Juan Teague, owner of Juan and Only, inside one of the company’s conference rooms at the Prudential Building. The firm is one of five companies selected as a hospitality vendor for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times If planning a party for friends or family seems like a lot of work, imagine throwing a bash for more than 10,000 guests. Five event production companies, nearly all based in Chicago, will do just that this summer: plan the huge official parties for the Democratic National Convention, taking place Aug. 19-22. Last month ..read more

Wanda Jemison, who has worked at Conn-Selmer for 18 years, solders a complete Vincent Bach trumpet by hand at the factory in Elkhart, Indiana, last month. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times It begins with a low, barely audible rumble. The double basses, contrabassoon and church organ of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra groan out a sustained double C. Then Esteban Batallán, principal trumpet of the CSO, raises his 1955 Vincent Bach "Mount Vernon" C Trumpet, serial number 13959, to his lips and plays three of the most famous notes in classical music: middle C, then a fifth higher, G, then the next highe ..read more

A watchdog group wants federal authorities to investigate whether former President Donald Trump made “material false statements” on federal financial disclosure reports when he claimed that one of his Chicago companies had a $50 million outstanding loan. Andrew Harnik / AP WASHINGTON — A watchdog group on Thursday asked the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate whether former President Donald Trump made “material false statements” on federal financial disclosure reports when he claimed that one of his Chicago companies had a $50 million outstanding loan. Noah Bookbinder, presiden ..read more

The Shedd Aquarium at 1200 S. Lake Shore Dr. Brian Rich/Sun-Times file Shedd Aquarium employees announced Thursday that they've formed a union — called Shedd Workers United — joining the wave of workers who are organizing at Chicago cultural institutions. An open letter signed by 60 Shedd employees cited work-life imbalance, financial struggles and lack of communication from management, among other grievances as reasons for unionizing. An “unsustainable working environment” has led to high turnover “more staff injuries, high burnout rates, low morale and decreased animal welfare,” accord ..read more

Citibank’s South Michigan Avenue branch in downtown Chicago, where former Citi wealth adviser Helen Grace Caldwell worked. | Jonah Newman / Injustice Watch Jonah Newman / Injustice Watch A former Citibank wealth adviser in Chicago who swindled nearly $1.5 million from elderly clients was sentenced Wednesday to 2½ years in prison by a judge who likened her to a bank robber. Helen Grace Caldwell, 59, who until 2021 was a vice president working in the South Michigan Avenue offices of Citibank downtown, acknowledging only that she “fell short” in her duty to protect her clients. The judge ha ..read more

Chicago’s new buildings department chief and other city officials were warned of possible dangers months before the botched 2020 implosion of the Crawford smokestack in Little Village. Alejandro Reyes The City Council on Wednesday approved Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pick to run the Department of Buildings, an official who was previously found to be negligent for her role overseeing the botched implosion that covered Little Village in dust four years ago. Marlene Hopkins, a 25-year City Hall veteran, was approved 42-0 after nearly two dozen alderpersons lavished praise on her. All but two of ..read more

The Oberweis Dairy at an Aurora location on Randall Road Sun-Times file Oberweis Dairy Inc. will lay off 127 workers at its North Aurora plant, it announced after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company, known for its ice cream stores and milk packaged in glass bottles, notified the state that the job cuts will start June 11 due to the plant’s closure, in a filing under the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. Oberweis Dairy did not immediately return requests for comment. On Friday, Oberweis filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in ..read more

Philip B. Clement has been named president and CEO of World Business Chicago. World Business Chicago World Business Chicago, the city’s nonprofit economic development agency, has named Philip Clement as its president and CEO to help champion Chicago as a destination for businesses. Clement, 58, previously served as global chief marketing officer at Johnson Controls, maker of building equipment and technology. Johnson Controls, based in Milwaukee, has 105,000 employees in over 120 countries and annual revenue of about $26 billion. Prior to Johnson Controls, Clement spent 12 years in a sim ..read more

Christopher Crane, chief executive of Exelon, gives a keynote address at the Chicago Urban League annual summit luncheon in May 2013. “Chris was an industry giant, with a list of accomplishments that chart the growth and success of both the energy generation and utility businesses,” said Calvin Butler, p who succeeded Mr. Crane at Exelon in December 2022 Sun-Times file Chris Crane, the former chief executive and president of Exelon, the nation’s largest utility company that also owns ComEd, died Saturday after a “short illness and complications with pneumonia,” according to a statement f ..read more

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to borrow $1.25 billion for housing and economic development initiatives hit a snag Monday in a City Council committee. Sun-Times file photo Mayor Brandon Johnson’s revised plan to borrow $1.25 billion to bankroll economic development and affordable housing projects — and wean the city from its long-standing addiction to tax increment financing — hit an unexpected roadblock on Monday despite continued demands for more City Council oversight. The Finance Committee was poised to approve a plan recommended by aides to former Mayor Lori Lightfoot and embraced by ..read more