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This article presents information on several business executives. Katherine R. Maehr, director of development at Greater Chicago Food Depository spearheaded a $30-million capital campaign that built a sparkling South Side facility for Chicago's largest food bank, expanding yearly distribution capacity to 80 million pounds from 42 million. Fund-raising, expected to conclude by yearend, consisted mostly of large donations, but Maehr knows deep-pocketed donors see the charitable landscape as a hierarchy. The biggest gifts go to museums, opera companies or universities. Human services agencies like food banks get the scraps. Martha Dustin Boudos, chief financial officer at Morningstar Inc., is shepherding her company's $100-million initial public offering through a bearish IPO market. Success could buff up Morningstar Inc.'s shine among the nation's investment research and analysis firms, and it would secure Ms. Boudos' position as a potential chief executive.

This article highlights some Chicago socialites, under 40 years of age from the field of local business, government and arts. They include Ronald T. Senci, 39, executive vice-president. Senci is one of an increasingly rare breed, the company man. Debra Pickett, 30, Chicago Sun-Times columnist. Amy Tu, 36, assistant corporate secretary and counsel. As a top in-house lawyer at Boeing Co.'s world headquarters in Chicago, Tu recently worked on a billion-dollar global bond offering, a syndicated credit facility for selling F-15s to South Korea and the innovative financial details of leasing 100 refueling aircraft to the U.S. Air Force. Swetal Patel, 32, vice-president, Raja Foods LLC, Patel Bros. Katie Watson, 36, Ensemble member, visiting assistant professor Medical humanities and bioethics program at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

For more than three hours on a recent spring evening, the Lockport City Council pondered heresy. On the agenda of the special meeting was a proposal from Alderman Denise Clements to halt construction of new housing in Will County, Illinois. No longer mostly rural, Will County has morphed into one of the fastest-growing counties in the U.S., projected to surpass the population of Lake County within 10 years and later even of mighty DuPage County, as it hits the 1-million mark. Plainfield, where the Village Board dropped its opposition to construction of a Wal-Mart after school officials pleaded for the income the project would deliver, and Interstate 55, where, despite traffic jams, a huge percentage of Will County's workforce heads north every morning because the jobs are in DuPage and Cook counties. When DuPage County finally filled up and Lake County began to brake its growth, developers spied a glint of gold in the gently rolling corn and soybean fields of Will, an expansive, 845-square-mile county that extends from the fringes of Naperville on the north to the edge of the Kankakee metropolitan area on the south, and as far east as the Indiana state line.

Reports that the prospect of a war of the U.S. with Iraq is forcing business owners in Chicago, Illinois, to lower expectations for an economic rebound and revise their business strategies as of February 2003. Strategies planned by companies to deal with the war; Effects of the possible war on economy of Chicago; Implications of the war for advertising and market research approaches of companies.

The article reports that a third or more of the U.S. car dealers affiliated with Detroit will go out of business if any of the Big Three companies incuding Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, collapses. Declining auto sales already have led the carmakers and their suppliers to cut production. About 300 car dealerships in the Chicago metro area alone are tied to a Big Three company.

A chart is presented that lists mergers and acquisitions in 2006 in Chicago, Illinois.

The article reports that Peoria, Illinois-based Caterpillar Inc. plans to increase its client base in the $16.5-billion North American farm equipment market. Caterpillar dealers with large rural sales territories have been opening new branches and adding employees to sell and service an expanded lineup of tractors.

The article profiles Louis Schorsch, who oversees North and South America's largest steel operations for the company ArcelorMittal; and offers information on its steel operations. Under his leadership, net income from ArcelorMittal's U.S. operations rose 23% in 2006 from 2005. Sales grew 5% to about $13 billion. He has preached the virtues of culling weak operators throughout his career, which began in 1981 as an economist for the trade association American Iron and Steel Institute.

The article reports on the strategies used by many contractors in the Illinois' construction industry. It is inferred that winning bidders cut their costs by 30% or more by paying their workers as independent subcontractors. A study at the University of Missouri estimated that 8.5% of all Illinois workers were misclassified as independent contractors. Mason contractor Mike Volpentesta said that the practice of using off-payroll immigrant workers was taking the construction industry by storm.

The article reports on the plan of Deere & Co. to gain market share of the tractor market in India. Fifty percent of the tractors Deere builds in Pune, India are exported to places like Turkey, Thailand and even the U.S. Building the tractors in India, where the factory worker makes 60 cents an hour, helps Deere keep its prices competitive in the U.S. In 2006, 360,000 tractors were produced in India.

The article discusses how chief executive officer (CEO) Robert Lane's vision for Deere & Co. has turned around the company. When he joined the farm equipment maker during the 1980s, farm credit crisis and curbs on grain exports had plunged the company into a tailspin. Lane changed the company's focus from boosting revenue to beating down costs and aligning production with demand. In 2006, Deere earned a record $1.69 billion, a 17% leap from 2005 despite just a 5% gain in sales.

A list of the largest mergers and acquisitions deals by companies doing business in Chicago, Illinois, is presented. The first in the list is a $17,047 million deal between Blackstone Group Inc. and Equity Office Properties Trust. The deal is followed by a $ 7,993.4 million deal between Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. and CBOT Holdings Inc., and a $4,300 million deal between Abbott Laboratories and Boston Scientific Corp. Data is given for buyers' and senders' location.

Built in the 1970s to ease traffic on Waukegan's streets, the Amstutz Expressway is known to locals by another name as the road that leads to nowhere. A 2.9-mile, four-lane swath of concrete that skirts Chicago's lakefront, the Amstutz was supposed to help breathe life into the downtown. But a critical link through North Chicago was never built and the factories the expressway was designed to serve have closed. Today, the thoroughfare is nearly traffic-free, a monument to the hit-and-miss nature of municipal renewal efforts.

A sleepy bedroom community just a few decades ago, Naperville, Illinois is now a vital economic and residential hub as of June 2003. When Naperville passed on the chance to annex the Fox Valley Center in the early 1970s, it looked as if the city had missed out on the economic development opportunity of a lifetime. City leaders figured they couldn't afford the infrastructure costs associated with annexing the shopping mall. Today, Naperville dominates the Fox Valley area's economy. Without a shopping mall, Naperville leaders concentrated on shoring up their downtown business district and annexing land elsewhere for subdivisions, office parks and big-box chains. Other cities of Illinois like Joliet and Aurora are now racing to duplicate Naperville's success with ambitious plans for annexations and high-end developments.

Passenger rail service in Illinois would be jeopardized by a federal plan to make the states responsible for funding and operating Amtrak Corp. As of the year 2003, Illinois pays $10.6 million a year for Amtrak's three in-state routes and service to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. According to the federal plan, Illinois would have to pay much more just to keep Amtrak operating in the state. The strategy of U.S. President George W. Bush for reorganizing Amtrak would disorganize the nationwide passenger rail network and transfer funding and operational responsibility to the states for all routes outside the Northeast. Federal funding would be shifted into infrastructure maintenance and improvement. Critics say the plan would mean the end of Amtrak service because states are already in great need of money to pay for it, and lack the expertise and resources to manage difficult operations.

The article focuses on Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating, a home-meal business, owned by Seattle Sutton. Sutton, who made her company successful, is a small-town nurse with no previous experience running a business. Many years ago, she sold her idea for a home-meal business. A former executive for new-product development at New Jersey-based Campbell Soup Co. was so impressed with her home-meal replacement service for health-conscious eaters that he bought the Downstate Ottawa-based business, planning to expand it throughout the U.S. However, within months, the company, its name changed to Freshly Yours from Diet-Carry-Out, was in trouble. By 1992, Freshly Yours was on the verge of folding. Sutton intervened to buy back the business in 1993, changing its name to the current one and dumping the food choices. Every customer would get the same low-calorie meals. The strategy worked, and the business rebounded. Revenues have grown 254570360r more every year from 1993 to 2003, she says, hitting $16 million in 2002. Her kitchen plant employs about 150 people and produces 140,000 meals a week that are supplied to more than 100 distributors throughout Chicago, Illinois, North Central Illinois, Southern Wisconsin and Northwest Indiana. Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating provides three meals a day, seven days a week, with calories limited to an average of either 1,200 or 2,000 per day. The meals require only microwave reheating.

Focuses on the plans of mayor, Linzey Jones to construct a regional airport in Peotone, Illinois. Partnership between the suburban government and private companies; Impact of the airport construction on the regional employment and income level; Support of the municipal coalition for the plans.

Focuses on the debate over the commencement of building a marina at Lake Calumet in Chicago, Illinois. Time frame for the project; Dispute between port district administrators and city officials; Concern over the restoration of the battered ecology of the lake.

The article reports that corporate travel cutbacks are dragging down revenue at Chicago, Illinois, hotels. As corporate profits plunge, companies are sending fewer people out on the road. Those still traveling are shortening trips, spending less on food and sharing hotel rooms. It is reported that the declining business travel threatens the local hotel and restaurant industry.

The article reports that Illinois can get funds for improving its road and transit. The Chicago, Illinois Transit Authority, Metra and Pace alone are estimated to need more than $2 billion a year over that period to address their backlog of improvements and to maintain their fleets. U.S. President-elect Barack Obama proposed creating a $60-billion revolving loan fund for projects that affect entire regions, such as intercity high-speed rail service.

The article focuses on the impact of recession on the transportation and distribution industry of Chicago, Illinois. It states that business is slowing for local trucking companies, railroads, freight forwarders, warehouse and other goods operators. It mentions that by early 2009 Chicago's transportation sector could face layoffs, business shutdowns and several square feet of empty warehouse space. It states that intermodal container shipments fell 3% during January-October 2008 in the U.S.

The article reports on downsizing of employees by factories in Chicago, Illinois due to fall in automobile sales. It mentions that Ford Motor Co., which had to reduce its workforce in the previous spring, is cutting back again which will claim about 790 jobs. It however informs that Ford and other Chicago companies are adopting various measures to avoid workforce reduction.

The article reports that the largest companies in Chicago, Illinois, are diverting billions of dollars to shore up funds depleted by the downfall of stock market. Aon Corp., Exelon Corp. and Abbott Laboratories Inc., started 2008 without enough in pension funds to cover projected payments to retirees. Few other companies are expected to run deficit by the end of 2008. Pension shortfalls are squeezing company profits amid a credit freeze and decline in asset values has been driven up.

The article reports that as a result the prevalent U.S. economic scenario, every business entity that runs on credit in Chicago is facing problems due to rise in loan rate and pressure from consumers. Smith & Richardson Inc. coowner Richard Hoster was recently told by Harris Bank that his interest rate would be 7% to present 5% on his next loan. Bankers, who have seen their own borrowing costs rise off late, say they have no choice but to tighten lending standards and raise interest rates.

The article reports that the credit upheaval is pressuring Caterpillar Inc., Boeing Co. and other capital equipment makers to finance more loans for their customers, but rising interest rates threaten to keep some of those buyers on the sidelines. As the global credit crisis chokes banks' access to capital, the lending arms of old-line equipment manufacturers are financing a greater share of loans to help customers purchase their planes, tractors, bulldozers and delivery trucks.

The article reports that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is facing problem on reaping $10 billion or more from leasing the Illinois Lottery, as credit market turmoil drives up borrowing costs for prospective buyers. The governor's hefty target is spelled out in legislation the state Senate is expected to consider this fall. If approved, the legislation, which the House already passed, could make Illinois the first state to privatize its lottery.

The article reports that at least four suburbs in Chicago, Illinois, including Des Plaines and Rosemont, are angling for Illinois' long-idle 10th casino license as an October 14, 2008 application deadline looms. As reported, officials with those two cities, as well as with Waukegan and Summit, say license applications are in the works, setting up a replay of a 2004 competition involving the same four.

The article reports that Navistar International Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are reportedly working together to repair their relationship after Navistar failed to strike a truck-building deal with General Motors Corp. Executives with Navistar and Ford have had more-frequent discussions in recent weeks. Since 2007, Navistar and Ford have been at odds over diesel engines Navistar supplies for Ford pickup trucks.

The article reports that Illinois will get $366m less in federal money for road repairs in 2009, as the sales of gas have gone down. It is estimated that Illinois' share of federal highway funds is projected to fall by 13%. The revenue from federal fuel taxes have dropped in the wake of motorists opting for more fuel-efficient vehicles to lower their consumption of gasoline. The price of road repair is stated to be affected by the low revenues as well as the rising construction material costs.

The article reports that rising prices this summer for petroleum-based asphalt have boosted road construction costs by 30% from a year ago, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. But the state allocated just 4% more, or about $1.95 billion, for roadwork in its new budget. As a result, the state will have to defer work on some of the 775 miles of Illinois roads and bridges designated for repairs over the next 12 months.

The article reports that Scotsman Ice Systems and Denver-based Ice-O-Matic, both divisions of London-based Enodis PLC, will draw the interest of local manufacturers Illinois Tool Works Inc. and Middleby Corp. when they are sold this year. A purchase of Enodis' ice-machine businesses, expected to fetch about $450 million total, would be a consolation prize for either company.

The article reports that Tenneco Inc. chief executive officer (CEO) Gregg Sherrill, unlike many of his counterparts, is welcoming tighter emission rules initiated by the government. It is stated that Sherrill aims to expand on Tenneco's market-leading position in supplying mufflers and exhaust systems for passenger cars and pickups. He also wants to build a dominant stake in a lucrative new market for emissions-control components on diesel engines in the U.S. and China.

The article reports on the bid made by Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) to acquire British commercial kitchen equipment maker, Enodis PLC. It is stated that David Speer, chief executive officer (CEO) of ITW will have to make the highest bid to win the acquisition that will make the company a bigger player in the commercial food equipment market. Keeping in view Enodis PLC's long list of customers including McDonald's Corp. and Taco Bell, ITW's business is expected to flourish with this merger.

The article reports that Bear Stearns & Co. Inc has obtained a contract to auction the 10th casino license for the Illinois Gaming Board despite a history of corruption. Former senior managing director P. Nicholas Hurtgen of Bear Stearns was indicted for pressurising a hospital to hire a contractor who would pay bribes to Stuart Levine, vice-chairman of the state agency. Gaming Board Chairman Aaron Jaffe says that he would stress the importance of maintaining integrity in the auction process.

The article reports that increasing food prices are threatening Patricia Woertz's plan to recast grain processor Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) as the eco-friendly player of green energy. As reported, ADM's chief executive officer (CEO) tied her growth strategy to corn-based ethanol, the alternative fuel that's suddenly emerged as the bogeyman of the world food crisis. Critics say ADM and other ethanol makers are driving up the price of everything from hamburger to corn flakes.

The article reports that Tom Hargrove, a leader of the United Steelworkers of America, has advocated larger profit sharing with steel companies. Negotiations on new contracts began earlier this month between the union and Chicago, Illinois-based ArcelorMittal USA Inc. and U.S. Steel Corp. In 2002, union steelworkers agreed to contracts that slowed hourly wage growth and gave management more flexibility on job assignments.

The article reports that Caterpillar Inc. is planning to capitalize on the growth in the construction industry in China. It states that ramping up sales in the growing construction market could help offset slumping demand in the U.S. and keep Caterpillar on track to achieve its goal of increasing companywide revenue 33% by 2010. Despite 30 years of effort in China, Caterpillar's $1.5 billion in sales there in 2007 accounted for just 3.3% of its total sales of $45 billion.

The article presents information on effects of an impending recession on Chicago hotel industry's ambitious expansion. Tighter corporate expense budgets amid higher airfares and a slumping national economy also are keeping business travelers away. With nearly 30,000 rooms, Chicago's 79 downtown hotels generated an estimated $2.6 billion in revenue in 2007. It is said that a decline in bookings threatens a crucial revenue stream for Chicago's downtown hoteliers.

The article reports that Caterpillar Inc. and Navistar International Corp. are discussing a joint venture that would enhance Caterpillar's sagging truck-engine sales and ease Navistar's pain from an expected loss of Ford Motor Co.'s business. A joint venture would counter the anticipated steep reduction in Caterpillar engine orders by 2010 as major U.S. truckmakers, including Navistar, begin offering their own engines in medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

The article reports that Russland Capital Group has paid about $40 million for a riverside property in Chicago, Illinois's South Loop. Russland recently bought a 6.5-acre parcel in the site known as Franklin Point from Florida-based railroad CSX Corp. Bankrolling Russland are two New Yorkers, Alex Bize and Norton Cher. Russland's purchase does not include an adjacent two-acre parcel at the corner of Harrison and Wells streets owned by Chicago-based developer D2 Realty Services Inc.

The article reports on E. Hunter Harrison, the chief executive officer of Canadian National Railway Co. It is reported that frustrated by the slow-moving and convoluted routes his trains take to traverse the Chicago region in Illinois, Harrison struck a deal in the fall of 2007 to purchase the only available bypass on the periphery of city's railroad network, the Elgin Joliet & Eastern Railway. But communities along the 198-mile route are seeking blockade of the $300-million purchase.

The article reports that Caterpillar Inc. has increased the wages of thousands of its workers. The company is based in Peoria, Illinois. It has increased hourly wages of new workers for the third time since a contract with the United Auto Workers of America was ratified in the year 2005. Pay for electricians, tool and die makers has been raised by 32 percent.

The article reports on merger plans of chief executive officer (CEO) David Speer of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW). Speer signaled his company's merger with companies earning at least several hundred million dollars annually. Bigger purchases in higher-growth industries like energy or aerospace would help ITW offset stagnating revenue gains in core businesses serving the automotive and construction industries, both mired in slumps as the economy slows.

The article reports that livestock and food-processing industries and some environmental groups have joined forces with oil companies to eliminate a mandate concerning renewable fuels in energy legislation before the U.S. Congress. Forty-six House Democrats have urged congressional leaders to restrain expansion of corn-derived ethanol to keep livestock feed and food prices from rising further. However, ethanol producers and farmers in Illinois are counting on ethanol to support corn prices.

The article reports that Navistar International Corp.'s military truck business has gone from zero to $3 billion in the four years. The growth started since Archie Massicotte conceived it in a hotel bar in Michigan. Under Massicotte's leadership, Navistar has won 22 of the 27 military contracts it has bid on, going from an unknown to the leading builder of armored trucks for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The article reports that despite the low revenue to be generated by building a casino in Chicago, Illinois, mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago is determined to pass a casino bill through the Illinois House. The mayor wants to pass the bill because its passage is the only hope to provide funding for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). After paying state taxes, operating costs and debt service, the casino would generate only $150 million as compared to the projection of $1 billion.

The article reports that Navistar International Corp. is teaming with aerospace firm Raytheon Co. on a rocket launcher. Raytheon will offer a Navistar-built truck as the mobile firing platform for an air defense missile system it's marketing to the U.S. forces and foreign armies. Defense analysts predict 500 orders for the missile system over seven to eight years. At $120,000 per truck, that adds up to a possible $60 million in sales for Navistar.

The article informs that the construction of new ethanol plants in Illinois has been stalled because of falling ethanol prices. According to Chet Perry, CEO of Barrington, Illinois-based ITEC Refining & Marketing Co., none of the new projects are going to go forward in this environment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is projecting that net farm income nationwide in 2007 will increase 48% over 2006, to $87.1 billion.

The article reports that Canadian National Railway Co. is planning to buy a suburban rail route, which is said to be a major step for relieving train congestion in Chicago, Illinois. The Montreal-based railroad is in talks with U.S. Steel Corp. to buy from the steelmaker about 100 miles of track that arc through an area from Waukegan to Northwest Indiana. The acquisition would allow Canadian National to shift traffic off congested routes where freight trains creep through the city.

The article reports on the plans to repair seven locks and dams on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. It is said that the U.S. Congress appears close to approve $2 billion in spending for the replacement. Engineers and shippers say the new locks could vastly improve transport times for barges carrying grain, coal and other critical Midwestern commodities to the Gulf of Mexico. The opponents of the project include environmental advocates and taxpayer watchdogs, who consider it to be costly.