Bodycam footage released by US police has revealed a 13-year-old boy was not holding a gun at the time he was shot dead by an officer – despite contrary claims.

Adam Toledo, who was Hispanic, is seen in the shaky footage, captured on March 29, appearing to drop a hand gun at his feet and raising his hands around a second before Officer Eric Stillman fired the fatal shot.

Filmed in Chicago, the release of materials comes at a sensitive time in the US due to the ongoing trial of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin over the death of George Floyd, as well as the recent police killing of another black man, Daunte Wright, near the same city.

On Thursday, Chicago business owners were seen boarding up their store fronts in anticipation of potential unrest – but while there were small marches from outside the police station, there were no signs of widespread demonstrations across the city.

“We live in a city that is traumatised by a long history of police violence and misconduct,” said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

“So while we don’t have enough information to be the judge and jury of this particular situation, it is certainly understandable why so many of our residents are feeling that all too familiar surge of outrage and pain.

“It is even clearer that trust between our community and law enforcement is far from healed and remains badly broken.”

In the footage, Stillman is seen pursuing Toledo on foot down an alley, shouting: “Police! Stop! Stop right (expletive) now!” He adds: “Hands! Hands! Show me your (expletive) hands!” as Toledo appears to slow down.

Toledo then turns toward the camera as Stillman shouts: “Drop it!” and then shoots the teen shortly after. What follows is Stillman calling for an ambulance and telling Toledo to “stay awake”. Another officer says he can’t feel a heartbeat and begins administering CPR.

According to lawyer Tim Grace, representing Stillman, the officer had no choice but to shoot after he was “faced with a life threatening and deadly force situation,” adding that Toledo “had the gun in his right hand”.

“All prior attempts to deescalate and gain compliance with all of the officer’s lawful orders had failed,” he said.

However, Adeena Weiss-Ortiz, the lawyer representing the Toledo family, said the bodycam and other videos “speak for themselves.”

She added: “If he had a gun, he tossed it. The officer said: ‘Show me your hands.’ He complied. He turned around.”

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Green Thumb and Cann Previously Announced Partnership to Bring California’s #1 Selling Cannabis Beverage to Illinois and Beyond

Cann Offers Portfolio of Micro-dosed Social Tonics, Low in Calories with All-Natural Ingredients

Cann Available at Rise™ Dispensaries and Select Cannabis Stores Throughout Illinois

CHICAGO and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Green Thumb Industries Inc. (Green Thumb) (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF), a leading national cannabis consumer packaged goods company and owner of Rise™ Dispensaries, announces the launch of Cann, a leading cannabis-infused beverage brand, in Illinois. Green Thumb and Cann previously announced a partnership to bring the beverage brand to Illinois and New Jersey with plans to expand to additional markets.

Cann is now available at all Rise™ Illinois dispensary locations (excluding Mundelein), as well at Ascend, Moca and MedMen retail stores. Rise Joliet (Colorado), Rise Lake in the Hills and Rise Niles will also host a Cann pop-up store through August with an on-site Cann brand ambassador to answer questions about the newly available cannabis social tonics.

“The cannabis beverage category is expanding as adults seek alcohol alternatives, and Cann delivers a superior experience,” said Green Thumb Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ben Kovler. “We see Cann as a substitute to seltzers, wine and beer for new cannabis consumers looking to reduce or replace alcohol but still want the familiar social interaction of sharing a drink with friends and family. If you don’t like hangovers, this is for you.”

Cann’s social tonics are low in sugar and calories and contain no preservatives or artificial sweeteners. Each drink is made of all-natural juice (not from concentrate), herbs, organic agave nectar, and micro-doses of cannabis CBD and THC extract designed to be similar in strength to a glass of wine or a light beer. Cann is available in three creative flavors: Lemon Lavender, Grapefruit Rosemary, and Blood Orange Cardamom and are sold in 6-packs of 8-ounce cans.

“Since we launched in 2019, consumers in Illinois have been reaching out daily to ask when Cann would be available in their state,” said Jake Bullock, Co-Founder of Cann. “We are thrilled to finally be able to introduce our micro-dosed social tonics to the state of Illinois and to share this delicious, innovative alcohol alternative to more future Cann Fanns.”

The brand got its start in Venice, California in 2019 and became a quick local favorite for those in Hollywood due to its appeal to the growing number of entertainers and media personalities looking for healthier alcohol substitutes that still come with a fun social buzz. Unlike traditional cannabis products, Cann has gained broad appeal with the elusive mainstream or “canna-curious” consumer due to its clean ingredients and low THC level.

“In a newly recreational market like Illinois, there are many uninitiated cannabis consumers who want to start with a low-dose option,” said Cann co-founder Luke Anderson. “At just 2mg of THC per serving, Cann is one of the only products on the market that is enjoyable for even the most timid first-timer, so it presents a unique opportunity for dispensaries to earn trust and loyalty rather than sending them back to the liquor store where they likely came from.”

Adult-use cannabis sales in Illinois in March 2021 broke previous records at more than $109 million and medical sales reached over $35 million. Cannabis sales in Illinois totaled more than $1 billion in 2020 following the legalization of adult-use cannabis beginning January 1, 2020. The state of Illinois collected $175 million in tax revenue from cannabis sales in 2020 and is on pace for over $350 million in 2021 based on tax receipts so far this year.

In addition to launching Cann in April, Green Thumb is commemorating the one-year mark of cannabis being deemed essential amid the COVID-19 pandemic with a “Year of Essential” 4/20 campaign including promotions, giveaways and a live online conversation with Lizzie Post, author of “Higher Etiquette,” on April 19 at 4:20 pm PDT.

About Green Thumb Industries

Green Thumb Industries Inc. (“Green Thumb”), a national cannabis consumer packaged goods company and retailer, promotes well-being through the power of cannabis while giving back to the communities in which it serves. Green Thumb manufactures and distributes a portfolio of branded cannabis products including Beboe, Dogwalkers, Dr. Solomon’s, incredibles, Rythm and The Feel Collection. The company also owns and operates rapidly growing national retail cannabis stores called Rise™. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Green Thumb has 13 manufacturing facilities, licenses for 97 retail locations and operations across 12 U.S. markets. Established in 2014, Green Thumb employs over 2,400 people and serves thousands of patients and customers each year. The company was named a Best Workplace 2018 by Crain’s Chicago Business and MG Retailer magazine in 2018 and 2019. More information is available at www.GTIgrows.com.

About Cann

Cann is the #1 selling THC-infused beverage in California according to BDS Analytics. Founded by Stanford and Harvard graduates, Cann is reshaping social drinking with their range of microdosed, non-alcoholic beverages that deliver a perfect, uplifting feeling every time. Vegan, gluten-free, and low in calories, each Cann has five all-natural ingredients with a strength that is similar to a beer or glass of wine. There are no artificial sweeteners or flavors, sugar substitutes, or cannabis taste. Cann’s social tonics won first place in BevNET’s New Beverage Showdown in 2019, following in the footsteps of mainstream grocery products like Health-Ade Kombucha, MALK, and RISE Brewing. The brand is also backed by mainstream celebrity investors, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Baron Davis, Rebel Wilson, Ruby Rose, Darren Criss, Casey Niestat, Tove Lo, and Bre-Z. For more information, visit www.drinkcann.com or @drinkcann on Instagram.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains statements which may constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words “may,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” or similar expressions and include information relating to the size of the U.S. cannabis market, expectations regarding listing opportunities for U.S. cannabis companies on major U.S. exchanges, the impact of cannabis on job opportunities and tax revenue in the U.S. and expectations regarding the principal purposes of the offering. The forward‐looking information in this news release is based upon the expectations of future events which management believes to be reasonable. Any forward‐looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, Green Thumb does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward‐looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward‐looking information in this news release is subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those express or implied. When considering these forward‐looking statements, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in Green Thumb’s public filings with the applicable securities regulatory authorities on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, including the risk factors set out in the Registration Statement and any prospectus relating to the offering discussed in this release.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9edb5160-475e-42c5-ab67-46cd06808a59

Cann’s cannabis-infused sparkling beverages

Cann is now available in Illinois in three creative flavors: Lemon Lavender, Grapefruit Rosemary, and Blood Orange Cardamom and are sold in 6-packs of 8 ounce cans.

Source: Green Thumb Industries

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Crain’s Chicago Business named Beacon Funding, a provider of equipment financing to small businesses throughout the United States, to the 2021 Best Places to Work in Chicago list.

Crain’s 100 Best Places to Work in Chicago were selected in partnership with independent research firm Best Companies Group. Beacon’s employees voluntarily participated in an anonymous survey that asked about the company’s culture, benefits and working conditions. The survey’s purpose was to identify, recognize and honor the 100 best companies to work for in the Chicagoland area. The survey results determined that Beacon Funding was a finalist in the top 100 best places to work.

“Beacon Funding is honored to be recognized as a finalist in Crain’s top 100 companies to work for in Chicago. More than ever, Beacon Funding remains committed to building a positive work atmosphere,” Toby McDonough, president of Beacon Funding, said. “We remain excited to continue working on all our current initiatives to make Beacon Funding an even better place to work in the future.”

Over the past 30 years, Beacon Funding’s employees and leadership have fostered a positive professional work culture. Even during difficult economic times, Beacon Funding’s team remains committed to helping the small business community get the equipment it needs. Beacon Funding continues to earn high marks from its clients and employees as well as from sources such as Glassdoor, Google Reviews and the Better Business Bureau.

Some of Beacon Funding’s benefits include:

• A remote work-from-home lifestyle
• Medical benefits (medical, dental, vision, health savings account)
• Well on target physical and mental fitness counseling
• Life insurance plan options
• Career growth
• Flexible schedules and flextime bonuses
• 401(K) and profit-sharing options
• Company virtual happy hour and trivia events

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When the pandemic struck just over a year ago and stopped our economy in its tracks, Congress responded with the largest small-business loan program in U.S. history.

When it concludes this May, the Paycheck Protection Program will have provided $784 billion in forgivable loans to nearly 4 million small businesses. Yet a shockingly small percentage of those loans have gone to Black- and Latinx-owned small businesses.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, which administers the PPP, of the 996,000 loans that included information on the borrower’s race, 71 percent of the money went to white-owned businesses. Only 12 percent of Black- and Latinx-owned small businesses received the full assistance they requested. Ninety percent of minority and women-owned businesses did not get any loans under PPP.

The state of Illinois responded to the pandemic with its own emergency program for small businesses, Business Interruption Grants, or BIG. A full 90 percent of the program’s recipients listed the owner’s race. Data shows that white business owners received 55 percent of the state’s grant funds. Black business owners received just 6 percent.

Why the disparity? One might think that, especially under a government program, such assistance would be far more equitable. Certainly, Black- and Latinx-owned businesses didn’t need the help any less. If anything, many of those businesses had greater needs as they are located in communities where the economic impact of COVID has been felt the most.

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ARMY MEDICS GET TRAUMA TRAINING AT UofC: The Level 1 trauma center at UChicago Medicine will serve as a training ground for 20 to 30 U.S. Army surgeons, nurses and medics ahead of their military deployments.

The Army Medicine Department Military-Civilian Trauma Team Training program, which will officially start up in the fall, makes UChicago Medicine the latest trauma training site for Army personnel to learn how to care for burn victims and patients with blunt or penetrating wounds, according to a statement from the South Side health system. 

Those participating in the program will train through embedded or short-term assignments, with embedded health care providers working at UChicago for three years. It’s designed to serve 30 people a year, including surgeons, emergency medicine physicians, emergency and critical care nurses, anesthesiologists and certified nurse anesthetists, combat medics, operating room technicians, licensed practical nurses and other surgical subspecialties, the statement said. 

“As an academic medical center, UChicago Medicine has long been committed to training the next generation of healthcare providers,”said  Dr. Kenneth S. Polonsky, dean and executive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Chicago, in the statement. “Expanding our educational mission to include Army clinicians extends and builds upon that work and, in turn, brings the military’s experience treating blunt and penetrating wounds to our hospital, which benefits our trauma care teams, the broader organization and, ultimately, our patients.” 

UChicago Medicine’s trauma program cared for about 4,400 adult and pediatric patients in 2020, up 47 percent from 2019, with a majority of adult trauma patients having blunt trauma injuries from incidents such as car accidents and falls. And an additional 41 percent of the adults had penetrating trauma wounds, often from shootings or stabbings.

CITY WON’T NEED TO CHANGE ANY APPOINTMENTS DESPITE J&J PAUSE: The city will be able to continue its COVID-19 vaccination program without major disruptions in appointment scheduling despite the pause in using the Johnson & Johnson version of the shot.

The federal government has agreed to supply Pfizer vaccine to the mass vaccination site at the United Center parking lot, which had been set to switch to Johnson & Johnson vaccines next week, Chicago’s health commissioner said today.

Meanwhile, the city health department is working to seamlessly switch all the appointments made for Johnson & Johnson to either the Pfizer or Moderna two-dose vaccines, said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. READ MORE.

COOK COUNTY HEALTH, ADVOCATE AURORA MAKE THE 500K CLUB: Both Cook County Health and Advocate Aurora Health both announced that they had administered their 500,000th vaccine dose on Thursday.

Cook County Health also recorded its two biggest days in administering the vaccines, with 13,592 doses given on Tuesday and 14,910 on Wednesday.

“To be able to hit this milestone in a four-month period is a true testament to the hard work and dedication from county and state staff, as well as the Illinois National Guard,” Israel Rocha Jr., CEO for Cook County Health said in a statement.

Oak Street Health, the primary care network that focuses on adults on Medicare, said it’s administered 150,000 doses, the company said in a statement. Meanwhile, Rush University System for Health plans to celebrate its 100,0000 dose administered sometime today. 

RAPID COVID TESTS MAY MISS EARLY INFECTIONS: Rapid-antigen tests are failing to detect the first few days of Covid-19 infections, a period when people are already capable of transmitting the virus, according to a prominent German virologist.

The shortcoming could undermine efforts to use these fast and cheap tests, already widely deployed across Germany, the U.K. and the U.S., to determine if someone can safely enter a place where people are congregating, Christian Drosten, head of the virology department at Berlin’s Charité hospital, said on a podcast.

U.S. regulators this month authorized quick tests made by Abbott Laboratories and Quidel Corp. for use at home without a prescription, opening the door to their wide availability at retail stores. READ MORE.

NEOPENDA GETS CE MARK FOR MONITORING DEVICE, FUNDING: Chicago-based public benefit corporation Neopenda has received $1.4 million in a new round of funding to bring a medical monitoring device to low-resource areas of sub-Saharan Africa, the company said in a statement.

The funding, supported by Assiduity Capital and Sorenson Impact Foundation, comes as Neopenda gained European CE Mark approval of its neoGuard device, the statement said.

The device is a wireless, wearable vital signs monitor that measures pulse rate, respiratory rate, peripheral blood oxygen saturation and temperature of critically ill newborns. It’s also been adapted for use with adult COVID-19 patients.

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LOOKS TO TRANSFORM 911: The University of Chicago Health Lab has launched an initiative to rethink the nation’s 911 emergency system, a statement from the university said.

The project, TRANSFORM911, will gather experts to look at ways to redesign the emergency response system to rely less on the police and prioritize better health and safety outcomes, according to a statement. Around $1.1 million in funding comes from Arnold Ventures, a Houston-based philanthropy group, and $100,000 from Microsoft’s Justice Reform Initiative.

“The dedicated women and men who support 911 save countless lives, but the system is designed to default to immediately deploying police officers, when other professionals trained in mental health or other disciplines might be better suited to respond,” S. Rebecca Neusteter, executive director of the University of Chicago Health Lab said in a statement. “Exploring approaches that work better for everyone—including public safety telecommunicators, community members, and first responders—is well overdue.” 

WESTMONT SURGICAL INSTRUMENT MAKER ACQUIRED: ASICO, LLC has been acquired by Katena Products, Inc. a provider ophthalmic instruments and equipment.

CITY MEDAL OF HONOR WINNERS CENTERED AROUND COVID: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has created a new mayoral award to honor people and organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to Chicago residents. The 2020 awards are particularly focused on contributions during the pandemic and include several health care professionals.

“As we begin to see the light at the end of the long, dark COVID-19 tunnel we’ve been in, it is vitally important for us to take the time to recognize and honor those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to support our city,” Lightfoot said in a statement.

Among the winners:

• Dr. Allison Arwady, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health:
• Dr. Helene Gayle, President, Chicago Community Trust
• Dr. Nick Turkal, who came out of retirement to lead the medical team at the emergency McCormick Place alternate care facility during the early
•  days of COVID.
• Chicago’s 22 Federally Qualified Health Centers
• Rush Hospital
• CORE, the innovative disaster-relief organization founded by Sean Penn that partnered with the City to stand-up free COVID testing in Chicago’s hardest-hit neighborhoods

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Excellence in culture and employee experience puts Bounteous in prestigious group

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–$canada #BestWorkplaces—Bounteous, a leading insights-driven digital experience consultancy, announces its recognition as one of this year’s Best Workplaces™ in Canada. This is the third consecutive win for the Bounteous Toronto team in recent months, following 2021 recognition for best workplaces for women and best workplaces in the Greater Toronto area.

Bounteous boasts industry-leading retention rates, an award-winning culture, and well-championed employee resource groups (ERGs). The co-innovation consultancy is consistently sought by competitive digital talent, with over 100 new hires in Q1 2021.

“One of our key core values is ‘client-focused’—while our Clients are the backbone of our business, the reason we succeed is that we hire the best people, who stay with us for the long-haul,” said Keith Schwartz, CEO of Bounteous. “We are extremely proud of our more than 90 percent retention rate and our team members who build long-lasting relationships. This guarantees dependable, high-quality outcomes for our clients year after year. When they succeed, we succeed.​​”

The 2021 Best Workplaces™ in Canada list is compiled by the Great Place to Work® Institute. The competition process to be ranked on this list is employee-driven, based on two criteria: two-thirds of the total score comes from confidential employee survey results and the remaining one-third from an in-depth review of the organization’s culture. This offers a rigorous representation of the organization from an employee perspective, and an overall portrait of the workplace culture. Together, they provide crucial data relative to five trust-building dimensions: credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie.

This year’s list captured the experience and sentiment of 82,000 employees, rolling out to impact over 300,000 Canadian employees. For more information, please visit www.greatplacetowork.ca.

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue and increased innovation. Bounteous in November 2020 became a Great Place to Work-CertifiedTM company across North America. Ninety-five percent of employees at Bounteous say it is a great place to work compared to 59 percent of employees at a typical company.

For more on Bounteous’ Great Place to Work certifications, visit the agency’s profiles with Great Place to Work U.S. and Canada.

About Bounteous

Founded in 2003 in Chicago, Bounteous creates big-picture digital solutions that help leading companies deliver transformational digital brand experiences. With expertise in Strategy, Experience Design, Solutions Engineering, Analytics, and Marketing, Bounteous forms co-innovation partnerships with clients to envision, design, and build their digital futures. For more information, please visit www.bounteous.com. For more information about co-innovation, download the Co-Innovation Manifesto at co-innovation.com.

For the most up-to-date news, follow Bounteous on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

About Great Place to Work®

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, Great Place to Work® recognizes the Best Workplaces™ across the world in a series of national lists including those published by Fortune magazine (USA) and The Globe & Mail (Canada).

Contacts

Bounteous

Sarah Baker

(877) 220-5862

sarah.baker@bounteous.com

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CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aspen Dental Management Inc. (ADMI), has been named an honoree of the 2021 Future Edge Award from the International Data Group (IDG) CIO. This prestigious award is bestowed upon 50 worldwide companies recognized for having established information technology initiatives that advance business results and impact for the future.

ADMI received the award in recognition of its achievements in developing a voice-activated periodontal charting product (VAPC).

“We are honored to be recognized by IDG as a cross-industry leader in the development and adoption of early-stage Innovative AI technologies,” said Yogish Suvarna, Chief Information and Digital Officer, ADMI. “We developed the first AI and innovation solution using AI speech capabilities to translate speech commands to text to update a patient’s periodontal disease chart in an electronic health records system, an innovation that is designed to make things easier for the thousands of dentists and hygienists we support across the country.”

“Using the latest technology in AI speech and Robotic Process Automation, we have set a new, leading-edge practice for the dental industry by enhance clinical operations and patient safety precautions with the advancement of periodontal disease charting capabilities,” said Suvarna.

“This year’s class of FutureEdge 50 winners demonstrated enormous innovation, creativity and resilience as they grappled to advance their businesses during a challenging 2020,” said Anne McCrory, Group VP, Customer Experience & Operations, IDG Communications, Inc. and the FutureEdge 50 Awards chair. “We are honored to showcase their initiatives and recognize the teams made them happen as they create a future edge for their organizations through technology.”

Some of the other 2021 U.S. FutureEdge 50 Award recipients include companies such as Accenture, Align Technology, Discover Financial Services, Dow, Eli Lilly and Company, Estee Lauder Companies, Hewlett Packard Corporate, IBM, Intel Corporation, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Mastercard, Oshkosh Corporation, Penn Medicine, Verizon, Zoom and more.

About Aspen Dental Management, Inc. (ADMI)

As one the largest healthcare business support organizations in the U.S., ADMI continues to build and strengthen the infrastructure, expertise, and core competencies that successful healthcare practices need to accelerate their growth and fuel their success, while also giving providers the freedom to do what they do best: Care for their patients. Through organic growth and a series of strategic acquisitions, ADMI now supports more than 1,000 health and wellness offices across 45 states and in three distinct categories: Dental care, urgent care, and medical aesthetics.

In dentistry, ADMI supports Aspen Dental, the largest and fastest-growing branded network of dental practices in the U.S. with more than 885 locations in 43 states, as well as ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers, leaders in fixed, full arch dental restorations for patients with missing or failing dentition, with 65 locations in 27 states. Collectively, the two are the largest provider of fixed and removable prosthetics in the U.S.

In the urgent care category, WellNow Urgent Care now stands at more than 85 locations in four states, putting it among the top 10 urgent care providers nationwide, while more recently, the ADMI family has expanded to include the medical aesthetic category with the acquisition of the largest single med spa clinic in the U.S. in late 2020.

About Aspen Dental

The Aspen Dental network includes more than 885 offices, in 43 states, owned and operated by independent practice owners and dentists, who operate with clinical autonomy and share a commitment to creating access to care for those who need it most. These independent practice owners expect to record six million patient visits in 2021, driven by a commitment to breaking down barriers to quality, affordable oral health care. Each dental care team offers patients a safe, welcoming, judgment-free environment to address their dental challenges, including comprehensive exams, cleanings, extractions, fillings, periodontal treatment, whitening, oral surgery, crown and bridge work, and denture services. https://www.aspendental.com/

About the FutureEdge 50 Awards

The FutureEdge 50 awards recognize organizations pushing the edge with new technologies to advance their business for the future. The successor to the Digital Edge 50 awards, the FutureEdge 50 will recognize not only established initiatives driving business success but also early-stage projects pursued for their watershed potential. These initiatives may be in R&D, proof of concept or pilot phases. With this, the FutureEdge 50 awards aim to bring the most cutting-edge trials and applications of emerging technologies – and the innovative cultures enabling them — to our audience at the CIO’s Future of Work Summit taking place online September 21-23, 2021.

About CIO

CIO focuses on attracting the highest concentration of enterprise CIOs and business technology executives with unparalleled peer insight and expertise on business strategy, innovation, and leadership. As organizations grow with digital transformation, CIO provides its readers with key insights on career development, including certifications, hiring practices and skills development. The award-winning CIO portfolio provides business technology leaders with analysis and insight on information technology trends and a keen understanding of IT’s role in achieving business goals. CIO is published by IDG Communications, Inc. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com.

Contacts

Deb Song

773-383-9814

Deborah.song@aspendental.com

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But if you have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone to move first, let me introduce you to Bob Clark.

If you don’t know Clark, he is founder and executive chairman of Clayco, the fast-growing office and industrial builder who moved his company to Chicago from St. Louis a few years back.

He, of course, has a vested interest in seeing workers get back to offices. But he’s also a passionate civic backer here. In fact, he’s downright bullish about this city’s future, as are we. And recently he put a marker, or rather a date, down on getting back to the office. His memo to his team is bold in its frankness. But it’s also practical, and he tells his employees that getting back to the office is an essential step to getting the economy back on its feet.

“The shareholders and I feel like May 10th is the magic date when we want everyone to come back to work in the office,” is how Clark started off his all-staff memo April 9.

The memo points out that vaccinations are widely available, and the expectation is that most employees will get one. “For the few people that have been granted exemptions to the vaccine we will give further instructions in the first week of May.”

In tighter spaces, where desks can’t be spread out, Clark says the company will continue to rotate workers in and out.

Masking and other safety protocols will remain in place until the virus is under control, he writes. “We want you to be safe and make sure you are all are keeping each other safe and since the virus is not completely under control ask that you continue to be vigilant to avoid exposing yourself to people with the virus.”

I asked Clark about whether the company got pushback from employees. Virtually none, he told me.

To be sure, Clayco isn’t alone. Several companies, big and small, have been quietly open this whole time.

And this is only one example of how a city starts to reopen, of course.

Over the next several months, Crain’s Chicago Business plans to cover the city’s anticipated recovery by expanding our current “Chicago Comes Back” series.

Like we’ve done in leading the conversation around the city’s toughest ongoing issues in our Forum and Equity series, we plan on leading the conversation about how the city will return to its new normal.

Throughout this most difficult year, we have all had our eye on the reopening moment. And this city, with probably the most diverse economy of any major city in the country, has an opportunity to reshape itself into something greater than it was. We must make sure that the comeback is fair and equal. The city’s downtown corridor depends on a deep and sustained investment in our most underserved neighborhoods. Likewise, that investment depends on a healthy and thriving downtown corridor.

Our coverage will focus on how the whole city can come back stronger.

We plan to cover the recovery across business sectors and neighborhoods. We will look at businesses small and large. And everything from our most cherished institutions to burgeoning ideas will be considered. Just as important, we will seek ideas from leaders across the city and of course, our readers.

It will be a robust discussion, I promise. And if it helps to set a comeback path, all the better.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Jim Kirk is executive editor and group publisher of Crain’s city business publications.

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Having cratered in last year’s pandemic-fueled crash, the strategy of buying cheap equities just notched the best quarterly outperformance in 20 years. And after long resisting the passive boom, the Austin, Texas-based firm with $637 billion under management is suddenly busy hoovering up assets across its exchange-traded funds.

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No wonder the 74-year-old Booth, who has spent four decades in money management, is in fighting spirits.

“I’m celebrating,” he said, referring to the value rotation. “I feel like my head has been in a vise for the last three years.”

The Russell 1000 Value Index is up 14% year-to-date versus a 8.2% gain for its growth counterpart as investors bet on cyclical and riskier companies. The durability of that market rebound is now occupying Wall Street. Everything from muted economic growth and low inflation expectations to the rise of new technologies has been blamed for the investing style’s famous underperformance for much of the past decade.

According to Booth, that rough period has been more about the unbelievable strength of growth stocks than the death of value. Even after all these years, he reckons the science is still sound.

“In our core funds we do hold growth stocks, and FAANG stocks, they’re in there somewhere,” Booth said. “We just tilt toward value because over the long haul it’ll improve returns. We still believe that.”

While its investment strategy may be relatively immovable, Dimensional has accepted that the way it implements its approach may need to move with the times to embrace cheaper and easier-to-trade tools.

So after resisting the siren song of the ETF industry for years, it now has three products with more than $1.1 billion under management just a few months after their launch. In June, Dimensional plans to make history by converting more than $20 billion of mutual funds into the exchange-traded wrapper.

Booth is less convinced by other market innovations — for now.

The boom in Bitcoin and mania for non-fungible tokens might be a good investment with which to “have fun,” he said. But he wouldn’t recommend putting a lot of money into them.

“I’m not arguing there’s any problem with Bitcoin,” Booth said. “Just we haven’t found a compelling argument for us to get involved.”

Instead of digital art, the investor is focused on his real-life collection. The veteran is making plans to turn his Austin estate and internationally acclaimed art collection into a museum after he’s passed away.

“When you get to be my age, you want to be able to look back think you improved things a bit,” Booth said. “I’m feeling really good about that, actually, right now.”

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“Kim has vast experience, and her industry-leading skills are widely known across a range of industries,” said Katten Chairman Roger P. Furey. “Her leadership and experience will enhance our already formidable Corporate group, which Mark’s longtime leadership contributed to building.”

Smith, who also serves as the co-chair of Katten’s Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity practice with Christopher S. Atkinson, has extensive experience leading complex transactions, including leveraged buyouts and other mergers and acquisitions and investment transactions. She advises Private Equity clients in a wide range of industries, including distribution and manufacturing, health care, business services, consumer, technology and financial services.

“It has been my honor to carry out the many responsibilities in the role of global chair, but it is time for me to hand over the leadership reins, and Kim is the perfect choice,” said Grossmann. “I have known Kim since she began her legal career at Katten, and I am confident in her abilities to lead our department as we continue to grow and meet our fullest potential. I look forward to supporting her along the way.”

Smith first joined Katten in 1998 and was promoted to partner in 2006. She rejoined the firm in 2015 after five years at another global law firm to serve as the co-head of the nationwide Private Equity practice.

Smith, who also sits on Katten’s Board of Directors, was recently named a Top 25 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A by Mergers & Acquisitions, which recognized her leadership and innovation in the dealmaking community and her advocacy for equity, diversity and inclusion. She has been recognized as a Mergers & Acquisitions and Antitrust Trailblazer by the National Law Journal, and is consistently included in the Crain’s Chicago Business annual list of Chicago’s Notable Women Lawyers and named to the Legal 500 United States guide. Smith also is a member of the corporate board of directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago and founding member of the organization’s guild board, which drives fundraising.

“As a member of the board and practice leader, I take seriously this new role in representing the firm’s Corporate partners and their clients and want to thank Mark for his leadership and dedication,” Smith said. “Our Corporate group has the highest skilled attorneys working on some of the most strategic and complex transactions in the industry, and I look forward to helping the firm continue to capitalize on our momentum.”

During Grossmann’s tenure as global chair, he oversaw hundreds of transactions in the United States and around the world. He recently led the legal team that advised on the historic transaction that made Curaleaf the biggest cannabis company in the world. In addition to growing his practice, Grossmann will serve as Head of Business Transactions for the firm where he will spearhead the development of client relationships, enhance client service and carry on with first chairing transactions for our clients. He will also continue to pursue numerous civic and charitable endeavors both personally and on behalf of Katten. 

Katten is a full-service law firm with nearly 650 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm’s core areas of practice include corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals. For more information, visit katten.com.

Contact:	Jackie Heard
	+1.312.902.5450
	[email protected]
	Kate Shenk
	+1.312.577.8415
	[email protected]

SOURCE Katten

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