Noon Business Lunch

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, and publisher of Love, Money + Real Estate on Substack, joins John Williams to talk about a new survey that shows 60% of C-Suite real estate veterans expect conditions to improve over the next 12 months.

Segment 2: Frank Manzo, Economist at the Midwest Economic Policy Institute, joins John to talk about a new study by the Midwest Economic Policy Institute shows that federal tariffs added more than $2000 in average annual costs to each household across a six-state Midwest region.

Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the difference between income and assets, what you should know about annuities, what’s driving the market this lately, if he’s concerned about the imposing new tariffs on Canada, and if he’s still optimistic about 2026.

TUNE IN to WGN Radio and listen to The Alpha Wealth Hour on Sundays at 7 AM. Catch up on previous episodes on WGNRadio.com, and subscribe to it on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

Segment 1: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, talks to John about how the market is becoming less forgiving, why the markets are looking past tariffs, if he’s concerned about inflation, employment being historically strong, and why he believes this could be a buying opportunity.

Segment 2: Adam Greenberg, known as the “Diaper King of Chicago”, founder of Northshore Care Supply, makers of Northshore Adult Diapers, joins John to talk about why he came into this business, how the company helps older adults who need diapers regain their dignity, how his product differs from its competitors, the importance of having reliable protection, if they have a target audience, how they became a trusted provider, and why they don’t shy away from the term ‘adult diapers.’

Segment 3: Lynn Sapp, third-generation owner of the Original Rainbow Cone in Beverly, joins John to talk about all the events to celebrate their 100th birthday!

Segment 1: Mark Hamrick, journalist, economic analyst, author of ‘The Hamrick Brief‘ on Substack, joins John to talk about why Rice-a-Roni still exists, the resiliency of the job market, mortgage rates moving in the wrong direction, and the likelihood the Fed raises rates this year.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, joins John Williams to talk about everything Samsung revealed at their Unpacked event.

Segment 3: Tim Scholten, SVP for BOWA and project executive for Home Court, joins John to talk about what BOWA construction does, their work building the athletic facility at the Obama Center, how building an athletic facility is different from building an office, and what the WNBA All-Star Weekend could mean for Home Court and the surrounding community.

Segment 4: Ariella Gibson, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Chicago Loop Alliance, joins John to break down the CLA’s State of the Loop Quarter 2 report.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to answer all of your financial questions.

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about minimum-wage workers not being able to afford rent in a single big city. Tom also shares his thoughts on the positives and negatives of unlimited PTO.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to explain why strategically refining existing products that match changing customer needs often works better for a company than a dramatic product “shake-up.”

Segment 3: Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the difference between income and assets, what you should know about annuities, what’s driving the market this week, if he’s concerned about President Trump imposing new tariffs on Canada, and if he’s still optimistic about 2026.

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, and publisher of Love, Money + Real Estate on Substack, joins John Williams to talk about new research that shows that none of the 50 most populous U.S. metros are truly affordable for a minimum-wage worker, and why America’s housing deficit held flat in 2024.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Unicorn Auctions eyeing $100M revenue mark, DubClub, a Chicago startup that helps sports bettors follow and mirror the bets of successful handicappers, hiring a DraftKings vet as its new CEO, and what he recommends to see during TechChicagoWeek.

Segment 3: Brad Henderson, CEO, P33, joins John Williams to tell us everything we need to know about this week’s Global Quantum Forum.

Segment 1: Steven Esposito, President of Yellowstone Wealth Management in Lake Forest, joins John to talk about what’s going on with the stock market this week, how the market has performed the first half of the year, the importance of a well diversified portfolio, the strong economic data that we have been seeing, why he thinks the consumer will continue to do well, his thoughts on oil prices, the ongoing concern over inflation, and what he expects from Fed policy the remainder of the year.

Segment 2: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins John Williams to talk about some of the recent vehicles that he’s been test driving, why Toyota is having a nice sales quarter, the best-selling EVs of 2026, how tariffs are impacting car sales, and to answer all of your automotive questions.

Segment 1: Tifair Hamed, Chief Growth Officer at P33, joins John to tell us everything we should know about TechChicagoWeek 2026. Tifair says to think about this event as the ‘Lollapalooza for Innovation.’

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, joins John Williams to talk about Samsung’s summer Galaxy Unpacked event. What are the big things we should be on the lookout for?

Segment 3: Mike Spriggs, Head of Consumer Insights at Fiserv, joins John Williams to break down Fiserv’s June Small Business Index.

Segment 4: Elliot Richardson, Co-founder and President, Small Business Advocacy Council, joins John Williams to talk about why Chicago needs a ‘Small Business Bill of Rights.’

Segment 1: Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to remind listeners to avoid watching the stock ticker 24/7 and why it’s not important to keep track of. Terry also answer listeners questions about social security, T-bills and more.

Segment 2: Laura Freveletti CEO of Les Turner ALS Foundation, joins John to talk about what ALS is, who does ALS affect, what the new Illinois state budget for ALS funding provides and to share details for the ALS Walk for Life event occurring on Saturday, October 24 at Soldier Field.