Is there a word for being right about something, but not necessarily happy about it? As predicted, Google is buying the Thompson Center, and already there’s talk of a “Google Effect” reinvigorating Loop real estate … which was de-invigorated by the “Google Effect” that got everyone to move their headquarters to Fulton Market.
We’re thrilled the Thompson Center won’t be torn down, but sad to think of it no longer being a public space. Sure, it was dated and borderline nonfunctional, but it also had this magical, liminal feel of a lightly abandoned mall — half purgatory, half Zen. Truly a shame to think of no longer being able to sit in that vast atrium eating Panda Express after getting your driver’s license photo taken.
Three Chicago startups apparently didn’t get the memo that funding is scarce, raising more than $80 million combined. Fly.io decided to combine its Series A and Series B funding rounds into one megaraise of $37 million. The company secures server space for small and mid-sized applications, promising to give them the same speed and uptime that bigger companies can afford. Pricelabs follows with a $30 million raise to grow its software for pricing rental properties, while 86 Repairs brought up the back with a $15.2 million raise to help restaurateurs fix broken equipment — and eventually learn what’s worth the investment long term.
Ulta is also shaking loose some change, coming through with a $20 million innovation fund to help beauty and shopping-related startups get their innovations off the ground (and presumably into Ulta). Can one of those businesses just invent whatever this is?
Electric vehicle-maker Rivian’s rumored layoffs did end up hitting workers at its Normal plant, with 50 local employees getting caught up in the 6% companywide chop. Others are doubling down on plant space, inflation be damned. Eli’s Cheesecake is breaking ground on its first expansion in 30 years, increasing its Northwest side dessert-making operation by nearly 70%.
Rockford-based Cleo is also making plans for 50 Chicago employees, adding a Chicago office in addition to its Rosemont location. The company claims to be a B2B ecosystem integration platform, which, OK, but the real value seems to be serving as a centralized platform for communicating with vendors and customers and tracking orders — so useful that the company has doubled its staff since the start of the pandemic.
Starbucks solidarity, meanwhile, continues to come on strong, with West Rogers Park workers voting to make their store the fifth unionized location in Chicago.
Jobs, Glorious Jobs
Editor in Chief and Culture Editor at the Chicago Reader
Make no mistake, this is a nonprofit job and a journalism job, leading a staff of people who care deeply about the paper. But! The Reader is newly strong in its not-for-profit status, and with a new publisher and president presumably on the way in the near future, now’s as good a time as any to see what kind of life the old alt-weekly business has in it.
Marketing Consultant at Caterpillar
Looks like you’ll work on internal, dealer and external comm strategies, including speechwriting, video scripts, presentations, newsletters, intranet and internet. You’ll bring writing/editing, design and organizational skills — which could mean messy responsibilities with many bosses, or you could roll through scooping up experience in many disciplines. Job post says Chicago, so we’ll assume some in-office in the West Loop not Deerfield/Texas.
Staff Reporter at Built In Chicago
Remote-friendly features reporting gig covering fintech, robotics and hardware, and/or B2B software. Create guides, longform explainers and enterprise stories covering trends and developments on your beat.
Rebellion of the Week
The “Freelance Isn’t Free” movement, which is working to pass legislation that requires 30-day payment and written contracts for freelance workers. The coalition — supported by the National Writers Union Freelance Solidarity Project, the Freelancers Union and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters — has already passed legislation in New York, and is close to succeeding in Los Angeles. You can sign up to join here.
Definition of the Week
“Corn sweat,” just one reason that the Midwest is a muggy nightmare in the summer. Our abundant corn stalks give off excess moisture, making summer storms more violent and hot days more humid. The Washington Post would have you believe this creates “oppressive” weather conditions, but we like to think of it as an increased opportunity for dewiness. Just another way corn helps us remain a plump and unwrinkled people.
Inspiration of the Week
“It’s hard and it takes a long time, but you just need to do things because you want to do them and you need to do them to the best of your ability. The rest is just not in your control. It’s just do the work. It’s not a guarantee. There’s so much luck, but if you do the work and you’re a good person that people want to work with, it can really happen.”
—Character actor Pat Healy, on how he went from “banging his head against the wall” to working with Martin Scorsese. The interview comes from The Reveal, a movie geek’s newsletter brought to you by Keith Phipps and Scott Tobias, two parts of the former film team at The A.V. Club and the gone-too-soon Dissolve (also, our friends and former colleagues). We can highly recommend subscribing to the newsletter, for the nuggets like this, for the reviews of films new and old, and to help keep Chicago at the front of film criticism.
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