All posts by ChicagoAdmin

Chicago: Adding Jobs

Employment,

When a region creates more jobs, it is pretty much great news for everyone.  Last month, the ADP Regional Employment Report  recorded an additional 5,700 new positions in the private sector. And for those in Chicago still seeking employment, there is good news too; a new law has forbidden potential employers from asking job applicants to reveal their salary history in an increasing attempt around the country to create gender equal salaries.

The additional jobs in Illinois saw the most in Chicago but the state as a whole added a staggering 41,000 jobs in 2017.  Over half of these though were in Chicago – nearly 24,000.

And with this, the executive order to mark Equal Pay Day was signed by the Chicago Mayor.  This shows how far into the year women have to work – on average – to earn as much as their male counterparts did the previous year! This comes at a time when lawmakers in the region are looking at two different pieces of legislation that are seeking to close the wage gap.

Label Insight Named One of Chicago’s Best Places to Work

Business News, ,

Crain’s Business Chicago and Best Companies Group recently revealed Chicago’s Best Places to Work, a survey and awards program which recognizes the top 100 businesses to work for in Chicago. The choices are made based on each company’s workplace policies, practices and demographics, as well as employee survey’s which assessed their attitudes towards their workplaces.

Final scores revealed Label Insight, a leading company focused on transparency and digital transformation, as one of the winners.

“We are honored to be recognized as one of the best places to work in Chicago,” said Label Insight chief executive officer Paul Schaut. “Label Insight was founded with the mission of providing greater product transparency to consumers- and that impacts everything we do from the products we create, to the companies we partner with, to how we run our business.

“Our team believes in this greater mission and collectively works toward our broader goal of helping consumers better understand what is in the products they use and consume,” he said. “I am grateful to the tremendous Label Insight team for their outstanding contributions to our company’s growth and continued success.”

Upcoming Attractions!

Wellness, ,

There are some great things going on in the Chicago area over the next few days.  From 13thto 15thApril there is the I Heart Halal exhibition at the Navy Pier.  At this, attendees will get the opportunity to learn about the Halal lifestyle, food and culture prominent in Muslim life.

Get healthy with skills, knowledge and education at the Rally HealthFest on April 14th.  With no charge, it’s a no brainer. Combining fitness activities, healthy snacks and more, comedians will be on hand to add a bit of an edge to the day. For anyone who wants to find new – and fun –ways to improve their health this is a great event.  And, considering Rally is intent on bringing health to the workforce too, this is a good opportunity for local businesses to get on board.  With a kid zone it’s good for those looking for a family day.

The core of the Rally movement is having a cohesive effort made between payers, providers, employers and embers together “recognizing the crucial role they play in the ecosystem.” Through this, employees can get practical experiences to facilitate their understanding of how to manage healthcare benefits at the workplace as well.

 

City Monitoring

Infrastructure, ,

There could soon be a way to monitor things like air quality and vehicle traffic in the city of Chicago.  Thanks to the Array of Things project, real-time data on a city will be assembled to make this happen. With scientists, government officials and just lay people from the community, this data will be formulated for predictions on current environmental fluctuations.

The project is being navigated by the University of Chicago and Argonne’s Urban Center for Computation and Data director, Charlie Catlett who is seeking to install 500 sensor nodes around the city. The plan ultimately is to install a network worldwide to “improve living and working in the city.”

Catlett added:

“We talked to people in the city of Chicago to understand what their challenges are. And we found from talking with them and from our own work there’s a lot of data that’s missing, that should be able to be measured, and that requires data analytics, it requires data integration infrastructure, and it requires a measurement strategy.”

Workers Compensation

Employment, , ,

Rep. Laura Fine, D-Glenview just proposed a Bill (H.B. 4595) for the establishment of an (Illinois) state-sponsored insurance company.  If it becomes law, it would result in the creation of the non-profit Illinois Employers Mutual Insurance Co. providing local workers compensation in situations in which companies where they work cannot afford to do so.  The Illinois Workers Compensation Commission Operations Fund would provide a $10 million loan to get this going.

While this seems necessary, last year, Gov. Bruce Rauner – also of Illinois – attempted H.B. 2622 which was vetoed.  Indeed, a recent study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine found that Illinois mine workers who are the victims of injuries and illnesses are less likely to report these to tracking federal agencies

Ferocious Fioretti (De)feats?

Politics, , ,

Alderman Robert Fioretti received a slew of endorsements from law enforcement unions (including the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police) for his upcoming battle against Toni Preckwinkle, current President of Cook County Board.

Fioretti – who has represented Chicago’s 2nd Ward since 2007 – believes that this shows “people who believe in law and order” want change:

“For me to win the FOP’s endorsement is an acknowledgement that something is wrong with our system. To have the sergeants and to have the other organizations that have endorsed me sends a message to those that have been complicit with a system that has let down our communities.”

Fioretti is definitely able to cope with a fight.  When he took office in 2007, it was against 14-year incumbent Madeline Haithcock and he managed to get the most votes, forcing a run-off with the incumbent.  He then went on to defeat her by an almost two-to-one margin and was then re-elected in 2011 to a second term.

Good News for Illinois Economy

Economy, , ,

Measuring in at 104.6 on the Flash Index for February, there was optimism abound in Illinois at the economic status.  This was an increase of a fifth of a point from January, according to the University of Illinois’ economic gauge. And, according to economist Fred Giertz, this figure is the highest it has been since May 2017. With it, the unemployment rate of 4.9 is low too. He said:

 “The Illinois economy is doing very well, especially compared to years ago, when we had the recession and major slow-down. But we’re not doing as well as the rest of the country.”

Giertz added that in general, the trends in the Illinois economy is positive, pointing out that this is proof of “an upward trajectory. Unemployment has been going down, but we haven’t move as fast as the national economy. It’s probably not going to propel the economy and the stock market upward in a kind of rapid expansion that seems to be true or what people thought the last couple of months or so.”

In addition, assistant vice president and economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, William R. Emmons said that the Midwestern Illinois economy is at “peak performance.  In fact, if anything we may be a little bit past peak performance. The unemployment rate is at the level that is close to ideal, that’s not zero necessarily, there is always some unemployment as people move between jobs.”

Community, Business and Development

Business News, , , ,

Woodfield Mall’s Microsoft Store has earmarked February as Entrepreneurship Month.  Offering workshops, seminars and mentors from Score Chicago, the idea is to help individuals in the region gain insight into how start and run a business, as well as other related subjects. Community Development Specialist at the Woodfield Mall’s Microsoft Store Paula Brkich explained: Several of our business workshops feature knowledgeable speakers from SCORE Chicago, industry partners and more, who bring tremendous value to our customers” For information and to register visit: www.microsoftstore.com/Woodfield.

If you missed that though, in conjunction with the University of Chicago, President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton are hosting the (11th) annual Clinton Global Initiative University meeting.  To be held at the University, the event is expected to attract over 1,000 students nationwide and worldwide.  Topics discussed will be “some of the most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges facing the next generation.”  The idea ultimately is for these discussions to result in “commitments to action,” ultimately bolstering local communities worldwide.  Thus following the initial two days of workshops etc., the third day will be one of action whereby students will work with faculty and administrators on a priority project in one of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Talking of entrepreneurs, Chicagoan Mark Thomann is intending to bring back the drink Slice that was popular – and owned by Pepsico – in the 1990s.  Via his companies Spiral Sun Ventures and Dormitus Brands, he is hoping to have the drink in stores by the end of next year.  One of his changes is to make it healthier though as he explains that it will have less sugar, less calories and sweetened with “real – possibly organic – fruit juice.”  Thomann added that it will be “pleasantly familiar to people of a certain age.”

Business Collaboration and Growth

Business News, ,

Last month saw the launch of a regional economic development initiative to bolster partnership within various public sectors. It is hoped that this endeavor – the Chicago Regional Growth Corporation (CRGC) – will create growth, be mutually beneficial to participating organizations and in general boost the work of northeastern Illinois businesses.

CRGC can be used by locals for creating and developing Chicago’s identity, bolstering economic development and centralize programming. ultimately it is hoped and expected that the endeavor will fortify the economy, develop networks and connections and provide greater economic opportunity. As founding executive director of CRGC Tom Hulsman said:

“The economic growth of cities, from neighborhoods to suburbs, is highly interdependent. We have a huge opportunity to capitalize on our resources and bring all of the players to the table to set an economic development agenda that works for the entire region, with a strong emphasis on inclusive economic growth throughout all of CRGC’s programs and initiatives.”

Over in Matteson, Mayor Sheila Chalmers-Currin, discussed with locals about her mission to “feed the economy” there. People are very excited for this and as the Mayor pointed out, it should be “a great opportunity to share what we have in our focus for the Village and the Southland region. I’ve lived here for 35 years and I’ve seen the village grow from 10,000 to over 20,000. We’ve had some positive events and we have had some challenges,”