Noon Business Lunch

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, joins John Williams to talk about the trend of ‘job hugging’ and how workers are clinging to their jobs, where home values are rising and falling.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about a Chicago startup that helps social service agencies book hotels for people in need being named one of the fastest growing companies on the INC 5000 list, and the CEO of Uber Freight leaving to join Waabi.

Segment 3: Madeline Moeke, Chief Operating Officer for the Chicago Slice, tells John everything you need to know about a star-studded pickleball event taking place this week at Gallagher Way right outside Wrigley Field!

Segment 1: Michael Miller, Economics Professor, Western Washington University and Professor Emeritus at DePaul University, joins John Williams to talk about how tariffs will impact general prices, why markets are still hitting all-time highs, when the Fed might cut interest rates, and to explain why initial labor report numbers are typically not reliable.

Segment 2: Mike Spriggs, Head of Consumer Insights at Fiserv, joins John Williams to share details from July’s Fiserv Small Business Index.

Segment 3: Ryan Gruenenfelder, Senior Advocacy Manager for AARP Illinois, tells John about the 90th anniversary of Social Security, the amount of Illinois residents that rely on Social Security benefits, and the importance of protecting the program.

Segment 1: Jason Turner, Chief Investment Strategist for Wintrust Wealth Management, joins John to talk about why the stock market continues to rise despite economic uncertainty, his thoughts on today’s hot inflation report, and if he thinks the Fed might cut rates in September.

Segment 2: Jason Hiner, Editor in Chief, ZDNET, joins John to talk about a new version of ChatGPT, his thoughts on the best AI chatbots out there, the US licensing Nvidia to export chips to China,

Segment 3: Dominick Reuter, Senior Reporter, Business Insider, joins John Williams to talk about AT&T CEO John Stankey’s response to an employee survey about remote work.

Segment 4: Wealth advisor Zac Larson, Founder, Solstice Century, joins John Williams once again to recap the 2nd annual Solstice Century Bike Ride and Fundraiser. 

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about the market hitting all-time highs and what to know if you are planning for retirement. Terry also answers all of your financial questions.

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

Abbott Laboratories spinoff AbbVie will spend nearly $200 million to expand its manufacturing plant in North Chicago. The plan is to expand domestic drug production and this project is part of the company’s previously announced $10 billion U.S. Capital plan. AbbVie is hoping to lessen the impact of tariffs on pharmaceuticals. The North Chicago expansion will allow AbbVie to increase chemical synthesis capabilities for pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing. Construction is set to begin this fall and the expansion should be fully operational in 2027. AbbVie employs more than 11,000 people across Illinois.

Also, Chicago’s ReloShare has been named one of the fastest-growing startups in the U.S. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about the job market tightening and the sacrifices that might need to be made to land a job. Tom also talks about the importance of making friends at work.

Segment 2: Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter for Crain’s, joins John to talk about new home sales in the Chicago area, the health of the condo market, why the downtown condo market is struggling, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Hills-DeCaro House in Oak Park going up for sale for the first time since 2001.

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, joins John Williams to talk about how many people are using ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ services, Nvidia and AMD agreeing to pay 15% of revenues from chip sales to China to the U.S. government, and how AI is creating billionaires.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about a Chicago life science startup whose funding increased almost 90% year over year, and Illinois putting forth some AI regulations that keep artificial intelligence from acting as your therapist.

Segment 3: Billy Marino, CEO, Leona’s, tells John how the iconic Chicago area pizza company will be celebrating its 75th anniversary with a special one-day event on Thursday, Aug. 14!

Segment 1: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the overall health of the markets and the economy, how market volatility has almost collapsed, why it’s a good time to rebalance your portfolio, Trump nominating CEA chair Stephen Miran to the Federal Reserve board, what’s likely to happen with rates when the Fed meets again, and the latest on President Trump’s trade deals.

Segment 2: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins Jon Hansen to talk about LED headlights, how tariffs are impacting the auto industry, when you will see auto prices start to rise, GM and Hyundai developing vehicles together, and if there are on bright spots for Tesla right now.

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

Chicago-based McDonald’s is debuting a retro adult Happy Meal next week. It comes with either a Quarter Pounder with cheese or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, fries, and a collectible souvenir featuring nostalgic characters. Ronald McDonald, Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, and Grimace, will be included in the McDonaldland Meal. There’s also a new, limited-edition McDonaldland Shake. The retro Happy Meal will be available next Tuesday, August 12.

Also, Portillo’s expansion plans have hit a bit of a snag in Texas. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Elmwood Park Village President Angelo “Skip” Saviano tells John everything you need to know about the 2025 Taste of Elmwood Park!

Segment 2: Business Journalist Mallika Mitra joins Jon Hansen to share the story behind her article, “The Case for Taking Mini-Retirements Along the Way in Your Career.” Mitra explains why more professionals, especially millennials and Gen Z, are stepping away from work temporarily to recharge, explore, or reassess their goals.

Segment 3: Carl Prouty, “The Technologist” at Abt Electronics in Glenview, talks to Jon Hansen about this year’s trends and popular items for back-to-school.