Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute.

The financial outlook for the City of Chicago has been changed to negative by Fitch Ratings. In its revision, Fitch says there’s been a lack of meaningful progress in closing a nearly $1 billion structural budget gap. The agency has suggested Chicago could face a future downgrade unless it stabilizes its finances. Fitch says the situation could be made worse if the city loses any part of the $3 billion in federal funding currently at risk. Losing that funding could force the city to deplete its reserves or come up with short term fixes.

Also, United Airlines travelers will soon have less time to check in for their flights. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about about the importance of showing up for meetings, and what you can learn if you accidentally missed a scheduled appointment. Tom also tells about the recent shift of power from the employees to the employer.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about, ‘The Great Delay,’ a phenomenon where more young adults are holding off on workforce entry because of an uncertain job market.

Segment 3: Kristen Daniels, Executive Director, Bernie’s Book Bank, joins John to talk about the mission of Bernie’s Book Bank, why providing books to children who might not have access is so important, and their upcoming Book Lovers’ Lunch!

Segment 1: Liza Lefkowski, Vice President of Merchandising and Stores, Wayfair, joins John Williams to talk about the 1 year anniversary of their first brick and mortar store in Wilmette!

Segment 2: Joe Cicero, Director of Marketing and Promotions for the McHenry Outdoor Theater, joins John to talk about the 74th season of the theater! Joe tells John how the theater is nostalgia at its finest, why they are a success when other outdoor theaters have gone away, the importance of being supported by the community, and some of the special events they have programmed for this year.

Segment 3: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive, and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins John Williams to talk about EV sales accelerating, what the new Trump tax bill could mean for the EV market, the latest on Tesla, and what we should know about the 2026 Toyota RAV4.

Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute.

Oberweis Dairy is planning an expansion just a year after it was acquired out of bankruptcy by a new owner. Hoffman Family of Companies purchased the 100-year-old company last June and has spent the last year upgrading stores and buying real estate. Crain’s reports Oberweis plans to open 15 to 17 stores in the next two years, including five to seven in the Chicago area. Five more will open in the St. Louis area. The company will also expand into southwest Florida. Oberweis began in 1915 delivering milk via horse-drawn-wagon.

Also, A suburban manufacturing plant is closing. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Wendy Reed, Partner at Just Rite IT, joins John Williams to talk about what Just Rite IT does, how they help customers with their technology needs, the most important need for businesses right now, the typical problems they solve, how they ease the day-to-day burden for their clients, and the ways they can save their customers money.

Segment 2: Bree Fowler, Senior Writer, CNET, joins John Williams to talk about Google unleashing another wave of AI technology to accelerate a year-long makeover of its search engine, and tech and music industry leaders testifying about the dangers of deepfakes made with artificial intelligence.

Segment 3: Suzy Welch, best-selling author, tech entrepreneur, and award-winning professor at NYU Stern, joins John Williams to talk about her new book, “BECOMING YOU: The Proven Method for Crafting Your Authentic Life and Career.” Suzy talks about how AI is changing the world we live in, how she ended up writing her new book, why she’s not interested in happiness, how you can figure out your purpose, the importance of finding out what you are good at and how much money you want, and who could benefit from the methodology in the book.

Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute.

One of the country’s top business schools is launching a program to attract more veterans. Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management has announced The Matt Caldwell Veterans Program. It will focus on increasing veteran student recruitment and provide financial support and scholarships for veterans. The program will be paid for with funds from Kellogg’s $600 million fundraising campaign. Caldwell is a Kellogg alum. He served in the U.S. Army during combat operations in Iraq and Kosovo.

Also, Motorola Solutions is reportedly in talks to acquire wireless-radio manufacturer Silvus Technologies. Listen for more below:

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about the market clawing its way back from drops earlier in the year, the importance of creating a financial plan from a fee-only fiduciary, and the uncertainty over President Trump’s budget bill. And as always, Terry answers all of your financial questions.

Segment 1: Jack Ablin, Chief Investment Officer and Founding Partner, Cresset Capital, talks to John about the big takeaways from Moody’s credit downgrade, the trade agreement between China and the U.S., and the likelihood of a recession in 2025.

Segment 2: Phil Mikhaylov, Founder / CEO, Unicorn Auctions, talks to John about their auction platform for spirits and wine. Phil explains how the auctions work, the logistics involved in delivering product across the globe, who owns the bottles, how many bottles they sell during a year, how many customers they serve, how they acquire the bottles that go up for auction, the price range of the bottles that you can buy, and how often the auctions take place.

Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute.

Chicago restaurants report fewer people eating out, and those who are, have been spending less. Crain’s spoke with several restaurant operators who say revenue and foot traffic is down so far this year. Even with the warming weather, traffic has not picked up. Diners have told restaurants they’re eating out less because of tight budgets and recession fears. Manny’s deli says traffic has been down about 10% over the last two months. Beverage sales are down 15%. Several other eateries also report traffic and revenue down 10% year over year. 

Also, Geico has a new corporate office in Chicago at the Merchandise Mart. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media and Best Money Moves, joins John Williams to talk about spring homebuying season sputtering, student loan borrowers throughout the country reporting massive credit score drops, the impact of Moody’s downgrading the credit rating of the United States, and Walmart saying price hikes may come soon because of tariffs.

Segment 2: Matt Schultz, LendingTree chief credit analyst, talks with John about a new survey that shows almost 4 in every 10 people with credit card debt have lied about it.

Segment 3: Tracey Halama, CEO, Supergut, tells John about how long their health and wellness company has been in business, the various type of products they sell, how you can naturally boost your GLP-1, the importance of increasing fiber in your diet, and the growth the company is seeing.