Inking a deal to expand his $2 billion beverage business, planning a $400 million office complex near the United Center, locking up Blackhawks stars Toews and Kane: This multifaceted mogul has been busy lately. If only the Hawks had managed to snag another Cup.
Virtually unknown here six months ago, the mild-mannered former archbishop of Spokane, Washington (population 210,000), now oversees Chicago’s two million Catholics—35 percent of the Cook and Lake County population and the third-biggest flock in the nation. What’s more, he’s but a phone call away from his boss, Pope Francis, a man considered infallible by a … Read more
“Who makes millions in a garage sale?” marveled Crain’s Chicago Business recently. Sam Zell. Who else? Infamous for snapping up distressed properties (a River North garage bought for $7 million in 2013 by a fund he controls sold for $17 million in January), he’s benefiting disproportionately from the continuing rise in real estate values. Now … Read more
Oh, Toni. You passed up what may have been your best shot at the top: Polls last summer put you a whopping 24 points ahead of Rahm if you had run for mayor. Yes, we get that you have unfinished work at the county level: You began 2015 with a $170 million deficit and a … Read more
Yes, he’s a wealthy hedge fund boss, but Sacks’s greatest power lies in the public realm. When it comes to solving the pension crisis and other thorny financial issues, nobody has the mayor’s ear more. (Of course, he backed Emanuel’s reelection bid with gusto—and plenty of coin.) His involvement and influence show no signs of … Read more
Thanks to Reinsdorf’s patience with Derrick Rose’s injuries and some of his shrewd player moves (Pau!), the Bulls are again real contenders. His big bet on Cuban defector turned AL Rookie of the Year Jose Abreu—plus some aggressive off-season signings (Samardzija, LaRoche)—has the Sox on an upswing. And he’s had some wins on the business … Read more
His businesses have been chugging merrily along, with Pritzker Group Venture Capital (which J.B. runs with his L.A.-based brother Tony) recently doubling down on existing investments in promising cloud-computing companies. Plus: The local tech startup scene he’s been nurturing for years had a banner 2014, with a record $1.6 billion in funding raised, per Built … Read more
The ultimate mensch—the ex–Wall Street whiz takes a salary of just $1—is City Hall’s go-to number cruncher behind the city’s biggest deals, from the United Center’s $400 million West Side expansion to doling out TIF funding for the new DePaul arena and a Marriott hotel near McCormick Place.
The billionaire brothers have officially made no-income-tax Florida their primary residence, their rep recently informed us. Still, there’s no denying the presence the spotlight-shy siblings maintain here. They have homes on the North Shore and company headquarters in Rosemont and sit on numerous local boards.
With about 170 federal prosecutors at his disposal, the question is not whether this newcomer to the list has power but how he will wield it. So far, the Tennessee native has reorganized the office and appointed a team of attorneys to focus on violent crime—much of it gang related. There are new issues, too: … Read more
