Noon Business Lunch

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media and Best Money Moves, joins John Williams to talk about why Chicago is a great place for a staycation, and how low credit scores from student loan debt nonpayment has been impacting homebuying.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about a Chicago startup that helps disinfect spaces raising $1.6M, A new fund out of the University of Chicago will invest in deep-tech startups, and a Chicago-based investor in climate technology raising $430M.

Segment 3: Jodi Zombolo, Associate Vice President, Visitor Events and Programs, Chicago Botanic Garden, tells John everything you need to know about the new Patterned by Nature installation, which celebrates the universal attraction to patterns! Jodi gives us all the details on what you’ll see!

Segment 1: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the good job report, what is driving the market today, the dustup between President Trump and Elon Musk, the outlook for Tesla (and EV’s in general) moving forward, the fantastic run that gold has had recently, what he thinks of Fed policy, why he think there should be two rate cuts this year, and the importance of keeping diversified.

Segment 2: Nick Schlanger, director of research services at NAI Hiffman, joins John to talk about why Chicago has an advantage over other regions for reshoring manufacturing.

Segment 3: Mike Spriggs, Head of Consumer Insights, Fiserv, joins John to break down the Chicago data in Fiserv’s May Small Business Index. You can look at the data via the AI assistant here.

Segment 1: Steven Esposito, President of Yellowstone Wealth Management in Lake Forest, joins John Williams to talk about the uncertainty in the market, but how uncertainty can lead to opportunity. Steven also explains why he believes its time for the Fed to cut interest rates.

Segment 2: Bree Fowler, Senior Writer, CNET, joins John Williams to talk about Meta cutting a 20-year deal to secure nuclear power to help meet surging demand for artificial intelligence and other computing needs, and the social media platform Reddit suing the artificial intelligence company Anthropic.

Segment 3: Matt Alston joins John Williams to talk about a recent piece he wrote in Business Insider about how employees dislike work satisfaction surveys.

Segment 4: Ray Stout, Executive Director, Illinois Craft Brewers Guild and the ICBG Educational Foundation, tells John everything you need to know about the return of Friday Night Flights to Gallagher Way in Wrigleyville.

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

The University of Chicago has received a $21 million donation to establish a new quantum research center. Philanthropist Thea Berggren made the donation, and the new center will include her name. It’ll will be located in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and will pursue research that merges quantum technology with biology.

Also, a new restaurant is about to open directly accessible from the 606 Trail in Chicago. Listen for more below:

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about the net return of T-bills, what you need to know about the Trump tax bill, the opposition to the bill by some members of the GOP, the weak ADP jobs report, why you need to join the digital revolution when it comes to your money, and a new view on AI. Terry, as always, also answers your financial questions.

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

The Chicago Blackhawks have revealed new renderings for the Fifth Third Arena expansion. When the work is complete in early 2026, the venue will have more than 250,000 square feet of hockey space and training facilities, along with bars, lounges and a patio. The arena will continue serving as the training home to the Blackhawks and will also become the permanent home of the Chicago Steel. The team currently plays in Geneva. 

WGN Radio’s Charlie Roumeliotis has more details on the expansion, with a photo gallery of the Blackhawks renderings here.

Also, a Chicago-based investor in climate technology has had a highly successful funding round. Listen for more below:

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

A Chicago hotel is ranked among the world’s best hotels. The Peninsula Chicago is tied for first in the ranking by La Liste. The Peninsula is a luxury hotel on Superior Street just off the Magnificent Mile. La Liste determines its rankings by analyzing press coverage from nearly 400 sources like Forbes, the Telegraph and others. Its latest ranking was first reported by Bloomberg. Ten global hotels tied for first place while 47 properties tied for second place. Most of the hotels are in Europe, including London and Paris. Other winners are located in China, Italy, Thailand and Mexico. No hotels in Africa or South America were ranked in the top 10.

Also, McDonald’s says its Snack Wraps will return to the menu nationwide on July 10. Listen for more below:

Longtime Chicago radio veteran Harvey Wells, Founder, Lower Tech Bills, talks to John about how he helps customers lower their internet, cell phone, and television costs. And as always, Harvey answers all of your tech questions! First, though, Harvey talks about seeing Bruce Springsteen in France where everybody was sitting down!

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media and Best Money Moves, joins John Williams to talk about the strength of the spring housing market, and to break down the data released in the IRS 2024 Data Book.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Motorola Solutions paying $4.5B for wireless radio maker Silvus, Chicago’s latest unicorn startup, and Peter Rahal, who founded Chicago-based RXBar raising $75M for his next protein bar startup.

Segment 3: Scott Yon, VP of Events & Partnerships, Hornblower Group, talks to John about the launch of City Cruises Live, a new series of exclusive events with musical artists, sports legends, and TV personalities!

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

There’s an update to the gate allocation saga at O’Hare Airport. The latest allocation will give United Airlines five additional gates at the airport starting Oct. 1. American will lose four gates. After the re-allocation is complete, United, based here in Chicago, will have 95 gates while American will have 59. United recently announced it will add 50 flights from O’Hare later this year. 

Also, Rosebud is returning to Taylor Street in Chicago. Listen for more below: