Why ‘Girls Who Code’ is just for girls
By Lucia Maffei “You know, first prize is $10,000. It could be the first share of your college tuition.” The 10-something girl with a cat ear headband sits at a computer desk at DePaul University’s downtown campus. Two friends of hers work side by side. It’s Saturday morning and every Saturday, Nancy and her friends […]
Growing number of skiers benefits Vail Resorts’ winter performance
By Lucia Maffei Luckily for Vail Resorts Inc., the weather phenomenon known as El Niño brought deep snows, and many more skiers, to the company’s facilities in the western U.S. For the second quarter ended Jan. 31, the Colorado-based resort operator posted net income attributable to Vail Resorts of $117 million, or $3.14 per diluted […]
Six rules to successfully raise venture capital for your business
By Lucia Maffei So, you have launched your own business. You’ll need money. Given this scenario, you have two choices. First, financing your company with your own resources, by scraping every penny from savings or parents’ trust funds. Second, giving up part of your business’s control by partnering with one or more venture capitalists, in […]
Coloring books for adults are best sellers – There’s one about Donald Trump, too
By Lucia Maffei For Imelda Fiedler, it all started with a casual meeting on the bus. On her way back from Baltimore, she sat next to a woman who had just started a new hobby: coloring. The woman couldn’t resist telling Imelda how funny coloring was, and how much she enjoyed her new passion. The talk must […]
Methode Electronics’ profits sag
By Lucia Maffei Methode Electronics Inc.’s third quarter earnings didn’t drop quite as far as Wall Street had expected, but the manufacturing company’s shares slipped Thursday after management scaled down sales expectations for full-year 2016. For the fiscal quarter ended Jan. 30, the Chicago-based electronic components manufacturer’s net income was $17.2 million, or 45 cents […]
Bookends & Beginnings is a bookstore that’s both local and online
By Lucia Maffei Nina Barrett and Jeff Garrett decided to take a calculated risk. “It was actually a low investment,” said Jeff, 66. The two Evanston residents, married for five years, had always dreamed of opening a bookstore. She’s a published author herself, and he was a librarian for more than 35 years. So when they […]
U.S. jobless claims fall to lowest level since November
By Lucia Maffei The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits dropped to a three-month low last week, a better-than-expected performance that suggests labor market conditions are improving. The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that in the week ended Feb. 13, initial jobless claims declined by 7,000 from the previous week, to a seasonally […]
T-Mobile profit nearly triples
By Lucia Maffei T-Mobile US, Inc., helped by continued acquisition of new customers, said fourth quarter earnings almost tripled, substantially exceeding analysts’ expectations. In the latest quarter, the Bellevue, Wash.-based national wireless carrier posted net income attributable to common stockholders of $283 million, or 34 cents a diluted share, up 180 percent from $101 million, […]
VIDEO: Chicago Hack Night gets involved in Illinois’ use of technology
By Lucia Maffei Hardik Bhatt needs help. The Chief Information Officer for the State thinks that Illinois should complete “a 45-year journey in four years” to reach a level comparable to its peers in using technology to make everyday tasks easier for residents. To accomplish this goal, Bhatt asked for the help of the participants in […]
Analysts disagree, but not entirely, on U.S. Cellular
By Lucia Maffei Stating that analysts are “divided” in their outlook for United States Cellular Corp. is a euphemism – they flatly disagree with each other. Bulls say that the nation’s fifth-largest wireless service provider, located in Chicago, holds a number of assets with considerable value, including wireless spectrum and licenses, partnership interests and one […]
