Crain's Chicago Business articles from June 2003

Crain's Chicago Business archives from June 2003

A letter from the publisher.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: DAVID BLAKE For a quarter of a century, it has been Crain's good fortune to be the premier newspaper for Chicago's business community. We mark this milestone with pride and tremendous appreciation for many people who have shared...

Executive Moves.(People)
June 2, 2003... EDUCATION Ophir Trigalo, 41, to chief information officer at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, from vice-president for information services at DePaul University. Also, Hamid Arastoopour, 52, to dean at Armour College of...

BUILDERS HELD BACK: Lessons learned; School districts a force in development approvals.(Real Estate)
June 2, 2003... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Developers like William Rotolo, president of Insignia Homes LLC in Arlington Heights, have had to clear some high hurdles to get approval for residential subdivisions over the years. Now, the municipalities aren't the...

What's the secret? Put readers first.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Joe Cappo When this publication started 25 years ago, it didn't fit very neatly into any of Chicago's media cubbyholes. I was there at the very beginning and must admit we did some ad-libbing and course-changing in those early...

A POWERFUL VOICE; A unique blend of community and political activism, WVON is the neighborhood talk radio station that shapes public opinion and wields influence well beyond its limited signal. But can this social force stay strong in a changing media world?(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Julie Johnsson Cliff Kelley is a formidable talk-show host, a 16-year veteran of the Chicago City Council who knows the rough-and-tumble world of politics. The former alderman isn't afraid to champion contrarian views and he...

HOLDING PATTERN; Modernization of O'Hare International Airport has been a flash point of debate at the city, state and federal levels. Just as political momentum for the city's plan began to build, the airline industry hit rough financial weather. Will expansion ever get off the ground?(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: PAUL MERRION At the dedication ceremony for the city's new Jet Age airport in 1963, in what turned out to be his last visit to Chicago, President John F. Kennedy uttered some prophetic words: "No great airport is really ever...

Blue-blood BANK; Having made its fortune catering to the carriage trade, Northern Trust Corp. must chart a fresh course or risk being passed by larger, more aggressive rivals.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: steve daniels Since 1889, when it was founded as Chicago was still recovering from the Great Fire, Northern Trust Corp. has stubbornly stuck to what it does best: safeguard the nest eggs of the wealthy. But for an institution...

MEETING MAGNET; With a major expansion in the works, McCormick Place keeps growing, even as the trade show business downshifts.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)(McCormick Place)
June 2, 2003... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN In the same way that its dark, boxy steel frame anchors the city's lakefront landscape, McCormick Place has become a pillar of Chicago's economy, helping to make this the convention capital of the world. But the...

The history.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)(Chicago's Navy Pier/ McCormick Place)(Chronology)
June 2, 2003... 1933 Century of Progress exposition on the lakefront draws 1,500 conventions and 1.5 million visitors. Unsuccessful attempts are made to build a permanent exposition center. 1955 State approves construction of a 360,000-square-foot...

Gift of charity; For many of the region's local non-profits and worthy causes, the Chicago Community Trust is a godsend. At the same time, this prolific philanthropic group is coping with some down-to-earth problems of its own.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: BRIAN McCORMICK Hard times are squeezing the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which this year will distribute about 40 million pounds of food to the area's neediest residents-double the amount handed out in 1998. To handle the...

YOU SAY IT'S YOUR ANNIVERSARY? Crain's isn't the only hometown institution that's turning the big two-five this year. Some other local notables are also celebrating the quarter-century mark.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: MARGARET LITTMAN The year was 1978. Donna Summer's cover of "MacArthur Park" was a No. 1 radio hit, John Travolta was nominated for an Oscar for "Saturday Night Fever" and Banana Republic, Home Depot and Ben & Jerry's were just...

THE CITY THAT EATS; Proving that Chicagoans' tastes extend beyond pizza and hot dogs, these 25 eateries underscore the region's ethnic diversity.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: ANNE SPISELMAN When I suggested celebrating Crain's 25th anniversary and the city's diversity by highlighting 25 restaurants that serve 25 different ethnic cuisines, the first question my editors asked was, "Can you find that...

Time-tested; Restaurants that have been open for 25 years or more:.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)(Brief Article)(Directory)
June 2, 2003... 1. Ann Sather 929 W. Belmont Ave., (773) 348-2378; opened 1945, next door to current location, where it moved around 1981 2. Army & Lou's 422 E. 75th St., (773) 483-3100; opened 1945 3. Berghoff 17 W. Adams St., (312)...

straight talk; A panel of 25-year-old professionals air their views on corporate life, careers and how companies often fail to connect with their generation.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)(Panel Discussion)
June 2, 2003... An entire generation has grown to adulthood since Crain's Chicago Business was started in 1978. It's a group whose members are just making their way in an increasingly complex business world. Eager to hear what they think, Crain's compiled a...

IN THE YEAR 2028; Over the next 25 years, what type of person will read Crain's? Here's our guess: Entrepreneurial, educated, tech-savvy and prosperous. They'll be leaders, too.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... For 25 years, Crain's readers have represented the city's business elite. That will still be true when the publication hits the 50-year mark in 2028. But by then, Crain's readership is likely to skew a little older than the current...

THE CHANGING SKYLINE.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)(Chicago)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Marcel Pacatte In finding a starting point for a discussion of Chicago's skyline, 1978 might seem an odd choice. After all, the "biggies" -Sears Tower, the John Hancock Center and what now is Aon Center (built as the Standard...

Motorola reeling from China woes; SARS outbreak hurts cell phone sales, comeback.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON Motorola Inc. is grappling with its own China syndrome, as the SARS outbreak, tumbling handset prices and an inventory glut in its second-largest market threaten the Schaumburg company's comeback. This was to be...

Reviving A retail mecca; Born as the regional rival to the Loop shopping district,Woodfield Mall faces competitive threats from near, far and online.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: JANET NEIMAN As Chicago's upper-crust jeweler and oldest retailer, C. D. Peacock has been part of Chicago's retail scene since 1837. From its magnificent flagship store at State and Monroe streets, Peacock followed its tony...

Buyout firm trades up to a new target; Golder Rauner out to tame volatile exchange biz.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: STEVEN R. STRAHLER Bruce Rauner has made enough money from private-equity investing to dream about jump-starting a second career-someday-in politics. Then, the lean, 6-foot-4 outdoorsman goes out and bags another deal. So,...

FAMILY BUSINESS; Two of Chicago's most powerful modern-day mayors have been named Daley. And there's a strong chance the local political scene will see more of the mighty Daley Dynasty, even after Richard the Younger exits City Hall.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: GREG HINZ Chicago's neighborhoods have crumbled and risen anew, politicians have won and lost, corporations have soared and crashed. But one crucial constant has remained. Someone named Richard Daley has dominated the city's...

BRAIN WAVES; Intellectual home to the likes of Enrico Fermi and Saul Bellow, Milton Friedman and Mortimer Adler, the University of Chicago has for decades been regarded as one of the world's top schools. Yet controversy has found its way onto the U of C's idyllic campus.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: ANNE MOORE In the 1950s, the decay of the neighborhoods surrounding the University of Chicago's Hyde Park campus had given rise to talk that the university should move to the suburbs. Signs of renewal on the struggling South...

Profile: Executive of new association will promote Rochelle's industrial strengths.(Real Estate)(Roger Hopkins)
June 2, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN Roger Hopkins aims to lure real estate brokers to metro-politan Chicago's new industrial frontier: Rochelle. Eighty miles west of Chicago, the area is emerging as a Midwestern entrep"t, boasting two rail lines, the...

Lenders skirt new rules on payday loans; Draft report is calling regs 'irrelevant'.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: STEVE DANIELS Illinois regulations aimed at reining in the fast-growing but controversial business of payday lending have proven "virtually irrelevant'' as the lenders find ways to skirt the rules, a draft study by state financial...

Show time for Block 37; Cinema scoped for vacant Loop site.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN Marking a shift in its thinking on Block 37, the Daley administration is considering movie theaters for the massive mixed-use development proposed for the vacant Loop block. Mills Corp., the Arlington, Va.-based...

Dispute puts spotlight on Hollinger board; Investor plan: Embarrass the luminaries.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN A spot on Hollinger International Inc.'s board, once a comfortable sinecure for luminaries like Henry Kissinger, Richard Perle and former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson, has turned into a hot seat, as a dispute...

Spending through tough times pays off for Zebra.(Annual Meetings)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2003... Byline: James B. Arndorfer Zebra Technologies Corp. is benefiting from its decision to keep spending despite the economic slowdown. By continuing to invest in marketing and research and development-even as sales and profitability...

Barenboim speaks.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)(Brief Article)(Interview)
June 2, 2003... On the decline of classical music "It is time that we realize not only what the symptom is but what the illness is, and the illness is that there is no music education. It's not that people are less interested or less intelligent than they...

Silver Streak; Chicago isn't acting like a kid anymore. In 25 years, it's become mature, politically correct and open to change. It's also less fun.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: F. RICHARD CICCONE Chicago has finally grown up. And it's not as much fun. Chicago isn't angry anymore. It has fences and flowers and sidewalk dining. Visitors take architecture boat tours and shop on Michigan Avenue and pay...

FUN AT THE OL' ballpaRK; The Cubs are winning-for now-and a seat at Wrigley Field is a hot ticket. But then, this park is packed, win or lose.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN When he ponders trying to put together a winning team, Chicago Cubs President Andy MacPhail longs for the Houston Astrodome. Yes, he knows all about how Wrigley Field's time-capsule charm and well-worn intimacy...

Time to fold the prospect of Ill. gambling expansion.(Opinion)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Judith Crown Thousands of Illinois' manufacturing jobs have been shipped off to Mexico and China in the past decade. The promise of tech blew up when the Internet bubble burst. Fortune 500 companies such as Motorola Inc. and United...

Corporate accountability? It's not in the Black yet.(Opinion)(Conrad Black)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2003... You have to give Conrad Black, chairman of locally based Hollinger International Inc., credit for candor. At the recent annual meeting of the company, which owns the Chicago Sun-Times, Mr. Black came under shareholder fire for receiving fat...

Through the glass onto the Mag Mile; Jitters as curtain rises on acclaimed troupe's new stage.(News)(Lookingglass Theatre Company )
June 2, 2003... Byline: BRIAN McCORMICK That's what "Friends'' are for. As Lookingglass Theatre Company prepares to inaugurate its new, $5.2-million home on Michigan Avenue this month, it can thank the star power of ensemble members like television...

Serious search required for county health chief.(Opinion)(Cook County's Ruth Rothstein)
June 2, 2003... With this summer's planned retirement of public health chief Ruth Rothstein, the Cook County Board faces the formidable task of finding a worthy successor. The search should focus on hiring an effective leader, one who can build upon Ms....

Equity Office cost cuts trashed; Union, janitors slam EOPlus plan for tenants.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN Equity Office Properties Trust is catching some flak from janitors as it rolls out a major cost-cutting initiative and contends with the worst office leasing market in a decade. The Chicago-based real estate...

Gabelli groups turn up heat on metals firm; Activists pressure Material Sciences.(News)(Company Profile)
June 2, 2003... Byline: JAMES B. ARNDORFER High-profile activist shareholder Mario J. Gabelli is shaking up local metals manufacturer Material Sciences Corp. and could push it onto the auction block if its stock price continues to languish. Some...

EDITOR'S NOTE.(News)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2003... Chicago-based law firm Winston & Strawn announced plans May 28 to open a two-partner office in London. The news came after Crain's in-depth profile of Winston & Strawn-which appears on Page A135 of this week's special 25th-anniversary...

Real Estate Review: Landlords drop rents, beef up incentives as market languishes.(Real Estate)(Industry Overview)
June 2, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN Suburban office landlords continued to drop rents and offer hefty incentives in the first quarter, as the leasing market continued its downward slide. The suburban office availability rate-occupied or vacant space...

Quote of the Week.(Quotes)(Roche Schulfer )
June 2, 2003... The move may be just a few blocks, but it represents a quantum leap for the company. Goodman Theatre's Roche Schulfer on Lookingglass Theatre's move to Michigan Avenue PAGE 1

Late News.
June 2, 2003... RAILROADS SET PLAN TO EASE CONGESTION After four years of work, six major freight railroads have reached general agreement and are working out final details of a $1-billion comprehensive plan to reduce rail and highway congestion in the...

GRADING OUR CITY; Compared with other U.S. metro areas, Chicago enjoys high marks for livability and business opportunities. Still, there's concern the good times are ending.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: SANDRA JONES The weather is lousy. Traffic congestion ranks among the worst in the nation. And the landscape-aside from Lake Michigan-is monotonous and flat. But when it comes to earning a living and raising a family, Chicago...

point of entry; Cutting through a stretch of North and Northwest Side neighborhoods, Lawrence Avenue is the street where immigrant entrepreneurs open up shop and pursue their American dream.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: JIM SONNENBERG Taped to the wall behind the counter at Markellos Bakery is owner Steve Res' shrine to the many ethnicities that support his business at 3520 W. Lawrence Ave. More than 65 bills from at least 50 countries have...

TRADING PLACES; Formed in the shadow of the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange has since eclipsed its crosstown rival. But challenges remain.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)(Company Profile)
June 2, 2003... Byline: STEVEN R. STRAHLER Contemplating a new futures contract in 1961, Chicago Mercantile Exchange officials wondered if there might be a better name for, uh, pork bellies. How about . . . bacon? No way: That's what the government...

The working river; Arguably the very reason that the city is here to begin with, the Chicago River was once treated as an open sewer. Now, it's seen as an amenity to be embraced and developed.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN To real estate developer Thomas Snitzer, what was once a cesspool is now a selling point. Mr. Snitzer is building a major housing development in Bridgeport on the banks of "Bubbly Creek,'' the infamous arm of the...

FOSSILIZED? HARDLY; Blockbuster shows like the King Tut exhibit forever changed the way the Field Museum is perceived-and financed. But the mass-market movement has its share of detractors.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: BRIAN McCORMICK Founded in 1893 as the permanent repository for artifacts displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition here, and occupying its current lakefront location since 1920, the Field Museum is among the city's oldest...

Allstate investors skittish over rates.(Annual Meetings)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2003... Byline: STEVE DANIELS Two years' worth of rate increases have improved the profit picture at Allstate Corp., but the company's stock price hasn't responded. Rate hikes will slow somewhat this year for the Northbrook-based insurance...

HIGHER law; Long a local powerhouse, Winston & Strawn now aims to occupy the upper echelon of an increasingly global business. Trouble is, the Chicago-based law firm may be a little late to the party.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)(Company Profile)
June 2, 2003... Byline: MARY ELLEN PODMOLIK The city of big shoulders no longer is big enough for Winston & Strawn. But the law firm's efforts to reach beyond its Chicago roots and become a global player have been thwarted by an unlikely adversary:...

Celebrating the past, present and future.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)(Editorial)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Robert Reed Editor Pop the cork on the Dom Perignon. Break out the beluga. And turn up the music. It's time to party. And you're invited. In your hands is a celebration of Crain's 25th anniversary-the local business...

the hispanic power surge; People of Spanish-speaking origins are fast becoming the area's largest ethnic group. Will clout and economic gains follow?(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: JOHN McCARRON There's been no shortage of powerful forces reshaping life and labor in the Chicago region over the last quarter-century. Take your pick: the one-two punch of PCs and the Internet; a surprise city renaissance that...

father-son team scores big at home; Nearly 150 years old, family-owned Baird & Warner Inc. is a dominant force in the area's residential real estate industry, and shows no signs of slowing down or selling out.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)(Company Profile)
June 2, 2003... Byline: PATRICIA RICHARDSON Baird & Warner Inc.'s local roots run deep, even though its founders' family trees can be traced back to the East Coast. The precursor to the area's best-known residential real estate brokerage began in 1855...

JAZZ AGE GEM; Mobsters and movie stars, high rollers and hep cats once populated the North Side's premier nightclub, the Green Mill. Today, it's a neighborhood hangout and a place where an important musical tradition is still celebrated.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: KEVIN DAVIS When Dave Jemilo was a teenager, his father would take him for drives around the Uptown neighborhood, where they'd often pass a seedy-looking bar at the corner of Broadway Street and Lawrence Avenue. The boy would stare...

European Union continues to gum up U.S. trademarks.(Opinion)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Marc J. Lane To compete effectively in global markets, American exporters need trademark protection everywhere they do business. But the European Union is arbitrarily denying U.S. companies the trademark rights they've earned, and...

Like Little Italy in the '50s, with lots of kitsch.(Dining/Restaurant Review)(Buca di Beppo )(Restaurant Review)
June 2, 2003... Byline: ANNE SPISELMAN Minneapolis-based Buca Inc. is in the business of perpetuating a fantasy. A promotional flier sums it up: "Like Little Italy in the '50s, Buca di Beppo celebrates the hearty cooking of southern Italian immigrants....

Hometown outbids Zell.(Briefs)(Hometown America LLC buys Chateau Communities Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2003... Hometown America LLC, a Chicago-based developer of prefabricated-housing developments, agreed to buy larger rival Chateau Communities Inc. for $1 billion, topping an earlier offer by Chicago financier Sam Zell's Manufactured Home Communities...

Weak dollar a plus, but Jones Lang wary of SARS.(Annual Meetings:First Midwest Bancorp, Telephone & Data Systems Inc., Pactiv Corp., Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. )
June 2, 2003... Byline: H. Lee Murphy Real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. is reaping the benefits of a weakening dollar even as its overseas business falters. In the first quarter, Chicago-based Jones Lang's revenues in Europe and Asia...

Loop Dreams; Created by a handful of 19th-century transit barons, Chciago's elevated train lines shaped the city and provided affordable transportation throughout its neighborhoods. After decades of decline, the system is now on the rebound.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: JOHN T. SLANIA When private developers built Chicago's first elevated rail lines in the late 19th century, their strategy was simple: Run the routes where the most people live. Many of the developers were businessmen with limited...

A HEAVY CROWN; With holdings ranging from the construction materials business to a piece of the New York Yankees, the Crown family has amassed a multibillion-dollar empire and wields huge influence in Chicago. Now, the family prepares to pass the torch to a new generation.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: STEVEN R. STRAHLER During the height of World War II, when he was a high school senior about to set off for Northwestern University, Lester Crown was invited to a family summit devoted to career counseling. The meeting didn't take...

Spread the word: Crain's is on a roll.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Rance Crain Ed Smason ran a small ad for his public relations firm in our inaugural issue 25 years ago, and it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I first met Ed shortly after our first issue hit the streets, and I...

A work in progress; Slow start, some gains for Metropolis 2020 effort.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: BOB TITA Nearly a century after architect Daniel Burnham contemplated how to beautify Chicago's muddy, garbage-filled streets, Metropolis 2020 is trying keep the region from being covered by asphalt parking lots. Launched four...

Mining political gold; In Senate bid, McKenna reaps biz elite's support.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: PAUL MERRION While no contender for the seat of U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald has a lock on the hearts and minds of Illinois Republicans, political novice Andrew J. McKenna Jr. is positioned to get a grip on a lot of their wallets....

PILSEN'S pROGRESS; Pilsen, now a pillar of the Mexican-American community, is undergoing a revival. But gentrification has its downsides.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: PATRICIA RICHARDSON Eleazar Delgado says most locals thought he was destined to fail nine years ago when he opened his Jumping Bean Cafe on 18th Street in Pilsen. Rather than offering the sopes and empanadas found on most menus...

City's SUGAR BUZZ; Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. and Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. have helped make Chicago the candy capital. Merger rumors are swirling once again.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)(Company Profile)
June 2, 2003... Byline: MARY ELLEN PODMOLIK There are plenty of similarities-and one glaring difference-between Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. and Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. Both candy makers have deep roots in Chicago, both are public companies that are...

Chicago Observer: Prospective buyers could clash with the newsroom demographic.(Briefs)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Steven R. Strahler The Trump Organization will offer a quasi-realistic skyline view to potential residents of its long-planned tower on the Chicago Sun-Times site. The New York developer says it will file this week to construct a...

BUILDING A `SUPERSUBURB'; A sleepy bedroom community just a few decades ago, Naperville is now a vital economic and residential hub.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: BOB TITA When Naperville passed on the chance to annex the Fox Valley Center in the early 1970s, it looked as if the city had missed out on the economic development opportunity of a lifetime. City leaders figured they couldn't...

McDonald's focus narrows, menu widens; CEO Cantalupo plots to draw diners.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: JAMES B. ARNDORFER Even as new McDonald's Corp. CEO James Cantalupo scales back his predecessor's aggressive growth plans, the Oak Brook-based fast-food giant is pushing ahead with new-if modest- efforts to expand its menu. ...

Datebook.(Calendar/Datebook)(Calendar)
June 2, 2003... WEEK OF JUNE 2 JUNE 2: Women's Business Development Center presents Thriving as a Restaurant Owner. 8:30 a.m. to noon. Women's Business Development Center, 8 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 400. Fee: $40. (312) 853-3477. JUNE 2: Career...

Media Muscle; No longer a mere newspaper-broadcast concern, Tribune Co. intends to get bigger. Critics ask: Will it get better, too?(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)(Company Profile)
June 2, 2003... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN Dennis FitzSimons chuckles. The mustached, middle-aged chief executive of Tribune Co. is sitting in his spacious office on the penultimate floor of the company's Gothic headquarters. And he's just been asked what...

Getting a tough, but fun, biz up and running.(Crain's Special 25th Anniversary Section)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Gloria Scoby Getting a tough, but fun, biz up and running This issue of Crain's Chicago Business has very special meaning to me since it not only marks Crain's 25th anniversary but my 25th anniversary with Crain Communications...

Chicago Observer: PTAB still lives! in Cook County, aside from this one minor detail.(Briefs)(Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Steven R. Strahler Nobody covers the business-sensitive Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB) quite like we do. We've kept you abreast of Republican efforts in 1995 to expand its reach into Cook County and unsuccessful attempts...

Developing pastimes; Hobbyists build leisure pursuits into businesses.(Small Business)(real estate agent Lisa Huszar )
June 9, 2003... Byline: KEVIN DAVIS About five years ago, real estate agent Lisa Huszar decided that a hobby would take her mind off a chronic pain condition. She began making bead jewelry and found she had a talent for creating stylish necklaces,...

Late News.(Chicago Public Schools' new budget )
June 9, 2003... SCHOOLS TO SEEK PROPERTY TAX HIKE A property tax increase of tens of millions of dollars, along with hundreds of new job cuts, are expected in the proposed 2003-04 budget scheduled to be unveiled Monday by Chicago Public Schools officials....

Dealmakers sue ex-employer Comdisco; Glimpse of venture unit's meltdown.(News)
June 9, 2003... Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON A bitter legal battle between Comdisco Holding Co. and three former managing directors of the company's venture capital arm provides a glimpse into the frenzied deal-making that triggered the Rosemont leasing giant's...

Media moguls can muck it up without FCC's help.(Opinion)(Federal Communications Commission, new media ownership rules)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Scott Donaton All the hand-wringing over the Federal Communications Commission's vote last week on media ownership misses the point. We don't need federal rules to check the power of media monoliths. Foolish management already...

May rally lifts tech and telecom stocks.(News)(Investors mood is volatile)
June 9, 2003... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY After a three-year separation, investors are once again cozying up to local technology and telecom stocks. The May roster of winners among Chicago-area stocks compiled by California-based CNet Investor turns up...

Mutual benefits; Firms pair up to generate sales without expanding their own resources, staff.(Small Business)(boilermaker Kenneth Womack )
June 9, 2003... Byline: JOHN T. SLANIA Veteran boilermaker Kenneth Womack knows he has just two chances to make a sale: when a new commercial building is constructed and when an old boiler loses steam. But the tepid economy has cooled boiler sales....

Tech leaves its imprint on family-owned firm.(Commentary)(printing industry)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Joe Cappo When John Jensen emigrated from Denmark to Chicago after World War I, hot-metal typesetting was a big business. The International Typographers Union (ITU), formed in 1850, was the oldest and reputedly largest national...

Tax cuts unlikely to lift spending at local firms; Shares of dividend payers should rise.(News)(Bush administration tax cuts)
June 9, 2003... Byline: BOB TITA The new round of federal tax cuts is likely to boost share prices of some local companies, but provides them little incentive to ratchet up the investment and hiring needed to shake the area out of its economic funk. ...

Putting some muscle into online project.(Technology)(encyclopedia of the human body )
June 9, 2003... One of the world's greatest medical treasures has been off limits to all but an elite few since it was created more than 450 years ago. Now, two Northwestern University professors are bringing the first encyclopedia of the human body to...

Quote of the Week.(Quotes)(Brief Article)
June 9, 2003... There's going to be a hue and cry for dividends to be paid. Tax expert Tom Beneventi on federal tax cuts that slash the rate on dividends PAGE 4

Grand Pier shoving off dry dock; Retail, parking construction to resume soon.(News)(Lehman Bros. takes over $375 mn project)
June 9, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN Construction crews will resume work this summer on the Grand Pier Center after two years of court battles that stalled the Streeterville mixed-use development. Lehman Bros., which took control of the project this...

WCIU for sale? Stay tuned; Deregulation boosts indie TV station's appeal.(News)(Federal Communications Commission, new ownership rules)
June 9, 2003... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN Within a week of the Federal Communications Commission's scale-back of ownership rules that figure to greatly increase its value, WCIU-TV/Channel 26 has pulled the plug on a money-losing subsidiary and slapped on a...

Maid services cleaning up; Middle-income customers are boosting demand.(Small Business)(households with $50,000 or less are often customers)(Brief Article)
June 9, 2003... Byline: ED AVIS These days, housekeepers are as likely to scrub bathtubs in middle-class condos as polish silver candelabra in North Shore mansions. Working people who don't want to spend their free time doing chores are increasingly...

Team-building at United; CEO Tilton recruits outsiders to fill key executive posts.(News)(management team has more airline industry experience )
June 9, 2003... Byline: PAUL MERRION Tapping outside talent for the first time in a decade, United Airlines parent UAL Corp., through a recent series of upper-level hires, has broadened the airline industry experience of the management team being molded...

Sammy's tale a corker, but it has a familiar ring.(Opinion)(scandals involving celebrities and high-profile executives )(Brief Article)
June 9, 2003... With a single swing at a 3-2 count, Sammy Sosa not only cracked open his bat to reveal tampered goods, he shattered credibility and a good-guy image that had taken years to build. Why would anyone risk that? Sammy could retire at any...

Tires, tools on block at Sears; Orchard, NTB chains could raise $500 mil.(News)(Sears, Roebuck and Co. to sell Orchard Supply Hardware, National Tire & Battery )
June 9, 2003... Byline: SANDRA JONES and STEVEN R. STRAHLER Sears, Roebuck and Co. has put its Orchard Supply Hardware and National Tire & Battery chains up for sale in a move that could raise about $500 million, according to people familiar with the...