The Wintrust Business Lunch with John Williams from WGN Radio 720
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Wintrust Podcasts
Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. Pure Lithium is moving to Chicago. The next-generation battery technology company will relocate its entire operation from Boston to Fulton Market. Its $46 million investment will enable the company to manufacture the first commercially viable lithium metal battery he…
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Segment 1: Michael Miller, Economics Professor, Western Washington University and Professor Emeritus at DePaul University, joins John Williams to talk explain how one person has so much power over tariffs and the economy, the role immigrants play in our economy, why fertility is falling across the world, and how much weather forecasters can impact …
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Segment 1: Jared Dillian, Best selling financial author of the new book, ‘Rule 62: Meditations on Success and Spirituality,’ joins John Williams the latest rounds of tariffs including the tariff on Brazil and copper. Jared also explains his journey of writing his newest self-help book. Segment 2: Bree Fowler, Senior Writer, CNET, joins John William…
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. A company with ties to the Chicago area has a deal to buy the WK Kellogg company for $3.1 billion. Ferrero is based in Italy but has manufacturing facilities in Chicago and suburban Franklin Park. The company also operates an innovation center in the Loop. The deal f…
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Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about what we need to know about Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. Terry explains what the bill does, what it doesn’t do, and to clear up confusion about taxes and social security benefits. And as always, Terry answers all of your financial questions. And John a…
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Wintrust Business Minute: American Airlines ask for injunction against United Airlines over awarded O’Hare gates
Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. There’s a new development in the fight over gates at O’Hare Airport. American Airlines is asking a court for an injunction to block the awarding of more gates to United Airlines. The City of Chicago is reallocating gates and United is poised to gain five gates. Ameri…
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Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about how to make yourself a valuable commodity at work. Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about how AI is enhancing human management habits. Segment 3: Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter for Crain’s, joins John…
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. There’s a new CEO at Deerfield’s Baxter International. Crain’s reports the company has appointed Andrew Hider as President, CEO and board member. He’s expected to start later this year. He’ll replace Brent Shafer who moves to independent chair of Baxter. He’s been se…
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Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media and Chief Communications Officer and Chief Wellness Officer, Best Money Moves, joins John Williams to talk about extreme greed taking over the market, what’s in the Big Beautiful Bill, and some stats on the massive gig economy. Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Co…
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Segment 1: Jack Ablin, Chief Investment Officer and Founding Partner, Cresset Capital, talks to John about the market powering back despite ongoing uncertainty, what’s behind the market hitting all-time highs, the complex bond market picture, and the U.S. dollar experiencing its worst first half since 1973. Segment 2: Greg Glass, CEO, Fanstake, joi…
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Don Kleppin has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. Illinois closed its fiscal year with a record $54 billion in revenue—$717 million over budget. Strong personal income tax growth led the gains, but officials warn federal cuts could pressure next year’s finances. Comptroller Mendoza added to the state’s rainy day fund a…
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Ryan Burrow has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. The Chicago Sky have announced a partnership with Moonshot to become the first team in the WNBA to use national security technology to protect players from online hate, harassment and abuse. Moonshot, which focuses on countering online threats, will remove concerning co…
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Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about what she likes and dislikes about President Trump’s tax bill, the market reaction to what’s in the bill, the weakness in housing and jobs data, and why now is a perfect time to reevaluate your 401(k). Terry also answers all of your financial question…
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Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about what you need to know if you want to grow as an employee, the financial situation in Chicago and what needs to be done to help the city become more safe, inclusive, and prosperous. Segment 2: Steven Esposito, President of Yellowstone Wealth Management in Lake…
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. A Chicago investor has bought the retail space at Tribune Tower. Crain’s reports North American Real Estate purchased the 47,000-square-foot space for an undisclosed price. Tribune Tower at 435 N. Michigan was redeveloped into high end condos in 2016, it used to be h…
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Wintrust Business Lunch 6/30/25: Home affordability, side hustle rise, Chicago quantum conference, Sonny Acres Farm
Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media and Best Money Moves, joins John Williams to talk about a new study that shows that in many markets buyers need a $17,000 raise to afford a home, and how many people have a side hustle. Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about two Chicago …
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Wintrust Business Lunch 6/27/25: Market all-time highs, tax bill update, Fenceworks, Universal Horror Unleashed
Segment 1: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the stock market reaching all-time highs, why he believes the market is fairly priced, what needs to happen to happen for the market to move even higher, when we might see an impact on tariffs, if he expects two rate cuts by the Fed th…
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Wintrust Business Lunch 6/26/25: Meta lawsuit, financial freedom survey, Friends of the Chicago River, Wintrust in Lansing
Segment 1: Mike Leonard, Executive Vice President, Wintrust Commercial Banking, joins John Williams to talk about Wintrust’s footprint throughout the area, why it’s important to be embedded in neighborhoods, the importance of community involvement, the pride they take in the work they do, and the passion they have about bettering the communities th…
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. Three suburban Mariano’s grocery stores will close as part of a plan by parent company Kroger to cut costs and trim operations. 60 locations across the country will close over the next year and a half, including Mariano’s stores in Buffalo Grove, Bloomingdale and Gle…
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Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about new home sales falling in May, if this means there are buying opportunities, and the latest on Social Security and if you should take benefits earlier. Terry also answers all of your financial questions. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7492078/6-25-…
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Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about what you need to know about getting hired in a tough job market. Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about the benefits of the ‘paint a simple picture’ style of leadership. Segment 3: James Rodriguez, Senior Reporter, Bu…
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. Two of the companies that used to be the biggest for online job recruiting and job searching have filed for bankruptcy. CareerBuilder and Monster merged in 2024, and business has been shrinking since the heyday in the 1990’s. It fell off even more during the pandemic…
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Wintrust Business Lunch 6/23/25: Everyday millionaires, Zillow sued, corporate board effectiveness, Wintrust Week
Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media and Chief Communications Officer and Chief Wellness Officer, Best Money Moves, joins John Williams to talk about selling Best Money Moves and what it means moving forward, the rise of the everyday millionaire, the salary Americans say they now need to earn to live comfortably, Compass suing Zillow …
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. Berlin Packaging is moving its headquarters from Chicago’s West Loop to the Merchandise Mart. Crain’s says the packaging supplier has signed a lease for the fourth floor of the building. The new location covers 38,554 square feet. It’ll move from 525 W. Monroe to the…
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Segment 1: Phillip Shaw, CFP, Senior Advisor, Goldstone Financial Group, joins John to talk about the market performance this week, how the conflict between Israel and Iran is impacting the economy, what tariffs might do to the market, how much inflation has come down, if the Fed will cut rates in July, the economy being healthy overall, and what w…
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. One of Chicago’s most well-known gay bars wants to move into O’Hare Airport. Block Club Chicago reports Sidetrack is joining forces with restaurant operator German Gonzalez to bid on a space inside Terminal One. If approved, it would be the first gay bar inside an ai…
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. NASCAR is reportedly eyeing another city for an urban street race. The New York Times says NASCAR is nearing a deal for a stock car street race in San Diego and an announcement could come next month. The report comes as NASCAR prepares for the third race in Chicago. …
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Segment 1: Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Lifeway Foods, joins John Williams to talk about National Kefir Day, what they are doing to celebrate 40 years in business, how the company brought Kefir to the United States, the cultural relevancy of Lifeway Kefir, how much the company has grown, the expansion into other products, the health benefits of Kefir, …
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Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about a new report that shows the Social Security retirement trust fund may be depleted in less than a decade, what needs to be done to fix Social Security, and her thoughts on Fed Chair Powell’s interest rate decision. And as always, Terry answers all of …
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. Chicago-based Kellanova, the snack company spinoff of Kellogg’s, faces an anti-trust investigation in the European Union. The European Commission, which acts as a watchdog for the 27-country bloc, is concerned about the $36 billion bid by Mars to acquire Kellanova. T…
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. There’s a new CEO at Lou Malnati’s. The deep-dish pizza company has hired Julie Younglove-Webb to take the helm. Crain’s reports Younglove-Webb has more than a decade of experience overseeing corporate and restaurant operations, formerly of Auntie Anne’s, Domino’s an…
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Segment 1: Mark Hamrick, Washington Bureau Chief and Senior Economic Analyst for Bankrate.com, joins John to talk about a new survey that shows 65% of Americans think tariffs would be bad for their personal finances. Mark also talks about the resiliency of the market, and the likelihood the Fed keeps interest rates steady. Segment 2: Dennis Rodkin,…
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Wintrust Business Lunch 6/16/25: Market relief, Fed decision looming, Chicago startup dip, Solstice Century Bike Ride
Segment 1: Faron Daugs, CFP, Founder and CEO, Harrison Wallace Financial Group, joins John to talk about the market continuing to weather various storms, the status of President Trump’s tax bill, what we know about Trump’s trade agreements, the consumer feeling pretty good overall, the latest inflation data, and what he expects the Fed to do this w…
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. Ford has temporarily shut down its South Side Chicago factory as it struggles to get rare earth magnet supplies from China. Those components are essential to car production and have been trickling out of China as a result of the trade war. The Chicago plant makes For…
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Ryan Burrow has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. This will be a big weekend for conventions and events in Chicago. McCormick Place will host the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW 2025, the largest inbound international travel trade show in the country. Also the HYROX World Championships, a four day sports extravaganza is …
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Wintrust Business Lunch 6/13/25: Market dip after Israel attack, commercial real estate outlook, Prime Meats by Lettuce
Segment 1: Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the impact of the Israel-Iran conflict on the U.S. economy, when the Fed will likely cut interest rates, why the market is still holding up despite all of the uncertainty, what is going to happen with tariffs…
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Wintrust Business Lunch 6/12/25: Benign inflation data, AI hiring impact, Chicago’s new marketing campaign
Segment 1: Jason Turner, Chief Investment Strategist for Wintrust Wealth Management, joins John to talk about the fairly benign inflation numbers released this week, corporate earnings continuing to be healthy, and if he believes it’s time to lower interest rates. Segment 2: Bree Fowler, Senior Writer, CNET, joins John Williams to talk about Tesla …
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Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about long-term care insurance and what you need to know, what she thinks of President Trump’s plan to give newborns $1,000, and to answer all of your financial questions. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7466769/7466769_2025-06-11-225709.128.mp3 Recent Po…
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. United Airlines has partnered with Spotify to give flyers new in-flight entertainment. The partnership gives passengers free access to more than 450 hours of playlists, audiobooks and podcasts. The content will be available on United flights by 2026. United says it’s…
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Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk the importance of getting feedback at work, and why networking is key when trying to get a job Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to explain why the most valuable employees of 2025 are ambassadors and anticipators. Segment 3: Carl Pr…
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Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. Chicago-based Potbelly is seeing growth after warning in 2020 about going out of business. Crain’s says the sandwich chain has seen progress in its turnaround plan, including positive net income in the first quarter. Potbelly had income of $85,000 compared to a loss …
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Wintrust Business Lunch 6/9/25: Top staycations, credit scores drop, clean-tech, Patterned by Nature
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 Ch…
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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 po…
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Wintrust Business Lunch 6/5/25: Market opportunity, Meta AI power, work surveys, Friday Night Flights
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…
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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 a…
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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.…
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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 aren…
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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…
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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! https://serve.cast…
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Wintrust Business Lunch 6/2/25: Home listings jump, IRS data, City Cruises Live, Pathos AI is Chicago’s latest unicorn
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 …
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