Catch us here, hypocritically cheering on companies for getting involved in the choices of their employees. Whatever it takes to get shots in arms y'all!
An incomplete list:
Real estate firm Related Midwest is straight up firing any employee who doesn’t get vaccinated by Aug. 31, hell yes, very metal.
Advocate Aurora Health is doing the same for employees not vaccinated by Oct. 15, including remote employees.
Lurie Children’s Hospital is mandating vaccines by Oct. 18, and extending the requirement to vendors and volunteers.
Tyson is requiring vaccinations by Nov. 1.
McDonald’s is requiring employees at headquarters to get the vaccine before returning to the office. Cool, do franchises next.
CPS employees have to have the vaccine by Oct. 15, though, uh, school opens on Aug. 30.
United is requiring vaccines by Oct. 25, even as other airlines are publicly saying they won’t. Don’t make us hold United up as an example!
And then there are plenty of places expressly not requiring a vaccine, like Amita and Northwestern, two health systems that presumably know the science. Which you know what, at least be public about it. Maybe hang a sign on the door? A red letter S?
Even with many companies delaying their returns to offices, the surge is (somehow) still not stopping office leases. IT company Cisco will be moving from Rosemont to 135,000 square feet of the Old Main Post Office — enough room for about 1,200 employees. Good news for downtown, but rough news for the suburbs, where offices buildings have record vacancies.
Never let the signs trouble the money though. A real estate investment trust backed by Jones Lang LaSalle just made a $1.2 billion investment in a portfolio of rental properties — its first move into single-family homes and a concerning reminder that the housing market is completely out of control.
Apparently we’re all drinking orange juice around the breakfast table though. PepsiCo is selling off its juice brands — Naked, Tropicana, etc. — to a private equity firm for $3.3 billion. Bad news for the people working in those divisions.
Not to be outdone, suburban insurance broker Gallagher is dropping $3.25 billion to buy the reinsurance business of Willis Towers Watson, with the potential for another $750 million down the line. The deal was originally planned to address antitrust concerns over a merger between Willis and Aon. It wasn’t enough — the insurers called the merger off under pressure from the Justice Department. Now, Gallagher gets the benefit of completing the acquisition it wanted without seeing two of its competitors form a supergroup.
And then we have Klover, a new kind of payday lender. The startup — which just raised $60 million and plans to hire another 30 people this year — lets people borrow money from future paychecks. It’s not the punishing interest rates Klover’s after though. We already have nightmare startups like Avant and Enova doing that. Instead, Klover’s twist is offering the advance in exchange for real-time access to all of your financial data, and the right to sell access to advertisers looking for someone just like you.
Continuing the dystopic, startup Hologram has raised $65 million to make the little chippies that connect devices to cellphone networks — like all those scooters you love to see. Plus medical equipment and plenty of useful things, too, for what it’s worth. The company plans to use the funds to add 140 employees in the next two years.
You know how people hate to say I told you so? We feel bad for them, because honestly it’s so much fun. SPACs, a.k.a. Special Purpose Acquisition Companies, a.k.a. blank check companies exist to take businesses public without the rigorous scrutiny that goes into an IPO. So what would you know, companies that go public in this way sometimes have some secrets. Like suburban physical therapy chain ATI, which just delivered a gruesome first earnings report. All those promises from when it went public in June? Turns out maybe they were more talking than knowing, what without anyone looking at the books.
Not that a traditional IPO keeps people from running their mouths. Grillmaker Weber had to cut its IPO by more than half, after talking up how it was going to raise close to $800 million. It just had to do that in public, instead of after the fact.
Another thing we’re right about? Private equity firms. The new banker owners of Morton Salt just laid off a full 40% of its employees at headquarters. The investment firm took over in April, so honestly, this shows some restraint.
Jobs, Glorious Jobs
Associate Director of Development at RAINN
We shouldn’t have to sell you on this one — raising money to help survivors of sexual abuse? Yes, please, where do we sign? If you do want the push, or just a little jolt of righteous fury, we recommend this op-ed from RAINN board member and fellow hustler Tracy Sefl. Discussing the petulant theatrics of Andrew Cuomo, it is a reminder that sometimes the good guys win.
Director of Development and Marketing at Project SYNCERE
Develop fundraising and marketing strategies for the South Side nonprofit focused on increasing opportunities for students who’ve been traditionally underrepresented in STEM. Liaise with donors, oversee a small team, help create the next generation of innovators and engineers, nbd.
Copywriter at Interior Define
Salary isn’t stunning ($40K-$55K), but cranking out copy for multiple channels does have its benefits: $1K sofa credit to combine with your 40% employee discount, sabbatical after 5 years, monthly mental health days, unlimited vacation, and stock options in the digital-first custom couch retailer.
Inspiration of the week
“The past is the past. I feel many aspects of that younger, less evolved Beyoncé could never f*** with the woman I am today.”
—Beyoncé. Really just Beyoncé, but especially this quote from Beyoncé in her new Harper’s Bazaar interview and especially especially her in this Gucci coat.
Forward this email to anyone who’s come a long way. They can sign up here to get twice-monthly reminders that they’ve always been moving forward.
Got a tip on an excellent job? Reply to this email, send us a new one at hey@gethustl.in, or reach out on Twitter.