Crain's Chicago Business articles from March 2004

Crain's Chicago Business archives from March 2004

Real Estate Review: Cool leasing climate chills sales of downtown buildings.(Real Estate leasing market)
March 1, 2004... Byline: ALBY GALLUN Five Class A and B downtown office properties that were on the block in 2003 did not sell, reflecting growing jitters about the lousy downtown leasing market. With investors pouring money into real estate, it seemed a...

1: Green Food Mart.(Real Estate)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... 647 W. Division St. Nothing illustrates the clash of yuppiedom and urban reality more vividly than the Green Food Mart. Sitting in the shadow of the Cabrini-Green public housing complex, the neighborhood grocery is sandwiched between...

Fund buys energize local utility stocks; Exelon, Peoples, Nicor attract as dividend plays.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: STEVE DANIELS New mutual funds searching for dividends are lifting the shares of local utilities. Exelon Corp., Peoples Energy Corp. and Nicor Inc. have all attracted interest from a group of funds formed to take advantage of...

2: Italian Village.(restaurant at 71 W. Monroe Street)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... 71 W. Monroe St. Romanek Golub & Co. spent 10 years trying to gain control of the block bounded by Dearborn, Adams, Clark and Monroe streets, but one owner refused to sell: Alfredo Capitanini, owner of the Italian Village restaurant, a...

For those who like it hot, soup's on.(Dining/Restaurant Review)
March 1, 2004... Byline: KEVIN DAVIS As winter lingers, shivering souls can find relief downtown with a soothing bowl of hot soup. 1 Tokyo Lunch Box 179 W. Van Buren St., (312) 435-4005 (also at 37 N. Wells St. and 111 E. Wacker Drive);...

A booster shot for uninsured; Hospital group examines plan for free care, discounts.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN Illinois hospitals are hammering out a plan to provide free or discounted care to the uninsured. Uninsured families with incomes up to $18,850 a year could get free care under a deal the Illinois Hospital Assn....

Zell's dividend in doubt; REIT not generating enough cash.(News)(Real Estate Investment Trusts)
March 1, 2004... Byline: ALBY GALLUN The dividend Sam Zell declared "inviolate'' is looking vulnerable. Equity Office Properties Trust, the cornerstone of Mr. Zell's real estate empire, failed to generate enough operating cash flow last year to pay...

How earnings are calculated.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The format Crain's Chicago Business uses to forecast earnings of Chicago-area companies is produced in conjunction with Thomson First Call, a unit of Canada-based Thomson Corp. Using its database of analysts' estimates, Thomson First Call...

Late News.
March 1, 2004... JONES MULLS OPTIONS FOR CASINO IN S. BURBS Illinois Senate President Emil Jones has ordered his staff to "review legislative options'' in the wake of last week's decision by the Illinois Gaming Board to eliminate two south suburban sites...

Executive Moves.(News)
March 1, 2004... CONSUMER SERVICES Carlton Hudson, 52, to general manager at the House of Blues Hotel, from general manager at the Standard Hotel in Los Angeles. Winnie Schroder, 38, to director of sales and marketing at Le Meridien Hotel, from...

3: Jefferson Tap & Grille.(Real Estate)(Belgravia Group Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... 325 N. Jefferson St. Carl Berman doesn't recall how much Belgravia Group Ltd. offered for his West Loop property in the mid-1990s. "It wasn't anything that stirred my blood,'' he says. With a liquor license in place, he decided to keep...

Development Holdouts; "Spoilers" stay put, forcing developers into diversionary maneuvers.(Real Estate)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Signing tenants and landing a loan are two of the biggest challenges for a real estate developer trying to kick off a project. But buying the land can be downright exasperating when the people who own it refuse to sell. Holdouts-or...

Feds: Segal asked Ryan to use clout.(Briefs, federal investigation)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Federal prosecutors filed a new round of charges against Chicago insurance magnate Michael Segal, linking him to former Gov. George Ryan. The governor is awaiting his own trial on unrelated federal misconduct charges. In a 28-count superseding...

Make no small O'Hare plans -but to fund them, get real.(Opinion)(O'Hare International Airport)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Grand visions and optimistic predictions capture the public imagination, but they make a lousy foundation for an airport. Advocates of expanding O'Hare International Airport-including this newspaper-did a great job of convincing people that...

Time for Illinois to fold its hand, swear off gambling.(Opinion, state funding)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The state of Illinois, were it a profit-making business, could be forgiven for handing out a 10th casino license, something it last week took another step toward by naming three finalists. After all, gambling has been very lucrative for...

A new store laboratory; Retailers sold on Chicago as test site.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: SANDRA JONES Retailers are discovering what theater producers have known for a long time: Chicago is an affordable and discreet milieu for testing new store concepts. National chains such as Home Depot Inc., OfficeMax Inc. and...

O'Hare's rosy scenario; To pay for revamp, city is hoping to catch some breaks.(News)(O'Hare International Airport expansion)
March 1, 2004... Byline: PAUL MERRION With the full $15-billion price tag for Chicago's plan to expand O'Hare International Airport coming into focus, questions are emerging about how the city will pay for the costliest public works project in its history....

To get better schools, need to improve teachers . . .(Opinion, school teachers)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Vicki Chou Parents have been right all along: Recent research confirms that the teacher your child gets can make a big difference in how much your child learns. What's more, the effects accumulate from one year to the next....

. . . No, success depends on better-equipped students.(Opinion, teachers accountability)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Leslie Baldacci Blaming teachers for failing to improve student test scores is like blaming police for a crime wave. But if bureaucrats didn't blame teachers, they'd be out of business. If we dared admit the extent to which...

Governor counts union givebacks; But concessions not yet agreed to.(News, union workers )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: GREG HINZ Gov. Rod Blagojevich faces a $100-million hole in his proposed fiscal 2005 state budget unless employee unions cave in on a key state demand in contract negotiations. In a matter that has drawn little attention, Mr....

Pot may shrink for Elgin casino.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: BOB TITA The state's most lucrative casino, in Elgin, could lose a tenth or more of its business to one of the three finalists chosen for the state's 10th casino license. The Illinois Gaming Board last week narrowed the field...

Nicor eyes rate hike as profits slip; Bad timing: ICC still sorting out overcharges.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: STEVE DANIELS Nicor Inc. is thinking about raising rates even as its customers bear the brunt of higher heating bills and the company confronts allegations of natural-gas price manipulation. Nicor executives recently told Wall...

Conventions.(Finance)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... WEEK OF MARCH 1 March 1-4: American College of Healthcare Executives, Hyatt Regency Chicago, estimated attendance 4,000. March 2-4: Digital Consulting Institute, Navy Pier, estimated attendance 2,500. March 2-6: Accreditation...

Foreman grill could KO Salton shorts.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Short-sellers have been making mostly good money on Salton Inc. since the housewares marketer's stock peaked at $60 nearly four years ago, but now, their bet is beginning to look risky. When Lake Forest-based...

5: South Water Market.(Real Estate)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Morgan and 15th streets Buying out a half-dozen property owners is hard enough. Try buying out 66. That was the challenge facing Enterprise Cos. when the Chicago developer decided last year to convert the South Water Market into 824...

Motorola rolls dice with Microsoft deal; Gives software giant wireless foothold.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON Motorola Inc. has opened its arms to Microsoft Corp., but it's an uneasy embrace. The cell phone manufacturer and the software goliath paired up on a series of "smart phones,'' cellular telephones with Internet...

4: White Palace Grill.(Real Estate)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... 1159 S. Canal St. George Liakopoulos is in the fortunate position of owning property along Roosevelt Road in the South Loop-the next frontier for big-box retailers. But he says no price will entice him to sell his corner lot and shut...

Wait or go? Equity firm hits the gas; As others idle, Adams Street Partners invests $1 billion.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: STEVEN R. STRAHLER Adams Street Partners LLC, a huge but little-known private- equity firm, is investing at a record pace while many competitors stand on the sidelines. The Chicago-based firm, once known as Brinson Partners,...

Manufacturing, tech lead recovery.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Manufacturing and technology companies emerging from a four-year slump are lifting Illinois onto the bandwagon of economic recovery. Both sectors will easily lap the average earnings gain of 14.3% estimated for...

Franchise flip brings change for owners; Switch to UPS from Mail Boxes Etc. raises sales but cuts profits for some.(Small Business)
March 8, 2004... Byline: CYNTHIA HANSON For nearly 20 years, Mail Boxes Etc., the largest consumer shipping and packaging network in the world, delivered first-class service at high-end prices. All that changed in April. Atlanta-based United...

Field seeks $300 million for upgrades; Exhibit, lab redos on tap as attendance dips.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: PAUL MERRION Chicago's Field Museum is making no small plans with a record-breaking $300-million fund-raising drive to expand and revamp exhibits, create new scientific research facilities, upgrade aging infrastructure and beef up...

Doing good? Prove it; Foundations measure whether money makes a difference.(News)(Woods Fund of Chicago)(Chicago Community Trust)
March 8, 2004... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN Two Chicago organizations are out front in the foundation world's halting effort to measure whether grants they make do any good. Local non-profits that get money from them are jumping through new sets of hoops. ...

Bottom-line focus is good practice for do-good groups.(Opinion)(charitable foundations)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Be it business, government or even the non-profit sector, as the old saying goes: You can't improve what you don't measure. So, we're heartened that a couple of Chicago foundations are leading a national effort to require grant recipients to...

Biz group to bypass top pols; Taking aim at Blagojevich budget.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: GREG HINZ Fearing that they are losing the battle for influence in Democrat-dominated Springfield, the state's leading business groups are joining forces to reclaim control of their campaign cash from political power brokers. ...

Trading faces; Reality TV fans flock to plastic surgeons, seeking the `Extreme Makeover' treatment.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN While most TV shoppers scout out George Foreman grills and cubic zirconia jewelry, Theresa Hoban is hunting for a new pair of lips. The health care executive is a devoted fan of the ABC-TV reality show, "Extreme...

A shrewd investment: Biz sidestepping party bosses.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Illinois business groups are finally applying some financial principles to their political activities. Recognizing the poor return on its investment in the state's top politicians, business is redirecting some of that cash. No longer will...

Growing pains; Entrepreneurs often dream of expanding geometrically with one big deal, but new challenges arrive when the fantasy becomes a reality.(Small Business)
March 8, 2004... Byline: BRIAN LEAF Until Dec. 5, the rhythm of work at Fulton Street Baking Co. was as steady as rising dough. Then came the sweet chaos of the cookies: kolacky (pronounced koh-LAH-chee), buttery fruit- or cheese-filled morsels claimed...

Firm puts investment down the drain; Expanding production of waste-eating bacteria.(Technology)(In-Pipe Technology Co.)
March 8, 2004... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN A Wheaton-based company raised $1 million last month to make more waste-eating bacteria. In-Pipe Technology Co. will use the investment from the Asia West Environment Fund, a venture capital firm that bankrolls...

Profile: Electronic voting device offers cure for hanging-chad hangover.(Technology)
March 8, 2004... Byline: PAUL MERRION Four years after Florida's hanging chads put the outcome of a presidential election in the hands of the Supreme Court, electronic voting machines are estimated to become at least a $1.5-billion market. Congress, in...

Gen'l Employment Enterprises still looking for work; It's made cuts and is hopeful, but fees are down.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY The jobless recovery is squeezing General Employment Enterprises Inc. The Oakbrook Terrace-based staffing specialist slashed its own staff by more than two-thirds and closed half its offices as employment markets...

Layoff leads to startup; Entrepreneur taps severance for meeting space.(Small Business)
March 8, 2004... Byline: LISA HOLTON Right before Labor Day 2002, Quaker Oats Co. marketing executive Eva Niewiadomski got the news: After surviving waves of layoffs since PepsiCo's 2001 acquisition of Quaker, she was out. "The place had changed,'' she...

Hot February market sparks big moves in small stocks.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY After a 26% run-up in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index last year, many Chicago-area small stocks continue to show volatility. Laudatory Internet chatter or disappointing earnings is enough to send shares careening up...

Shorts' sights set on sale of Aksys stake.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: STEVEN R. STRAHLER A bizarre computer-driven stock-buying binge last year tripped Aksys Ltd.'s share price, and now, short-sellers are betting that the dialysis equipment maker hasn't given up enough of those gains. With almost...

Economy rides on hikes in transportation funding.(Opinion)
March 8, 2004... Byline: David Schulz In recent weeks, Crain's performed a laudable service by providing detailed tabular summaries of the issue positions of the Democratic and Republican candidates for U.S. Senate. Of particular interest are the...

Quote of the Week.(Quotes)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... "I love the show. Every time I watch it, I see more things I can get done." -- Theresa Hoban, fan of plastic surgery TV show "Extreme Makeover" PAGE 1

Apply moral tenet to correct exec compensation excess.(Opinion)
March 8, 2004... Byline: William J. McDonough In 1980, the average large-company chief executive officer made 40 times more than the average employee in his or her firm. By 2000, the multiple had risen, according to some studies, to 400. There is no...

DRYWALL GLUT HITS USG HARD; Lower prices complicate exit from bankruptcy.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: BOB TITA A glut of capacity in the drywall industry is depressing USG Corp. profits, making more difficult the company's efforts to emerge from bankruptcy protection. Despite record demand for drywall from a robust construction...

Back in Amli CEO seat, Mutz eyes growth push.(People)
March 8, 2004... Byline: ALBY GALLUN The new CEO of Amli Residential Properties Trust is ready to build and buy more apartment buildings. Gregory T. Mutz, 58, who returned to Amli's CEO chair after a two-year hiatus, is counting on an improving job...

Few workers mean few hassles; Entrepreneurs need little help to run these firms.(Small Business)
March 8, 2004... Byline: BILL CLEMENTS For entrepreneurs averse to managing others, there are business opportunities that require minimal labor while generating strong cash flow. The owner is king of service-oriented enterprises such as car washes,...

Jordan Industries sidesteps default; Lenders take 70 cents on dollar; next milepost April 1.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: STEVEN R. STRAHLER Jordan Industries Inc., a $700-million-a-year conglomerate aiming to avoid default, persuaded lenders last month to accept 70 cents on the dollar on a $275-million issue of notes. Chairman and CEO John W....

Late News.
March 8, 2004... HOUSE READY TO MOVE ON TRANSIT FUNDING U.S. House leaders have settled on $279 billion as the price tag for a six-year transportation funding bill that likely will contain several plums for the Chicago area, according to Rep. William O....

Incubator aims to draw cuisine crowd; Groups working to convert armory into cooking center.(Small Business)
March 8, 2004... Byline: BILL CLEMENTS An abandoned armory in Lawndale is being converted into a food manufacturing incubator aimed at cash-strapped entrepreneurs with an interest in the industry. Those with ideas but little or no money will have access to...

Crave variety? Try new takes on tapas.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: ANNE SPISELMAN Want to eat less and enjoy it more? Think small-plates, that is. Tapas hit Chicago more than a decade ago, but lately, non-Spanish restaurants have been adopting-and adapting-the trend for lunch or after work. Here...

Datebook.(News)(Calendar)
March 8, 2004... WEEK OF MARCH 8 MARCH 9: Assn. of Industrial Real Estate Brokers presents General Membership Luncheon. 11:30 a.m. Rosewood Restaurant, 9421 W. Higgins Road, Rosemont. Free for members, $25 non-members. (630) 579-3254. MARCH 9: Career...

Conventions.(Calendar/Datebook)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 8, 2004... WEEK OF MARCH 8 March 9-11: Fabric, Trimmings and Services Expo, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, estimated attendance 25,000. March 11-12: Chicago Shoe Expo, Embassy Suites Chicago, estimated attendance 800. March 11-14: Top...

City embraces gay judges; Queer eye for the judiciary: With six gay jurists, Chicago now rivals Frisco and N.Y.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: GREG HINZ You can hear the frustration in Brian Collins' voice as he talks about what it's like to be a minority candidate-the guy who's, well, different from the rest of the field. Qualities such as experience and judgment are...

State favors Harrah's bid.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... The Illinois Gaming Board said Las Vegas-based Harrah's Entertainment Inc.-with its plan to launch a casino in Waukegan-is ahead in the race for the state's 10th casino license. Harrah's bid $375 million, topping Biloxi, Miss.-based Isle of...

Let there be light, Hard Rock Hotel guests plead; Dim views move management to replace lamps.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: SANDRA JONES The rooms at the new Hard Rock Hotel Chicago are truly out of sight. From the violet-hued mirrors ascending the wall above the bed to the polished chrome nightstands, the decor is sure to make any rock star feel...

Bank One cuts Citi's credit card edge; Size alone won't win game in wake of merger.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: TOM FREDERICKSON Crain News Service Determined to promote its own brand, Citigroup Inc. five years ago demanded that Visa allow the bank to relegate the charge company's logo to the back side of Citi's credit cards. When Visa...

Peoples halts exec stock options plan; Shifts to shares for performance.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: STEVE DANIELS Stock options are history at Peoples Energy Corp. Starting this year, top executives at the Chicago-based natural gas utility will get no more stock options. They'll get grants of Peoples shares instead. The...

Cat draws fire for sales to Israeli military; Nuns decry use of equipment in W. Bank, Gaza.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: JAMES B. ARNDORFER Two orders of Roman Catholic nuns are criticizing Caterpillar Inc. for selling bulldozers to the Israeli military, which uses them to level Palestinian buildings in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The...

Credit card usage is on the upswing.(Small Business)
March 8, 2004... Cash-flow businesses don't always need to operate with bills and coins. A growing number of service-oriented businesses, such as car washes and laundries, are welcoming credit card transactions. While there are additional costs and...

FedEx made a move, too.(Small Business)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... The purchase of Mail Boxes Etc. by United Parcel Service of America Inc. three years ago did more than roil franchisees. It also spurred FedEx Corp. to expand by purchasing Kinko's, the business services provider with about 1,200 locations...

Cinema tech; Coming soon to a theater near you: digital technology. The trend could be a hot ticket for indie filmmakers.(Technology)
March 8, 2004... Byline: PATRICK Z. McGAVIN In 1893, Thomas Edison demonstrated his futuristic motion picture projector, known as the "kinetoscope peep show,'' at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. And it remained in place for more than a...

Hyper-growth can kill a company.(Small Business)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Byline: BRIAN LEAF A dominant customer can drain a small company's resources and undermine relationships with existing customers. And if the big contract is lost, financial ruin often follows. "One of the knee-jerk reactions is that...

Cell phone static ahead for Andrew; Disconnect: Gear maker's stock up, profit zapped.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON Investors who enjoyed the 330% ascent of Andrew Corp.'s stock since March 2003 can expect turbulence ahead. The $1-billion-revenues Andrew is the world's largest maker of the antennas and power amplifiers that...

MBAs; 2nd-tier degrees, 1st-rate careers.(Enterprise)
March 22, 2004... Byline: SAMANTHA STAINBURN Here's a success story that Northwestern University and the University of Chicago don't want you to hear. When the new owners of Schaumburg-based Wellmark International needed a president to lead the insecticide...

ShoreBank homes in on single-family loans; Offering alternative to subprime mortgages.(News)
March 22, 2004... Byline: STEVE DANIELS ShoreBank doubled its mortgage loan volume last year, offering borrowers in its South Side territory an alternative to high-interest-rate loans from the so-called subprime lenders that operate extensively in the area....

Mayor's tech czar tries talk therapy; To get city computers communicating.(News)
March 22, 2004... Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON As new technology adviser to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Patrick O'Donnell is working to bridge the city's internal digital divide. The former chief information officer of Swiss investment bank UBS AG is...

Buffett's best banker: Trott sets deal pace.(News)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2004... Byline: STEVEN R. STRAHLER Known for buying companies on the cheap without investment banking advice, Warren Buffett has some unusually kind words for Byron Trott, co-head of Goldman Sachs & Co.'s Chicago office. "He understands...

J. P. Morgan might do well in doing right by activists.(Opinion)
March 22, 2004... J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. has agreed to open more branches and lend more money in Chicago's less-affluent neighborhoods. We're glad they did, but wish the move didn't come at the point of a regulatory gun. As Steve Daniels writes in this...

Guv's $6-bil. backloaded budget bomb; GOP criticizes debt-stretching plan.(News)
March 22, 2004... Byline: GREG HINZ Gov. Rod Blagojevich, unveiling his fiscal 2005 capital-spending program Tuesday, faces mounting criticism that he's shifting the state's huge debt-repayment obligations onto future generations. An unpublicized report...

Sale's in the news, but Sun-Times presses on; Publisher revamps papers even as buyers hover.(News)
March 22, 2004... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN The Chicago Sun-Times' John Cruickshank took a promotion in November that many executives wouldn't relish: publisher of a newspaper group that's for sale. But Mr. Cruickshank, 50, isn't letting the tenuous nature...

Curtain falls on old-style pension plans.(News)
March 22, 2004... Byline: DEE GILL After seeing stock market losses turn pension plans into cash drains in recent years, some companies are phasing out traditional pensions that promise workers a fixed payment during retirement. Sears, Roebuck and Co.,...

Housewares dealmaker ships production to China.(News)
March 22, 2004... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY The housewares industry-notable for low-fashion, low-margin products like toasters and saucepans-looks sexy to Focus Products Group LLC. Backed by Chicago-based private-equity group Waveland Investments, Focus...

Try a museum-lunch combo for a mid-day getaway.(Dining/Restaurant Review)
March 22, 2004... Byline: ANNE MOORE If you can spare the time for a lunchtime getaway, take a mid-day trip to one of Chicago's world-class museums to see the latest exhibit and have lunch. Certainly, the quality of the food doesn't always match the...

Outsourcer to the world; Local firms profit from job exports.(News)
March 22, 2004... Byline: Julie Johnsson Packaging American jobs for export has become a growth industry for Chicago. A cluster of local companies are playing the arbitrage spread between labor costs in Asia and the U.S. They range from large...

Painkiller a jackpot for NU, chemist; Discovery to yield $100-mil.-a-year windfall: big money for university and for prof whose breakthrough may be Pfizer's next big thing.(News)(Northwestern University)
March 22, 2004... Byline: PAUL MERRION Around Northwestern University, all they can talk about is the "drug money.'' That's the expected windfall of well over $100 million a year in royalties the school will split with an unassuming 57-year-old professor...

Abbott lifeline: drug pipeline; As key deadline nears, a high-stakes bet.(News)
March 22, 2004... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN Abbott Laboratories' drug pipeline is beginning to look like a gambler's paradise. It's filled with drugs to treat cancer, heart disease and neurological conditions that promise big payoffs, but carry a high risk of...

Reaching the top without an MBA.(Enterprise)
March 22, 2004... Byline: BRIAN McCORMICK Is an MBA a requirement for an executive-level job? Perhaps not. Some executives have made it to the top without one. * David Bernauer, CEO of Deerfield-based drugstore chain Walgreen Co. Industry-specific...

Late News.
March 22, 2004... OFFICE VACANCIES CLIMB AGAIN IN LOOP The overall vacancy rate for downtown Chicago office buildings rose to 14.7% in the first quarter, up from 14.1% in fourth-quarter 2003 and 13.7% in the first quarter of 2003, according to Chicago-based...

End of the line near for transit fund ploy; Feds may end lease/leaseback benefit.(News)
March 22, 2004... Byline: GREG HINZ After years of warnings from congressional legislators, local governments are likely to lose a tax loophole they've used to raise tens of millions of dollars. Bills nearing passage in both the U.S. House and Senate...

Recruitment up at school job fairs.(Enterprise)
March 22, 2004... Byline: Mary Ellen Podmolik After two chilly years, the job market for newly minted MBAs is showing signs of warming up. Traditionally, employers make their campus visits in the fall, and several universities did see increased...

Investors take a shine to buffed-up Juno; After five years of tinkering, stock bounces back.(News)
March 22, 2004... Byline: PAUL MERRION Juno Lighting Inc. has been shining brighter for investors lately, five years after a disgruntled shareholder group pushed the Des Plaines-based firm into a leveraged buyout. An earnings rebound and a push into the...