The Opening Bell

The Google memo story happened a could weeks ago, but the results are still developing. Bret McKitrick (SVP & Sr. HR Consultant at Associated Benefits – Part of Associated Bank) is this week’s Associated Bank Thought Leader and he broke down the story from the HR perspective and what might happen as it develops. Steve then turned his attention to the holiday hiring season that is gearing up and it’s good news for potential employees. Andrew Challenger (VP at Challenger, Gray, […]

On September 20th, 2017 Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers: Existing Home Sales for August will be released by the National Association of Realtors It is the last day of the Federal Open Market Committee’s two-day meeting The UN General Assembly continues in New York  

Aviation is a steady and reliable industry, so why not start a career in it? Steve Grzanich  was joined by Greg Dellinger (Director of Talent Acquisition Strategy at AAR Corp) to talk about Illinois’ aviation footprint and how training and jobs are bountiful.  Steve then turned his focus towards the world of e-commerce with Johann Van Tonder (Co-Author of “E-Commerce Website Optimization“) to talk about his book that lays out a step by step plan to contribute to the booming […]

US colleges and universities are constantly looking to improve their schools to attract potential students. Another factor to help increase attraction is the ranking on the annual US College Ranking List. Steve Grzanich looked at the 2018 list with Delece Smith-Barrow (Higher education Reporter at US News & World Report) and was proud to announce a handful of schools in Illinois that appear near the top of the list. Cianti Stewart-Reid (VP of Campaigns Community Youth Engagement at Truth Initiative) […]

On September 19th, 2017 Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers: The Federal Reserve begins its two day policy meeting and unwinding their balance sheet The Commerce Department releases its analysis of housing starts of August and the current account trade deficit for the second quarter  

Film and television has become completely ingrained into our culture, but how do these producers and writers create the next hit show? Steve Grzanich discussed the best way to teach storytelling through film with Trevor Albert (Chairman of The Harold Ramis Film School), and how the thought process can be brought into the business world. Then as the seasons begin to change, Steve and Nicole Ertas (Founder and CEO of Free Range Brands) discussed the major flavor demand of pumpkin […]

On September 18th, 2017 Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers: National Association of Home Builders releases its housing market index for September The US Treasury Department reports on international money flows for July The US Commerce Department reports on August housing starts tomorrow and releases the current account trade deficit Federal Reserve policy makers begins a two day meeting to set interest rates later this week FedEx reports earnings tomorrow  

On September 15th, 2017 Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers: The US Department of Commerce detailed retail sales data for August and also business inventories for July The Federal Reserve Reserve releases industrial production numbers for August The Cassini Space craft will end its 13 year journey later today  

An easy week in the markets according to Paul Nolte (SVP & Sr. Portfolio Manager at Kingsview Asset Management) when he told Steve about the quiet fed  and moderate returns. Steve and Paul also shared their perspective on the controversial crypto-currency “Bitcoin”. The uncertainty of the crypto-currency also leads into the climate uncertainty given the natural disasters of the last couple of weeks, so Pat Cutilletta (Executive Director and Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley) helped listeners weather the financial storm […]

One of the biggest data breaches in modern history happened this month and over 140 million Americans were effected, including this week’s Associated Bank Thought Leader. Rod Murray (Group SVP for Commercial Banking & Head of the Leveraged Finance group at Associated Bank) told Steve first hand about the steps to better protect his personal information including freezing credit and how technology continues to encroach on our personal details.