Former Chicago Bulls All-Star, three-time NBA Champion and Managing Executive at Wasserman B.J. Armstrong joins Justin on Extension 720 to talk about what it was like to play for the Bulls during their first championship run, his memories of playing in the old Chicago Stadium, when he became interested in the business side of basketball, what Michael Jordan taught him about life outside of the game, learning how to appreciate the game from a fan perspective, why the best young players […]

Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist and winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal Rebecca Makkai joins Justin on Extension 720 to discuss her book, “The Great Believers.” Rebecca talks about the tremendous amount of accolades for “The Great Believers,” when she realized there was a significant buzz about the book, the importance of getting the small details right, when she decided how the novel would be structured, the parallels between Paris in the ’20’s and Chicago in the ’80’s, […]

Al Gini, Extension 720’s resident philosopher, joins Justin to discuss the 10 virtues of outstanding leadership. Al and Justin talk about the conditions that make a quality leader, the definition of “leadership,” the importance of character and stewardship, why honesty is a trait of an effective leader, if whistleblowers make good leaders, the difference between a manager and a leader, if you have to be nice to be a leader and why timing and deep selflessness are the most important traits […]

It’s “The Download on Chicago Business” sponsored by Signature Bank. Tonight, Justin speaks with Feldco President and owner Doug Cook about why he wanted to acquire Feldco, what it takes to a acquire a business, what he looks for in a company before he tries to acquire it, the importance of having a creative jingle, how the catchy jingle is able to separate Feldco from other businesses, the biggest challenge of buying and selling businesses and why trust is vital to building a […]

Reckless Records’ store manager Melissa Grubbs joins Justin on Extension 720 to talk about the new “Bargain Basement” sale this weekend, the rising popularity of vinyl records, the importance of community to Reckless Records, how they compete against other retailers, the way they remain competitive in a digital world, their relationship with the music industry and where Chicago stands as a music town. This is the podcast for Extension 720. The show originates from Chicago on WGN Radio and features […]

Barrington High School sophomore Emma Nelson joins Justin on Extension 720 to talk about making her film debut in the new Richard Linklater film, “Where’d You Go, Bernadette.” Emma talks about making the transition from stage to film, how she prepared for this role, what she did to get to know here character in the movie, what she knew about Richard Linklater’s career, her experience filming in Greenland, how she is coping with being in a Hollywood movie, what she […]

Tonight on Extension 720: Journalist Kerry Lester joins Justin to talk about a new report that finds that Illinois is one of only 14 states across the country that doesn’t have statewide legislation enforcing class size limits. What does that mean for students across the state? Social worker and author Jonathan Foiles discusses his new book, “This City Is Killing Me: Community Trauma and Toxic Stress in Urban America.” What can we do when an entire community is depressed. Jonathan […]

Social worker and author Jonathan Foiles joins Justin on Extension 720 to discuss his book, “This City Is Killing Me: Community Trauma and Toxic Stress in Urban America.” Jonathan talks about how mental health treatment has advanced over the years,  the need for more mental health clinics, the amount of toxic stress there is on certain communities in Chicago and when he recognized that individual therapy could not take into account the importance  of unemployment, poverty, lack of affordable housing […]

Journalist Kerry Lester joins Justin on Extension 720 to discuss a new report about school class size and which Illinois schools will benefit from the state capital budget. Kerry talks about where Illinois ranks when it comes to class size, the amount of money schools are receiving from the capital improvement budget and why there is a money disparity between schools. This is the podcast for Extension 720. The show originates from Chicago on WGN Radio and features newsmakers, tastemakers […]

The amazing Chicago musician Matt Muse joins Justin on Extension to talk about his career, his new record, “Love & Nappyness,” the amount of vulnerability in his music, why hip hop music was his only hope, how a hip hop song saved his life and his upcoming show at Schubas. Matt also performs a few songs in the performance studio including “Ain’t No,” “St. Matthew” and “Shotgun.” Awesome stuff.   Video coming soon… This is the podcast for Extension 720. […]