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Indiana Job Retraining Works, but Can’t Match Old Wages

A hospital operating room and an airplane hanger may seem worlds apart, but A layoff prompted Mark Leybla to make the transition. After 14 years as a mechanic with United Air Lines, Leybla lost his job when the company closed its Indianapolis maintenance shop in 2003. Rather than join thousands of displaced coworkers in an extended job search, he seized the chance to pursue a career in nursing.

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Originally published May 31, 2007, Medill Reports.

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Chicago Bartender Uses "Zen" to Snag National Cocktail Competition

National Cocktail Competition

“Shake it baby!” might not be the first phrase that comes to mind when encouraging a coworker, but then you probably aren’t a bartender.

As each of five bartenders competing in the National Skyy Spirits World Cocktail Competition stepped behind the bar at ChiBar in Chicago on Saturday, the roar from the small crowd of friends, family and fellow bartenders inevitably included at least one instruction to “shake it!”

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Originally published May 8, 2007, Medill Reports

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Demand for Community-Supported Agriculture Grows and Grows

Organic food demand is growing but with big-name grocers like Whole Foods Market and Wal-Mart entering the mix, supply has become increasingly tight, meaning organic produce in supermarkets is as likely to be shipped in from California as grown near Chicago. So some consumers who balk at the idea of eating produce that’s traveled thousands of miles are guaranteeing themselves a local supply by buying in advance a share of a small farm's produce. The device is called community-supported agriculture, or CSA.

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Originally published April 26, 2007, Medill Reports.

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Despite Snow, Morton’s Restaurant Group Inc. Swung to a Profit

Morton’s Restaurant Group Inc. reported record first-quarter revenue, swinging the company to a profit of $5 million or 29 cents per diluted share from a loss of $21.6 million or $1.57 per diluted share a year earlier. The company met analysts’ expectations.

Chicago-based Morton’s, a steakhouse chain with 75 locations in the U.S., Canada and Asia, reported revenues of $88.9 million for the quarter ended April 1, up from $83.1 million a year earlier, a 7 percent increase.

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Originally published April 25, 2007, Medill Reports.

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Anixter International Boosts Profits 71 Percent 1st Quarter

Anixter International Inc. reported a 71 percent increase in first quarter profits on higher copper prices, acquisitions and favorable foreign exchange rates. First-quarter earnings soundly beat analysts’ expectation, and the stock rose 4.5 percent Tuesday.

Glenview-based Anixter, a leading global distributor of communications infrastructure products and industrial wire and cable, earned $53.6 million or $1.27 per diluted share in the first quarter ended March 30, compared with $31.3 million or 74 cents per diluted share for the year-earlier period.

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Originally published April 24, 2007, Medill Reports.

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