until after the ceremony, of course.'' Ms. Brooks, a former ...