Crain's Chicago Business articles from October 2007

Crain's Chicago Business archives from October 2007

Big night for Chicago at Metropolitan Opera.(News)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Shia Kapos A posse of arts-loving Chicagoans jetted to New York's Metropolitan Opera last week to provide "Bravas!'' for Tony Award-winning theater director and Evanston native Mary Zimmerman, making her Met debut. Opera buffs...

What do you think of Rio? Richard M. Daley, Mayor of Chicago.(Focus: Brazil)(Interview)
October 1, 2007... In early July, Mayor Richard M. Daley visited Rio de Janeiro during the Pan American Games to check out one of the competitors in Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. He and a small entourage, including Chicago 2016 Committee Chairman...

On the Move.(People)
October 1, 2007... CONSTRUCTION MISSNER GROUP, Skokie: Dennis Kosko, 59, to vice-president of property management, from director of leasing and management at Heartland Commercial Inc. FINANCIAL SERVICES PowerShares Capital Management LLC, Wheaton:...

Crain's Picks.(Business of Life)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Margaret Littman FILM 43rd Chicago International Film Festival (312) 332-3456 www.chicagofilmfestival.com Thursday through Sunday Tickets: $13, $9 Cinema Chicago members; multipass ticket packages are...

Pole walking vaults onto scene.(Business of Life)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Darci Smith "Where's the snow?'' "You forgot your skis!'' Nordic walkers are a strange sight in a city of little altitude. But the sport has arrived in Chicago, with solo and group trekkers being spotted-and heckled-along...

A study in contrast.(Focus: Brazil)(Baxter International Inc)(Industry overview)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Laurie Cunningham For Deerfield giant Baxter International Inc., doing business in Brazil means understanding two very different worlds and one fickle customer: the government. Sao Luiz General Hospital looks more like a South...

What do you think of Chicago? Carlos Osorio, Brazilian Olympic Committee.(Focus: Brazil)(Interview)
October 1, 2007... As the director of international relations for the Brazilian Olympic Committee, Carlos Osorio is in charge of bringing sporting events to Brazil and promoting the country's athletes. But the committee's biggest challenge will be winning the bid...

Datebook.(Calendar/Datebook)(Calendar)
October 1, 2007... THIS WEEK OCT. 1: Jewish Vocational Service presents Sharpen Your Writing Image. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jewish Federation Building, 30 S. Wells St. Free. (312) 673-3437. OCT. 3: Hodge Schindler Integrated Communications presents To Build...

Look who's 40: MCA celebrates, Zell leads.(Business of Life)(Helen Zell )(Interview)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Mary Cameron Frey The Museum of Contemporary Art is one of the nation's largest facilities devoted to recent art, with a collection of painting, sculpture, photography, video and film dating to 1945. The current location, dedicated...

Todd's tax hike as gross as Rod's.(Opinion)(Cook County, Illinois. Board of Commissioners)
October 1, 2007... Even at a time when political leaders across the state are pursuing irresponsible, grandiose and self-serving agendas, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's $1-billion sales tax plan still stands out. County commissioners will vote...

For The Record.(Briefs)
October 1, 2007... Mayor Daley indicated he's willing to meet with Alderman Brendan Reilly (42nd), who opposes a plan to build new quarters for the Children's Museum in Grant Park near Bicentennial Plaza. Bank of America announced it will cut 2,500 jobs in...

Chicago Vs. Rio.(Focus: Brazil)
October 1, 2007... It's hard to beat Chicago's rabid devotion to its sports teams, unless, of course, you're a carioca. Cariocas, the local name for natives of Rio de Janeiro, were out in full force during the 2007 Pan American Games in July, cheering on their...

Opening.(Business of Life)
October 1, 2007... "The Miser" 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie (847) 673-6300 www.northlight.org 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday Tickets: $35-$49 This new twist on Moliere's classic...

Taste matters.(Focus: Brazil)(Company overview)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Laurie Cunningham Ask Brazilians if they know the name "Kraft'' and most will shake their heads no. Ask if they know Lacta, Trakinas or Tang, and they'll tell you which flavors are their favorites."I drink strawberry Tang every day...

U of C draws up a new school; Engineering would be a departure; a glimpse of new chief's vision.(News)(University of Chicago)
October 1, 2007... Byline: STEVEN R. STRAHLER The University of Chicago, under new President Robert Zimmer, a hard science-oriented mathematician and hard-nosed administrator, is considering launching an engineering department. It would be a historic...

The dark side.(Focus: Brazil)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Sarah A. Klein It's hard to miss signs of inequality in Brazil. Even President George W. Bush came face to face with it. The hotel in which he stayed, the Hilton Sao Paulo, sits right across the street from a large slum, part...

Chicago prices going up across the board; Fuel, energy costs push local inflation at faster clip than U.S.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: MONEE FIELDS-WHITE Rising energy and commodity costs are pushing up prices in Chicago, increasing the cost of eating at a restaurant and renting an apartment and threatening to deliver another blow to an economy already reeling...

Globalization in a Cup; From the fields of Brazil to the North Side of Chicago.(Focus: Brazil)(Diary entry)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Laurie Cunningham It's 8 a.m. on a coffee farm in Brazil, two hours after sunrise, and the pickers are in the fields. Wearing jeans, long-sleeved shirts and protective glasses, they begin at the base of each branch, methodically...

DOLLAR'S DAZE IS A CASH BOUNTY FOR SOME U.S. COMPANIES; A conversation with money manager dick burridge jr.(Markets)(Interview)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Meghan Streit Dick Burridge Jr., 45, managing principal and chief investment officer, RMB Capital Management LLC, Chicago Experience: 23 years Assets under management: $1.3 billion CRAIN'S: What's your outlook for the...

Cold shoulder; CITY HALL STIFF-ARMS INSPECTOR GENERAL APPOINTED TO ROOT OUT CORRUPTION.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Greg Hinz It seemed like a good idea. Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman wanted to put up posters urging city workers to call him if they witnessed "corruption.'' Aides to Mayor Richard M. Daley said that would be fine-so long...

Rowe says he's ready to deal; Exelon boss tells Street he'd give up CEO job to get a merger done.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: STEVE DANIELS Exelon Corp. CEO John Rowe wants an acquisition badly enough to relinquish the top job at the nation's largest utility for the right merger partner. At a dinner with Wall Street analysts and investors last month,...

Republican stars align; Still, the GOP race is wide open in Illinois; Dems raise more cash.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: PAUL MERRION Four months before the Illinois primary, Republican presidential hopefuls have sidled up to high-profile local backers, but no GOP candidate has a lock on Chicago's business community. "I've been looking very...

HOUSING BUST PUTS; Facing lawsuit, foreclosure, Virginia-based developer Ocean Atlantic has yet to sell a homesite on massive 2-year-old Kendall County project.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: EDDIE BAEB Two years after breaking ground on one of the biggest planned developments in the Chicago area-almost 4,000 homes, a country club and shopping center in fast-growing Kendall County-a Virginia-based developer has yet to...

McD's brewing beverage blitz; Maps national rollout of fancy drinks by '09; sees $1-bil. sales boost.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: DAVID STERRETT In one of its biggest strategic moves ever, McDonald's Corp. plans to sell lattes, cappuccinos and other specialty drinks in all of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants next year. McDonald's predicts the new drinks will...

It's time to take city school funding back to the streets.(Opinion)(Chicago School Reform Act)(Viewpoint essay)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Linda Lenz Linda Lenz is publisher of Catalyst Chicago, a publication of the Community Renewal Society that covers school reform. City, school and union officials rejoiced that a new teacher contact was penned without a strike....

Blackhawks owner Wirtz dies.(Briefs)(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... William Wirtz, longtime owner of the Blackhawks, died at age 77. The NHL team said Mr. Wirtz died at Evanston Hospital after battling cancer. The family, led by Mr. Wirtz' father, Arthur, purchased the Blackhawks in 1954. In 1966, Mr. Wirtz...

HOSPIRA READY TO OUTPUMP BAXTER; Rival's recalls offering prime opportunity for Abbott spinoff.(Markets)
October 1, 2007... Byline: MIKE COLIAS Local medical-products maker Hospira Inc. is poised to inflate sales at the expense of Baxter International Inc., as the larger, north suburban rival struggles with product recalls. The recent launch of Hospira's...

Quad Cities bank joins local fray; National Bank plans Kane, Kendall branches.(News)(National Bancshares Corp)
October 1, 2007... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Closely held National Bancshares Inc., parent of National Bank of Bettendorf, Iowa, doubled its size last year to $1 billion in assets by acquiring rival Metro Corp. of East Moline for $80 million. Now, the Quad...

SigmaTron profits in uncertainty; Material costs push production offshore.(News)(Financial report)
October 1, 2007... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY A year ago, revenue at SigmaTron International Inc. was roaring ahead, but profit was under pressure. Today, sales have moderated, but profit is rising again. Gary R. Fairhead, president and CEO of the Elk Grove...

Meijer eyes more area stores; Michigan grocer faces price-oriented rivals.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: JOHN DOBBERSTEIN Meijer Inc. says it plans to build more supercenters in the Chicago area, despite increasing competition. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer tells Crain's it will build six to 10 new stores a year in the...

When sugar isn't so sweet.(Focus: Brazil)(Archer Daniels Midland Co)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Sarah A. Klein You'd think Archer Daniels Midland Co., one of the world's leading ethanol producers, would be making its mark in one of the world's largest markets for alternative fuels. You'd be wrong. Like other...

Expression finder.(Business of Life)(Howard Tullman)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Christina Le Beau Howard Tullman, 62, is an art collector, educator and serial tech entrepreneur. His latest project, Flashpoint: the Academy of Media Arts and Sciences-a college for game design and other digital arts-just opened...

Destination: London.(Business of Life)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Anne Ford GET AWAY: For many Anglophiles, autumn and winter are the best times to visit London: Summer crowds have left and darker, chilly days somehow make it easier to daydream yourself back into the time of Shakespeare or Samuel...

Pita bread, circuses at Alhambra Palace; Entertainment outshines much of Moroccan menu.(Business of Life)(Alhambra Palace )
October 1, 2007... Byline: LAURA BIANCHI Like an extravagant Las Vegas casino, Alhambra Palace in the West Loop sizzles with wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor decor. Gold onion domes and metallic palm trees adorn the exterior; inside, Middle Eastern...

Workday sport: football hazing; Fantasy leagues play out in the office; bonding amid the jabs.(Business of Life)(Chicago Mercantile Exchange )
October 1, 2007... Byline: SHIA KAPOS On Mondays, the yelling and bullying in the pits of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is extra intense-because of pigskins, not pork bellies. That's the day that traders, like other groups of co-workers in fantasy...

Law firm COO out to win `war for talent'.(People)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Brandon Glenn Job: Chief operating officer, Chicago-based law firm Baker & McKenzie LLP, since September. Vitals: 54 years old; bachelor's degree in accounting and economics, University College of Wales, 1974; law degree,...

Beyond brazil.(Focus: Brazil)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Sources: CIA World Factbook, Economist Intelligence Unit Brazil captured the lion's share of attention in Latin America long before New York investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc. predicted the country's economy would eclipse...

Hotel sales on record pace; But lending clampdown may squeeze financing.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: ALBY GALLUN Sales of hotels in the Chicago area are on pace to break a record set last year, but a tighter lending environment is likely to dampen investor euphoria. Investors have completed 16 hotel transactions for a combined...

Heidrick moving into new N.Y. digs; Chicago-based firm signs 15-year lease.(News)(Heidrick and Struggles International Inc)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Byline: THERESA AGOVINO Crain News Service Executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles International Inc. will be doubling its space in Midtown Manhattan as it heads west and moves to 1114 Sixth Ave., better known as the Grace Building. ...

No substitute for FDA's approval; Northfield's PolyHeme may need more testing.(News)(Northfield Laboratories Inc )(Food and Drug Administration)
October 1, 2007... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY The blood substitute PolyHeme almost certainly isn't ready for prime time, a disappointment that could force its developer, Northfield Laboratories Inc. of Evanston, to find alternatives that public shareholders won't...

Corrections.
October 1, 2007... A Sept. 24 Focus article misspelled the location of BrightStar Healthcare. It is Gurnee. The firm that designed the Orland Park police headquarters was misidentified in a Sept. 24 Business of Life caption. It is SRBL Architects.

10 steps to safety.(Focus: Brazil)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Sarah A. Klein A popular souvenir from Brazil is a T-shirt that reads, "I left my heart in Rio-and my camera and my wallet and my watch.'' But tourists aren't the only targets of random and sometimes violent street crime. Last...

Brazil, uncovered.(Focus: Brazil)
October 1, 2007... It has South America's biggest economy, largest population and greatest landmass. Toss in the world's mightiest river, 26 diverse states, a federal district, and climates ranging from tropical rain forests to arid grasslands and you've got...

Path to growth?(Focus: Small Business)(analysis of entrepreneurship)(Viewpoint essay)
October 8, 2007... Byline: As told to Samantha Stainburn If you're itching for growth, there are two ways to go: hire more people and develop more products, or acquire another business. If it's a competitor, so much the better. "Usually, acquisition is...

Circling Back for Titan; With truckloads of cash, tire maker may be buyout target.(Markets)
October 8, 2007... Byline: BOB TITA Tire maker Titan International Inc., two years after batting away a buyout bid, is rolling toward a potential takeover again. Shares of the Quincy-based company are up 67% this year, fueled by speculation that the...

Zipcar profits from congestion; Boston firm to expand rent-by-the-hour car sites.(News)
October 8, 2007... Byline: MONEE FIELDS-WHITE After a year of getting Chicagoans to rent cars for a few hours at a time, Zipcar Inc. is driving forward with plans to increase its presence in the area. The car-sharing service is doubling its fleet to 500...

On the Move.(People)(Gregory Martens appointed at Aon Consulting Worldwide Inc.)(Andrew Gibson appointed at exlService)(Michael Caprile appointed at CB Richard Ellis Inc.)
October 8, 2007... architecture/engineering THORNTON TOMASETTI INC., Chicago: Faz Ehsan, 48, to senior vice-president, and continuing as principal, from vice-president. FINANCIAL SERVICES Aon Consulting Worldwide, Chicago: Gregory Martens, 33, to...

Rosebud Prime creates Loop buzz; Theater district gets a well-done steakhouse.(Business of Life)
October 8, 2007... Byline: LAURA BIANCHI Pre-theater patrons and the Loop business crowd are rubbing elbows at the new Rosebud Prime, a high-toned steak-and-seafooder whose decor evokes the adjacent theater district. Opened in July, this newest of 10...

Bank loan or venture capital?(Focus: Small Business)(Viewpoint essay)
October 8, 2007... Byline: As told to Samantha Stainburn For entrepreneurs, the choice between bank loans and venture capital is a tricky one. Venture-capital firms can infuse enough money in your small business to transform it into a national name. But...

In your wallet: a card collision.(Business of Life)(Brief article)
October 8, 2007... Byline: Kevin Davis So much for keeping all your things neatly together: With credit cards, transit cards and security cards piling up in wallets and pockets, Chicagoans are finding that storing them too close together can make them go...

On tax cap, Jones can rise above fray.(Opinion)(political aspects of property taxes)(Brief article)
October 8, 2007... Amid all the hair-pulling and name-calling that has made the current session of the Illinois Legislature a national embarrassment and muddied the names of the state's top politicians, one legislative leader has an opportunity to come off as...

Exec turnover at Calamos; 'Unfortunate timing' of departures as assets bounce back after slump.(News)(James S. Hamman Jr., and Patrick Dudasik to resign from Calamos Asset Management Inc.)
October 8, 2007... Byline: ANN SAPHIR Two of Calamos Asset Management Inc.'s top executives are heading for the exit just as the investment firm turns the corner on two years of subpar performance. Patrick Dudasik, Calamos' chief financial officer and,...

Guv targeting rogue lenders; Blagojevich measure toughens laws for payday, other firms.(News)
October 8, 2007... Byline: STEVE DANIELS Gov. Rod Blagojevich is taking aim at predatory lenders with a proposal to cap fees on consumer loans. The measure applies to loans of $10,000 or less made by lenders ranging from huge banks like Citigroup Inc. to...

China, India music to Moto's ears; But song site is a no-go in the U.S., raising red flags as Nokia builds up.(News)
October 8, 2007... Byline: JOHN PLETZ Motorola Inc.'s three-year-old music service in China, MotoMusic, has been successful enough that the company is ready to export it to India. But don't look for an American version anytime soon. Launching a music...

Playboy magazine bows to Internet revolution; Shrinks print presence, offers more free content.(News)
October 8, 2007... Byline: NAT IVES Crain News Service It's not easy for magazine publishers to set priorities in this media landscape, where print advertising brings top dollar but Web audiences grow fastest. Still, Playboy, whose content draws a paying...

Futures buyout scuttled; R. J. O'Brien's purchase of Iowa Grain founders amid credit market turmoil.(News)
October 8, 2007... Byline: ANN SAPHIR R. J. O'Brien & Associates' planned purchase of fellow local futures broker Iowa Grain Co. is off, an apparent victim of turmoil in the credit market that torpedoed an unprecedented boom in leveraged buyouts. Two...

Curveball for Cubs bidders; Team sale heads into 2008; Trib may still own on opening day.(News)(Chicago Cubs and Tribune Co.)
October 8, 2007... Byline: GREGORY MEYER The effort to sell the Chicago Cubs has slowed to a crawl as the team's owner brainstorms ways to reap maximum cash from its pinstriped asset. Despite Tribune Co.'s official line that the Cubs will be sold in the...

Making Illinois leader in attracting biotech investment.(Opinion)
October 8, 2007... Byline: William O'Neill William O'Neill is a professor of bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Cook County has a larger population and universities and health care systems superior to the state of Minnesota, but...

Buck leads rock show for San Miguel Schools.(Business of Life)(John A. Buck)(Interview)
October 8, 2007... Byline: Mary Cameron Frey San Miguel Schools began in 1995 in a convent dining room in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Its founders, Brother Ed Siderewicz and Gordon Hannon, had a staff of four, 18 students and a small grant. Today,...

A greener shade of dry cleaning; Lower emissions, higher costs for Solvair system.(News)
October 8, 2007... Byline: DAVID STERRETT Hundreds of dry cleaners nationwide have adopted "green'' alternatives to the solvents typically used in the $8-billion dry-cleaning industry. A Chicago-area company is seeking to capture a piece of that growing...

BETTING ON BABY; For Northwestern's new Prentice, deliveries are loss leader; will moms return?(News)(Northwestern Memorial Healthcare)
October 8, 2007... Byline: MIKE COLIAS The Oct. 20 opening of Northwestern Memorial Healthcare's gleaming new women's hospital will cement its identity as Chicago's maternity mecca-but delivering babies won't deliver profits. Instead, executives expect...

Top-name women boss the big boards.(Business of Life)(Brief article)
October 8, 2007... Byline: Shia Kapos What's this? Enough women leading the boards of trustees of top-tier non-profits that they can actually network with each other? Maureen Dwyer Smith made the jump last last week from the Joffrey Ballet's...

Implementing Urban League's new vision.(People)
October 8, 2007... Byline: Lorene Yue Job: Chief operating officer and executive vice-president, Chicago Urban League, since July 2. Vitals: 52 years old; bachelor's degree in economics, Harvard College, 1977; law degree, Harvard Law School, 1982;...

Incoming! New boss news sets off alarms; Gap at the top leaves shaky nerves below as employees fear worst.(Business of Life)(Viewpoint essay)
October 8, 2007... Byline: LISA BERTAGNOLI There's only one thing worse than a boss you hate-a boss you haven't met yet. In the tense gap between the exit of one supervisor and the arrival of another, employees scramble for information, jockey for...

Destination: Portland, Ore.(Business of Life)
October 8, 2007... Byline: Anne Ford GET AWAY: It's ridiculously easy to go green in Portland, a bike-crazy city with good public transportation and a penchant for organic, locally sourced cuisine. Just about all of the wineries within an hour's drive of the...

Crain's Picks.(Business of Life)
October 8, 2007... Byline: Margaret Littman FASHION Gen Art's Fresh Faces in Fashion Randolph Street, between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive (312) 229-1701 www.genart.org 6:30 p.m. reception, 8:30 p.m. fashion show Tuesday ...

Fast Mover.(Business of Life)(Young Women's Christian Associations CEO Laura Thrall)(Brief article)
October 8, 2007... Byline: Christina Le Beau Laura Thrall, 47, CEO of the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, started a sharing library at work to feed her habit of reading five books at once, from historical novels and "gritty'' Annie Leibovitz photo collections...

Need to Know.(Focus: Small Business)
October 8, 2007... 36% Percentage of small-business owners who outsource payroll. 29% Percentage who own their offices, as opposed to renting or leasing. 23% Percentage who want to sell their business in the next few years.

BEST BETS FOR BARGAIN HUNTERS: BANKS, INSURERS, RETAIL; A conversation with money manager mitch kovitz.(Markets)(Mitch Kovitz chairman of Kovitz Investment Group LLC)(Interview)(Brief article)
October 8, 2007... Byline: Brandon Glenn Mitch Kovitz, 43, chairman and CEO, Kovitz Investment Group LLC, Chicago Experience: 18 years Assets under management: $1.1 billion Crain's: With the Dow at record levels, has the stock market finally...

Real estate Web site puts out 'for sale' sign; IPO for Iggys House aims to raise $17 million.(News)
October 8, 2007... Byline: ALBY GALLUN Internet entrepreneur Joseph Fox is attempting the same move he pulled off during the dot-com bubble in 1999: selling shares to the public in a money-losing business with a short track record. Back then it was Web...

Buy or lease space?(Focus: Small Business)(analysis of commercial leases)(Viewpoint essay)
October 8, 2007... Byline: As told to Samantha Stainburn If you buy your office or retail space, you avoid painful rent increases, qualify for tax deductions and, typically, watch your property appreciate. But making a down payment ties up your working...

For The Record.(Briefs)(Nokia Corp buys NAVTEQ Corp)
October 8, 2007... Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker, is buying navigation-software maker Navteq for around $8.1 billion. Under the agreement, Nokia will pay $78 in cash for each Navteq share, including outstanding options. Nokia said Navteq would...

LaSalle CEO Richman resigns.(Briefs)
October 8, 2007... LaSalle Bank CEO Larry Richman resigned following Bank of America's takeover. Mr. Richman, 55, leaves this week, ending a 30-year career at LaSalle that culminated in his ascension earlier this year to the top job at Chicago's second-largest...

HR: outsource or in-house?(Focus: Small Business)(analysis of outsourcing)(Viewpoint essay)
October 8, 2007... Byline: As told to Samantha Stainburn You started your business because you excel at making products and deals, not at hiring employees or shopping for health care plans. So, should you outsource human resources? Often, the more...

CAT STALKING DEERE; Dealers aim for bigger piece of tractor market as farm economy booms.(News)
October 8, 2007... Byline: BOB TITA Caterpillar Inc. is plowing into Deere & Co. territory, aiming for a piece of the $16.5-billion North American farm equipment market. Cat dealers with large rural sales territories have been opening new branches and...

Food banks fight cuts; But Chicago depository has tough sell in farm bill.(News)
October 8, 2007... Byline: GREGORY MEYER The federal farm bill has a cheerleader in an unlikely location: the industrial flatlands near South Pulaski Road. The Greater Chicago Food Depository is gunning for increased support to food banks in the bill in...

Many or few?(Focus: Small Business)(customer relations of business enterprises)(Viewpoint essay)
October 8, 2007... Byline: As told to Samantha Stainburn Customers. You need them, but how many? Focusing on a few big accounts can be dicey. If one leaves, a large chunk of your income disappears. But ringing up sales to lots of smaller customers has its...

BP flap slams oil companies; Already high, gas prices could spike even higher if refinery plans stall.(News)
October 8, 2007... Byline: PAUL MERRION In a development likely to affect gas prices in the Midwest, oil refineries are facing intense opposition to expansion plans following BP America Inc.'s scuttled proposal to dump more waste in Lake Michigan. ...

Opening.(Business of Life)
October 8, 2007... "Satoru Aoyama: Ancient Pixels" 78 E. Washington St. (312) 744-6630 www.chicagoculturalcenter.org 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday Free The Chicago Cultural Center will host an exhibit of the work of...

Westell seeking profits overseas; Eyes Europe as DSL demand in U.S. falls.(News)(Westell Technologies Inc.)
October 8, 2007... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY The new CEO at Westell Technologies Inc. is taking the telecommunications equipment maker, which has had trouble winning contracts with U.S. phone carriers, global. To shore up profit, Thomas E. Mader, president...

Decisions, decisions; LESSONS FROM THE BARD.(Focus: Small Business)
October 8, 2007... Byline: Thomas Mucha Life is an endless series of choices: Sox or Cubs? Vodka or gin? Paper or plastic? There are also the more serious matters: Single or married? Kids or no kids? Stay in Chicago or move elsewhere? Taken...

The Iowa test; IOWA IS OBAMA'S BEST CHANCE TO PROVE HE'S NOT JUST THE 'WHOLE FOODS' CANDIDATE.(News)(Barack Obama )
October 8, 2007... Byline: Greg Hinz IOWA CITY, Iowa-He got the kind of reception most candidates can only dream of. Braving a blinding rainstorm and tornado warnings, 1,000 revved-up fans filled every inch of a hotel ballroom here last Tuesday to hear...

CF buys trade link to global market.(News)(C.F. Industries Inc acquires Keytrade A.G)
October 8, 2007... Byline: BOB TITA CF Industries Holdings Inc., with its investment in Swiss trading firm Keytrade A.G., aims to expand its reach in the global fertilizer market as high corn prices boost demand for crop nutrients. The acquisition of a...

Datebook.(Calendar/Datebook)(Calendar)
October 15, 2007... THIS WEEK OCT. 15: Institute of Internal Auditors Chicago Chapter presents Decreasing Sarbanes-Oxley Scope and Adding Value-the Integrated Soft Audit. 7 to 10 a.m. University of Chicago, Gleacher Center, 450 N. Cityfront Plaza Drive. Fee:...