Noon Business Lunch

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

A Chicago-based snack company says consumers appear to be prioritizing essentials over cookies, crackers and other snacks. Mondelez International says it saw slower growth in the latest quarter and blames consumer worries about inflation and the economy. Mondelez is the owner of Oreo, Ritz and Cadbury brands. Organic revenue rose 3.1% in the first quarter, short of the 3.5% expected by Wall Street analysts. North America sales fell unexpectedly while other regions reported gains. Despite the revenue miss, Mondelez stock has been performing well with shares up 10% this year. 

Also, American Airlines says seven new flights will be added to its schedule this winter with O’Hare departures. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Mark Hamrick, Washington Bureau Chief and Senior Economic Analyst for Bankrate.com, talks to John about the increase in continuing unemployment claims, how tariffs might impact the economy, his thoughts on the GDP decline, if the economy is at a tipping point, and if we are likely to a recession this year.

Segment 2: Matt Fiascone, president of Habitat, joins John to talk about housing supply and affordability, the typical project they work on, the mixed income housing they are working on right now, and the market rate for rent right now in Chicago.

Segment 3: Keenan Irish, VP of Government Relations & Member Engagement, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, joins John Williams to talk about the impact of tariffs and the economy on Illinois tourism.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about the next phase of tariffs, when we will truly feel the impact of tariffs, GDP declining in the first quarter, if we are headed to a recession, and what we should be doing with our money in uncertain times.

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

United Airline’s Polaris lounge at O’Hare Airport has reopened after a refresh. Crain’s reports the 25,000-square-foot space has a new look and more space following an eight-month long renovation. The lounge serves international customers flying in business class and is separate from the other United lounge with serves MileagePlus customers. The new Polaris has 50% more space, the amount of dinner seating has tripled and there’s a second bar. Crate & Barrel handled the new decor, which includes leather chairs, wooden bookcases and dinnerware. The lounge also includes private phone rooms, relaxation rooms and private showers. 

Also, there’s a big change impacting the type of insurance accepted at Advocate Physician Partners, a doctors group at Advocate Health Care. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about the importance of companies investing in managerial training.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about some unexpected departures that have resulted from President Trump’s recent tariffs, funding cuts and executive orders.

Segment 3: Tyler Lowell, Managing Partner of Chicago-based CA Fortune, joins John to talk about the results of their big Build Tank event, that highlights emerging brands. What were the brands that came out on top?

Segment 4: Matt Schultz, LendingTree chief credit analyst, talks with John about a new survey that shows that in 1 of every 4 large U.S. metros, a monthly income for a family of three earning $100,000 a year isn’t enough to cover that family’s basic expenses.

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media and Best Money Moves, joins John Williams to talk about the likelihood we see a recession this year, how tariffs have been impacting the economy, and a new study from Zillow that shows that even a starter home in half of U.S. states costs at least $1 million.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about United Airlines investing in an aviation startup that’s developing a blended wing body that could change the passenger experience on planes, Etsy selling Chicago-based Reverb, a music marketplace it bought for almost $300M, and Chicago software startup Ocient raising $132M in new funding.

Segment 3: Ryan Messner, President of Long Grove’s Historic Downtown Business Association, joins John Williams to talk about what makes Long Grove stand apart from other communities, the amount of new businesses that have come into Long Grove, and what makes Long Grove unique.

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

The initial public offering registration for Bally’s Chicago has been amended after two federal lawsuits over alleged discrimination against white men. Bally’s new registration opens up the IPO beyond just women and minorities. The filing was made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Casino is confident the IPO will still meet a 25% minority investment required by the City of Chicago. Bally’s Chicago launched IPO to raise funds for the construction of the planned $1.7 billion River West complex. The company hopes to raise at least $250 million from the IPO.

Also, a healthcare company is building its new U.S. headquarters in Illinois. Listen for more below:

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

A new study says four of the top five urban areas with the highest property taxes are right here in Illinois. Attom, a property information service, analyzed property tax rates for 217 metro areas. The highest were Rockford, Chicago, Peoria and Champaign-Urbana. Springfield ranked sixth. The analysis, reported by Crain’s, says half of the 10 highest taxing metro areas in the nation are in Illinois. In Rockford, homeowners paid a little more than 2% of their home’s market value in taxes. That rate was 1.9% in Chicago, 1.89% in Peoria and 1.88% in Champaign-Urbana. In the top-taxing Illinois metros, Attom says homeowners pay an effective property tax rate that’s more than double the national average. 

Also, The Chicago-based American Bar Association has announced the layoffs of 300 workers. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Danny Ecker, Commercial Real Estate Reporter, Crain’s, joins Jon Hansen to talk about the high rate of office vacancy in the suburbs and what that means for the office real estate market in the future.

Segment 2: Dr. Maureen Dunne, cognitive scientist and neurodiversity expert,, ‘The Neurodiversity Edge: The Essential Guide to Embracing Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Neurological Differences for Any Organization,’ joins Jon Hansen to talk about the importance of being open-minded about hiring neurodivergent people for your workplace and how it can transform businesses.

Segment 3: Brian Gordon, President, Gordon Associates, joins Jon to answer all of your questions about long-term care insurance.

Segment 1: Jim Wojdyla, Marketing Director, Volo Auto Museum, joins John Williams to talk about the history of the Volo Museum, how the museum has expanded through the years, the types of cars they sell at the auto museum, and the other attractions at the museum like the Titanic exhibit, and Jurassic Gardens.

Segment 2: Bree Fowler, Senior Writer, CNET, joins John to talk about a group of former OpenAI employees asking the top law enforcement officers in California and Delaware to stop the company from shifting control of its artificial intelligence technology from a nonprofit charity to a for-profit business, European Union watchdogs fining Apple and Meta hundreds of millions of euros as they stepped up enforcement of the 27-nation bloc’s digital competition rules, and Elon Musk saying he’ll be spending less time in Washington and more time running Tesla after his electric vehicle company reported a big drop in profits.

Segment 3: Michael Miller, Economics Professor, Western Washington University and Professor Emeritus at DePaul University, joins John Williams to talk about a number of issues including the impact of President Trump’s tariff policies, the importance of Fed independence, and if a college degree is really worth it.