Bennett Wakenight

Recent Articles

  • Wintrust Business Lunch 7/16/19: Amazon Wraps Up Prime Day(s), IL Political Playbook & Colombia College Graduation Rates

    China/U.S. trade scuffles are being felt on Wall Street today as Jon Najarian explained to Steve Bertrand, but Jon doesn’t see them being a long term problem. Bree Fowler is rounding out day two of Amazon Prime Day(s) with the purpose of the 48 hour long sale, Shia Kapos is checking in on Politico’s Illinois Playbook, and Amy Guth is spotlighting Colombia College’s efforts to better its graduation rate.  

  • SINGLE USE ONLY TOB 7/16/19

    For The Times They Are A-Changin’ (And So Are Our Vices)

    Industries are constantly evolving and so are our human behaviors. Steve Grzanich and Oscar Yuan (President at Ipsos Strategy3 and Author of WhatTheFuture Series) looked all the way back to when rock-n-roll and alcohol were considered vices in society, and compared them to what are considered vices today. The two recapped the most recent WhatTheFuture Series diving into evolving vices and how that is influencing the decisions business make today.  

  • SINGLE USE ONLY TOB 7/16/16

    The Opening Bell 7/16/19: Targeting and Helping Chicago Communities Live Healthier

    U.S. healthcare issues can be difficult to grasp, as concerns vary regionally, so Dr. Catina Latham (Director of Community Benefit and Evaluation at University of Chicago Medicine) focused on the surrounding community of the South Side. Steve Grzanich and Dr. Latham unwrapped the results of the Community Health Needs Assessment, finding that that asthma and diabetes are among the top chronic diseases residents are faced with. Oscar Yuan (President at Ipsos Strategy3 and Author of WhatTheFuture Series) looked ahead to […]

  • Associated Bank Market Outlook: 7/16/19

    On July 16th, 2019 Steve Grzanich shares the day’s potential market drivers: The June Retail Sales Report is out today along with the Import Price Index Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is speaking at a bankers dinner in France today United Airlines, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs Charles Schwab and Johnson & Johnson report earnings.

  • SINGLE USE ONLY BIZ LUNCH 7/15/19

    Wintrust Business Lunch 7/15/19: The Cumin Club, The Larger Healthcare Conversation & Boeing’s Push Back

    The meal delivery market has helped put Chicago food startups on the map, but Katherine Davis noted that the competition is becoming fierce. Steve Bertrand and Katherine talked about the latest addition to the Chicago market called The Cumin Club, and a number of other tech stories around the city. Amy Guth is previewed the Crain’s Daily Gist podcast touching on the conversation about whether healthcare is a fundamental right, and Lewis Lazare is updated the business world on the […]

  • SINGLE USE ONLY TOB 7/15/19

    Giving Away School Supplies To An Entire School, For An Entire Year

    One of the most common resources teachers and schools ask for every year are school supplies. They can be expensive, cumbersome, and vital to effective learning. Matthew Kurtzman (CEO of Back 2 School Illinois) and Steve Grzanich discussed the impact these school supplies have on classrooms, especially as many school cut back and ask kids to bring in other supplies for other administrative needs. Chicagoan’s can nominate a school for the “Win School Supplies For An Entire School” contest here […]

  • SINGLE USE ONLY TOB 7/15/19

    The Opening Bell 7/15/19: The Strategy You Need To Shop Amazon’s 48 Hour Prime Day Sale

    The annual Amazon Prime Day sale is underway and it has been extended to 48 hours of deals online. Ben Frumin (Editor-in-Chief at WireCutter.com) explained to Steve Grzanich that planning out what you really want/need is the best way to start shopping and avoid getting lost in the sales clutter. Matthew Kurtzman (CEO of Back 2 School Illinois) is preparing schools and teachers for the upcoming academic year by explaining how he is giving away free school supplies to an […]

  • Associated Bank Market Outlook: 7/15/19

    On July 15th, 2019 Steve Grzanich shares the day’s potential market drivers: Data on China’s Q2 GDP will be released today (previous data shows its experiencing a slow down) Amazon Prime Day is underway Citi reports earnings The Empire State Manufacturing Survey is out later today as well

  • SINGLE USE ONLY BIZ LUNCH 7/12/19

    Wintrust Business Lunch 7/12/19: Jobs Jobs Jobs, Restaurant Openings/Closings, & Chicago’s Tech 50

    The Chicago business scene seems to keep moving along and the recent Accenture growth announcement is a perfect example of that – Steve Bertrand and Andrea Hanis discussed the number of local companies with their own announcements . Jeanne Allen is looking from the outside in at the Chicago Public School system, Ashok Selvam is keeping his eyes on all of the restaurant opening in Crate & Barrel and John Pletz is announcing the annual Tech 50 list.  

  • SINGLE USE ONLY TOB 7/12/19

    Flyers Might Soon Have To Pay A “Carbon Tax” on Tickets

    Madhu Unnikrishnan (Editor at Skift’s Airline Daily) likes to look at the big picture when it comes to the airline industry, but also has the pulse of each airline. Steve Grzanich checked in with Madhu to discuss the stellar earnings from Delta Airlines along with the news coming out of France detailing that consumers might have to start paying a “carbon tax” because of airline emissions impacting climate change.  

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