Crain's Chicago Business articles from March 2002

Crain's Chicago Business archives from March 2002

Ramp workers, United in talks.(United Airlines resumes talks with the union)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... United Airlines resumed talks with the union representing its 23,000 customer service, ramp and other employees in hopes of reaching a contract. The negotiations came after the unit of Elk Grove Township-based UAL Corp. and its baggage handlers...

Datebook.
March 4, 2002... WEEK OF MARCH 4 MARCH 5: Women's Business Development Center presents Seduce Your Employees-Legally! 8:30 a.m. to noon. Women's Business Development Center, 8 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 400. Fee: $30. (312) 853-3477, ext. 0. MARCH 5:...

Chicago Observer: Used to giving money, Mr. Harris said to ask for a little of it back.(Irving Harris, multiple topics)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... A story is making the rounds that philanthropist Irving Harris, as a courtesy to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, asked John Schmidt to return a $50,000 campaign contribution. Mr. Schmidt's candidacy, you see, was fine by Mr. Madigan...

River North arrival marries French, Asian influences.(Kevin Shikami introduces Kevin restaurant)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Chef Kevin Shikami finally has his own restaurant-and it's cause for celebration. After years at the pioneering Jimmy's Place (now gone), followed by a stint opening con fusion and a brief sojourn at The Outpost, he opened Kevin on Hubbard...

Exelon power struggle; Merger row forces board to back Rowe.(Corbin A. McNeill Jr. to step down from co-chief executive officer, in addition to Chairman, leaving John W. Rowe as sole chief executive)
March 4, 2002... A boardroom dispute over an unsolicited merger offer paved the way for the early departure of Exelon Corp. Chairman and Co-CEO Corbin A. McNeill Jr., ceding control of the utility to his rival, Co-CEO John W. Rowe, according to sources. ...

Ailing chains cloud Mag Mile recovery; Sales woes hobble Gap, Bauer and Field's.(Eddie Bauer, Marshall Field's Target Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Mounting troubles at high-profile Michigan Avenue retailers like the Gap and Eddie Bauer are casting a pall over the otherwise improving outlook for the premier shopping street. With a rebound in tourist business and most signs pointing to...

Pro-growth or slow growth? Voters will pick a winner; Lake County confronts hot issue.(all County Board seats are up for election this year)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... The first true test of how patient Lake County residents are with the concept of ``smart growth'' comes this month. With all 23 County Board seats up for grabs later this year, voters in the March 19 primary will help determine whether the...

Training cutbacks could be costly; Scrimping can compromise morale, company finances.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Training is a victim of cost control at many local businesses, but the consequences may outlast the recession. Insufficient training can make it harder to compete and hurt morale, loyalty and retention. ``Employees today are more conscious...

The proof is in the performance; Companies look for the most value from their training dollars by analyzing program results.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Executives of Bimba Manufacturing Co. are proud of their company's extensive employee training, but they don't assume it's always effective or giving them the best return. The Monee-based cylinder maker wants proof, so it gauges...

Handicapping the Illinois gubernatorial primaries.(candidate analysis)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Both Illinois gubernatorial primaries are in the home stretch; thus, it's prediction time, Green- style. The following is my analysis of what it will take to be victorious on March 19. The Republicans: State Sen. Patrick O'Malley, Attorney...

Boom in Bridgeport; A shift on the South Side.(Chicago's South Side becoming increasingly popular)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... After house-hunting in the Northwest Side neighborhoods of Old Irving Park and Norwood Park, Gina and John Minas have set their sights south. Specifically, they're building a new house in Bridgeport, on the South Side. More famous as the...

Executive Moves.(local company executive appointments)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING Ronald W. Richardson, 39, to managing principal at Durrant Group Inc. in St. Charles, from director of architectural production and project manager at Arcon Associates Inc. CONSUMER SERVICES Bill Hulbert,...

Scandal has silver lining for IT firms; But mid-tier tech consultants won't gain from fallout.(information technology)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Mired in a yearlong slump, information technology consultants stand to reap a windfall from the Enron Corp. scandal. That's because thousands of management, advisory and IT consulting projects are expected to be opened for new bids, as...

Suburban office sales decline, but value's up.(CB Richard Ellis Inc. reports)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Even as demand for suburban office buildings slackened last year, the market held up for high-quality buildings fully stocked with rent-paying tenants. An analysis by the Chicago office of Los Angeles-based real estate firm CB Richard...

Abbott's biotech search; Counting on partnerships, wonder drugs.(Abbott Laboratories)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Abbott Laboratories, which for years has hovered near the bottom of the pharmaceutical industry's top-10 international rankings, is now banking on a handful of biotech breakthroughs to leapfrog into the uppermost echelon. A cutting-edge...

In steel tariff showdown, it's suppliers vs. users ; Cat, ITW fight protectionism push.(Illinois Tool Works Inc., Caterpillar Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... WASHINGTON-If the Bush administration backs off from a proposed 40% hike in tariffs on imported steel this week, much of the credit will go to a group of Midwest steel customers led by Caterpillar Inc. and Illinois Tool Works Inc. Along...

Focal must dial better numbers; To tap credit line, phone firm needs to hit profit target.(Focal Communications Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Focal Communications Corp. is teetering on the edge of the telecom abyss. The Chicago-based phone company, which has yet to make a profit, will have to clear some high hurdles in order to survive this year. Chief among them: meeting...

Form Plastics buying up Anchor's vending biz.(Form Plastics Co. vending operations from Anchor Packaging Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Anchor Packaging Inc. has agreed to sell its vending operations to Form Plastics Co. of St. Charles. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. St. Louis-based Anchor said the sale would include tooling, inventory and some thermoforming...

Head of Shorebank unit lends skill to worldwide community.(Martin D. Levine, Shorebank Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... From the former Soviet bloc to Africa and Latin America, there's high demand for the low-income neighborhood lending philosophy pioneered by Chicago's Shorebank Corp. Growing overseas at 25% a year for the last two years, the community...

Local clients make Andersen account; Longtime customers are shopping.(Arthur Andersen feeling the effects of the Enron disaster)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... As Andersen scrambles to work out an affordable settlement of Enron Corp.-related claims, signs are emerging that major Chicago-area clients are beginning to waver in their loyalty to the embattled accounting firm. Sources say that at...

Crain's names Denor advertising director.(David G. Denor, Crain's Chicago Business and ChicagoBusiness.com)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... David G. Denor has been named advertising director of Crain's Chicago Business and its Web site, ChicagoBusiness.com. Mr. Denor, 30, joined Crain's as advertising sales manager in January 2001 from the Milwaukee Business Journal, where he...

In the Republican race, Jim Ryan for governor.(Illinois)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Despite the squabbling and outright rancor that's been a hallmark of the Illinois Republican Party's primary campaign, the GOP's three gubernatorial candidates agree that state government's free-spending days are over and that Illinois must...

Quote of the Week.(Brunswick Corp. will consider its options in deciding to stay with Anderson as external auditor)
March 4, 2002... The company is considering its options. Brunswick Corp. spokesman on the question of whether the company will stick with Andersen as its external auditor PAGE 1

Late News.(local company business)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... FLORSHEIM TEES UP CH. 11, ASSET SALE Florsheim Group Inc. is expected to file for Chapter 11 bank-ruptcy protection as early as Monday, under a plan to shutter most of its 210 stores and sell its remaining assets, including the Florsheim...

Real Estate Review: 2001 survey of downtown Chi. office space.(Chicago downtown available office space increased in 2001)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Slowing demand in 2001 drove down rents and increased the availability rate for downtown office space in many sectors. The percentage of available downtown office space-which includes subleases-jumped to 14.5% at the end of 2001 from 10.7%...

Profile: Apartment buyer testing waters with private equity pool.(Group One Investments, Drake Apartments)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Private-equity pools in the real estate business-which has been dominated by publicly owned real estate investment trusts, institutions and pension funds-are a relatively new phenomenon, but are expected to proliferate. The attraction for...

Tyson dicing Chicago's DFG, acquired with its IBP buyout.(Tyson Foods Inc. to close a DFG New Jersey plant and the its Chicago headquarters)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Tyson Foods Inc. is slicing up DFG Foods, the obscure Chicago hors d'oeuvres maker that nearly torpedoed Tyson's $4.4-billion buyout of IBP Inc. last year. Five months after taking over the IBP subsidiary, Tyson is closing a DFG plant in...

Where is rage against anti-religious radicals?(China's persecution of religions)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... The worldwide terrorism we are fighting is believed to be, at least in part, a product of religious extremism. Muslim extremism practiced by the Taliban in Afghanistan caused them to consider us ``infidels'' (which I guess is what we...

For Democrats, Vallas for governor.(Paul Vallas, Illinois)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... The governor of Illinois is a chief executive officer, the person who must oversee the management of a $50-billion-plus budget while juggling the state's many and varied components. Yet, the duties don't end there. An effective governor should...

Opening up debate over using the term 'minority'.(Chicago Alderman Dorothy Tillman believes that officials should not use the word minority to refer to black Americans)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... I agree with Chicago Alderman Dorothy Tillman that city officials and others should eliminate the use of the word ``minority'' when referring to black Americans, but probably for different reasons. This is a controversial issue, one that...

Conventions.
March 4, 2002... WEEK OF MARCH 4 March 4-7: American Welding Society/Precision Metalforming Assn., McCormick Place South, estimated attendance 40,000. March 4-9: Comdex Chicago 2002, McCormick Place North, estimated attendance 65,000. March 5:...

Gen'l Employment cuts, shifts focus.(General Employment Enterprises Inc. )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... As the economy soared through the 1990s, General Employment Enterprises Inc. scrambled to add more branch offices and diversify into the lucrative information technology sector. Now, CEO Herbert F. Imhoff Jr. spends much of his time undoing...

Tech Watch: London import in HR lands on Michigan Ave.(e-peopleserve moves headquarters to Chicago from London)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Chicago's lackluster tech sector is about to be jolted by a high-powered import. E-peopleserve, a mammoth joint venture of Accenture Ltd. and BT Group plc, is shifting headquarters from London to Chicago, a spokeswoman confirms. The...

It's business as usual for grad programs; Higher Education Directory.(Directory)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... The following is a sampling of business-related, graduate-level programs offered by private and public colleges and universities and for-profit schools, mainly in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. Joint programs, such as...

Quote of the Week.
March 11, 2002... How can an average business compete against a $100,000 donation? Cynthia Canary, executive director of Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, on the increasing size of campaign contributions PAGE 3

Small Business Resource Guide 2002; State Government.(Directory)
March 11, 2002... Business Energy Programs 620 E. Adams St. Springfield 62701 Phone: (217) 785-2862 Fax: (217) 785-2618 E-mail: dmcgee@commerce.state.il.us Web site: www.commerce.state.il.us Contact: Don McGee, energy management...

Small business guide 2002; Business Incubators.(Directory)
March 11, 2002... Arts Bridge 2936 N. Southport Ave., Suite 210 Chicago 60657 Phone: (773) 296-0948 Fax: (773) 296-0968 E-mail: programs@artsbridge.org Contact: Devin Porter, program director Serves non-profit arts groups....

After contract vote, real work begins at UAL Corp.(with International Machinists and Aerospace Workers)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... It's back from the brink, for now. Cooler heads prevailed as mechanics at United Airlines approved a five-year contract, averting a strike and the immediate threat of bankruptcy. Credit the International Machinists and Aerospace Workers...

Tech Watch: No quick way to rewire IT consulting conflicts.(consulting and auditing conflicts within Big Five accounting firms)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Untangling consulting and auditing conflicts within Big Five accounting firms is going to be much trickier than many people assume. Forcing accountancies to divest their multibillion-dollar information technology practices will not necessarily...

Small Business Resource Guide 2002; Economic Development.(Directory)
March 11, 2002... Counties DuPage County Department of Development and Environmental Concerns 421 N. County Farm Road Wheaton 60187 Phone: (630) 682-7230 Fax: (630) 784-3773 E-mail: dec@dupageco.org Web site: www.dupageco.org/dec/...

Real Estate Review: Warehouse development pushes into Grundy.(Aldi to build regional distribution center; Richard Ellis Inc. plans industrial park)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... As the Interstate 80 corridor, once considered too remote for most industrial tenants, begins to attract more distribution centers, some warehouse operators are leapfrogging farther south into Grundy County. The latest significant deal...

In this election, candidates can't dance around issues.(congressional candidates)(Brief Article)(Column)
March 11, 2002... You know, I'm thinking Rahm Emanuel is unfit to be a congressman because he used to study ballet. I mean, how is it going to look, Chicago being represented in Congress by some guy who looks good in tights? It's bad for our image and it...

Taking the edge off of painkillers' side effects.(methylnaltrexone)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Leon Goldberg was seeking relief-not riches-when he developed the drug methylnaltrexone in his University of Chicago lab. But now, the drug that Dr. Goldberg created in the early '80s to help a friend cope with the pain and nausea of...

Small business resource guide 2002; SBA Lenders.(Brief Article)(Directory)
March 11, 2002... The following is a partial list of Small Business Administration-certified/ preferred lenders in Illinois, listed alphabetically by city. The SBA generally does not make loans; it guarantees them. To talk with a counselor or get more...

Small business resource guide 2002; City Government.(Brief Article)(Directory)
March 11, 2002... The city of Chicago has a central Web page (www.cityofchicago.org) with links to each department. Department of Planning and Development 121 N. LaSalle St., Suite 1000 Chicago 60602 Phone: (312) 744-4190 Fax: (312)...

Small business resource guide 2002; County Government.(Brief Article)(Directory)
March 11, 2002... Community and Economic Development Assn. of Cook County Inc. 208 S. LaSalle St., Suite 1900 Chicago 60604 Phone: (312) 795-8955 Fax: (312) 795-1034 E-mail: menenbach@cedaorg.net Web site: www.cedaorg.net Contact:...

Mechanics agree to UAL contract.(United Airlines Inc., International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Mechanics at UAL Corp.'s United Airlines voted to approve a new five-year contract, avoiding a strike and edging the nation's second-largest airline closer to a crucial recovery plan. United's 13,000 mechanics and cleaning crew members,...

Sharing is good, unless you're a big-time CEO.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... They are relationships that begin with great expectations but soon go very wrong. Small disagreements become large. Constructive criticism turns into rancor. Ultimately, the only solution is to break up and move on. Sounds like a promo for...

Price of influence climbs in guv race; Ante upped as hopefuls' TV costs rise.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Driven by an insatiable demand for cash to pay for TV ads, the cost of making a voice heard in Springfield is soaring. Heated gubernatorial primary contests among both Democrats and Republicans have attracted record amounts of cash in...

Union wired for push into AT&T ranks; Targets area cable workers.(International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers )(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... As the window begins to close on fast-track union organizing at AT&T Corp., the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is making a renewed push to gain traction at the long-distance phone company's cable TV and Internet unit in...

Profile: Taking long-distance teleconferencing to the next level.(NEC Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Until now, most long-distance teleconferencing has typically looked like this: A group of executives huddle around a 27-inch monitor on which the audio is rarely in synch with the video images. Building on a new generation of turbocharged...

Tollway turmoil; After decades of leading the high life, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority is running dry.
March 11, 2002... Stroll through the $25-million office-in-a-garden that is the headquarters of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and it seems the agency's golden days never ended. Groves of trees muffle any errant sound in the spacious,...

Small business resource guide 2002; Venture Capitalists.(Directory)
March 11, 2002... Adams Street Partners LLC 209 S. LaSalle St., 9th floor Chicago 60604 Phone: (312) 553-7890 Fax: (312) 553-7891 Contact: Tom Dolson, partner Invests in first-to-late-stage private equity opportunities. Prefers...

Tollway woes hardly register on platforms of six gubernatorial candidates.(Illinois State Toll Highway Authority)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... The Illinois General Assembly last year summarily turned thumbs down on Gov. George Ryan's plan to trade higher tolls now for no tolls later. That may at least partially explain why tollway woes are a non-issue among the six gubernatorial...

Tariffs won't cure steel industry's market woes.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 11, 2002... Completing another cycle of addiction and enablement, the feckless U.S. steel industry has cajoled its rich uncle into another bailout, this one in the form of three-year tariffs on imported steel. Well, here's a dose of tough love to go...

People: Ex-EEOC member to promote Boeing's diversity mission.(Joyce Tucker, formerly commissioner of Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, to join Boeing Co. as vice-president of global diversity)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Joyce Tucker will have an inherent advantage when she advises Boeing Co. on how to comply with anti-discrimination regulations: As a former commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she helped write or enforce many of them....

Small Business Resource Guide 2002; Federal Government.(Directory)
March 11, 2002... Federal Trade Commission 55 E. Monroe St., Suite 1830 Chicago 60603 Phone: (877) 382-4357 Web site: www.ftc.gov, www.consumer.gov Serves as nation's principal consumer protection agency, dealing with deceptive and...

Triomphe of Publicis' Maurice Levy.(Maurice Levy, head of Publicis International)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Maurice Levy is consistently the most underrated figure in world advertising. The reason is simple: He is French. What's more, he is adamant that the empire that he builds should be French. I make no excuse for putting the Publicis Groupe...

Hispanic stations get ad static; Not translating big ratings into big bucks.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Local Spanish-language television and radio stations are tired of being the best advertising bargain in town. Even in the current bleak media economy, where many English-speaking outlets are discounting heavily to retain advertisers,...

Tallying up Andersen's final options; Time running out to sell, split biz units apart.(accounting firm ponders post-Enron future)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... With their firm's reputation and client roster in shambles, senior executives at Chicago's Andersen are looking at an array of options. They range from merging the firm's audit practice with another Big Five firm to selling off parts of the...

Executive Moves.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING Thomas Fromm, 53, to director at Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP, from senior vice-president and director of health care at VOA Associates Inc. Richard D. Hayes, 47, to director of architecture at David...

TRADE SHOW FLOOR: Sensory overload; High-tech audio, visual systems enter the booth.
March 11, 2002... It's getting harder to rise above the noise on the average trade show floor, literally and figuratively. State-of-the-art sound systems blare messages at decibel levels so imposing that trade show managers now routinely set and police noise...

Clean-air gripes cloud outlook for O'Hare bill; Environmental concerns latest pothole on runway.(O'Hare International Airport expansion faces political and environmental hurdles)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... WASHINGTON-Once considered to be in a sprint through Congress, legislation to expand O'Hare International Airport is running into some political and environmental hurdles. In response to objections raised by environmentalists and members...

Chicago Observer: Not used to being No. 2, Big Jim won't be left behind in U.K. hunt.(Winston and Strawn's James R. Thompson)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Having watched former political associate Tyrone Fahner beat him to the punch, Winston & Strawn Chairman James R. Thompson is more eager than ever to have a London outpost. ``We'd love to be in London by the end of the year,'' Mr. Thompson says...

Banker hits the fast track; Builders Bank CEO revving up loan portfolio.(Michael C. Winter)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... The banker who set the torrid growth pace that made a little-known suburban bank the state's top-performing lender in the late 1990s has launched the same high-octane strategy at a new startup. Michael C. Winter, former CEO of...

Stealing away from Bush tariffs; Steel users' plans: Switch suppliers, cut costs, take loss.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Tempel Steel Co. is going to do whatever it can to avoid paying the new tariffs on imported steel. While the $400-million metal fabricator currently buys 90% of its steel from domestic mills, it is hunting for cheaper metal from foreign...

Small business resource guide 2002; Chambers of Commerce.(Directory)
March 11, 2002... America-Israel Chamber of Commerce Chicago 180 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 911 Chicago 60601 Phone: (312) 641-2937 Fax: (312) 641-2941 E-mail: info@americaisrael.org Web site: www.americaisrael.org Contact: Marlene...

Striking a budget balance will call for cuts, tax hikes.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... All the candidates for Illinois governor claim they're eager to close the state's growing revenue gap. But, so far, not one of them has been willing to concede that tax increases or new taxes may be unavoidable. So, there is lots of talk...

Luck of the Irish shines on downtown pub; ANNE SPISELMAN.(Fitzers Pub)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Irish pubs pepper Chicago neighborhoods, but Fitzers Pub adds a new taste of Eire to the options downtown. Tucked off the Magnificent Mile on the lower level of the Fitzpatrick Chicago, the city's first Irish-owned hotel and a branch of a...

Conventions.
March 11, 2002... WEEK OF MARCH 11 March 14-16: American Bar Assn., Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, estimated attendance 3,500. March 14-16: Illinois Education Assn., Hyatt Regency O'Hare, estimated attendance 1,200. March 14-16: Hispanic...

Late News.
March 11, 2002... ENRON ALUMS LAND AT CITADEL VENTURE Citadel Investment Group is hiring veterans of collapsed energy firm Enron Corp. to staff a new energy trading group the Chicago-based hedge fund plans to launch soon. Citadel already has hired ``more...

Small business resource guide 2002; Associations.(Directory)
March 11, 2002... American Franchisee Assn. 53 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 205 Chicago 60604 Phone: (312) 431-0545 Fax: (312) 431-1132 E-mail: sjcrawfordafa@aol.com Web site: www.franchisee.org Contact: Samuel Crawford, director of...

Ad heyday ending with Burnett deal ; Sale of Bcom3 leaves city with niche agencies.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... With the sale of Leo Burnett parent Bcom3 Group Inc., Chicago is losing its largest independent advertising agency-and its remaining clout as an advertising center. Though the North American headquarters will remain in Chicago,...

Going by the book; Publishers flourishing in niche markets.(independent publishers)
March 11, 2002... Sharon Woodhouse wrote and published her first Chicago guidebook to pay off her student loans. Mitch Rogatz was a ``recovering CPA'' who stumbled into making Mike Ditka's first book a success. Anita and Jordan Miller started by trying to...

Datebook.
March 18, 2002... WEEK OF MARCH 18 MARCH 19: Center for Research in Information Management at University of Illinois at Chicago College of Business Administration presents Offshore Outsourcing. 8 to 10 a.m. Metropolitan Club, Sears Tower, 66th floor. Free....

Let's get ready to rumble; Feds, auditor go to mat in must-win match.(Arthur Anderson and Co., Department of Justice)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... WASHINGTON-Neither the Justice Department nor Andersen can afford to lose. For the government, all the arguments against last week's criminal indictment-the catastrophic impact on the Chicago accounting firm's chances of survival, the harm...

Walking street no walk in park; Hazards abound as construction projects kick into high gear.(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... A series of random-in some cases fatal-accidents has pedestrians wondering if walking down the street in downtown Chicago constitutes hazardous duty. The March 9 accident in which scaffolding fell from the John Hancock Center at 875 N....

Chicago Observer: More than a Penney for Goddu's thoughts on staying with Wards.(other company news)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Former Montgomery Ward & Co. CEO Roger Goddu was offered the top job at J. C. Penney Co. in May 2000 as a struggling Wards was headed for bankruptcy, according to a court document. When Mr. Goddu told as much to his boss, General Electric...

Plaintiffs hunt for deeper pockets: Wall St.; New targets needed as Andersen fades.(consolidated class action lawsuit in wake of Enron debacle)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... As Andersen diverts its dwindling resources toward fighting federal criminal charges, burned Enron Corp. shareholders are looking beyond the accounting firm to a deeper-pocketed defendant: Wall Street. New York-based Milberg Weiss Bershad...

Andersen's number is up; Without a buyer, bankruptcy is not firm's best option.(Arthur Anderson and Co.)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... When Andersen's prospects for a quick sale evaporated ahead of a criminal indictment last week, so did the appeal of filing for bankruptcy. The devastated accounting firm says it has no plans to seek Chapter 11 protection in federal...

Profile: Selling real estate firm's lesser-known turf to Wall Street.(Lauralee E. Martin, new chief financial office of Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... As the new chief financial officer of a young public company, Lauralee E. Martin says her greatest challenge will be giving investors a clear idea of what the company's about. Ms. Martin, 51, was appointed executive vice-president and CFO...

For accounting industry, reforms aren't adding up.(public losing confidence in accounting firms)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... The accounting business is getting some sage advice lately. The question is: Will the industry be wise enough to accept it? Don't count on it. Despite the ugly glare thrown on the profession by Andersen's involvement with the collapse...

Quote of the Week.
March 18, 2002... "I don't think there's any precedent for the issues facing Arthur Andersen." -- Vedder Price Kaufmann & Kammholz bankruptcy attorney Douglas J. Lipke, Page 1

Feds' next target: the top brass.(further indictments possible against Arthur Andersen and Co. by Department of Justice)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Now comes the next act in a legal drama that will determine Andersen's fate. Last week's federal indictment of the accounting firm on a single count of obstructing justice was a prelude to this saga's second act: a close examination by...