By Veteran PR

The historic and iconic Drake Hotel Oak Brook is celebrated a return to elegance with its full unveiling this past June
Since the early 1960’s, The Drake had stood as an integral part of the Oak Brook community, serving as a hotel and event space for locals, professionals, and prestigious guests from around the world before falling into disrepair. Seeing an opportunity to revive the town’s longtime landmark to its former glory, Jim and Tely Nagle decided it was time to intervene.

The husband and wife team purchased the property in 2013 and have spent the last year and a half rigorously renovating it to meet the needs of modern life. In keeping with the hotel’s crest “Ubi Tempus Quietus,” which means “where time rests,” they’ve managed to breathe fresh life into the 4-story, 10-acre property while keeping its heritage and classic touches firmly at heart.

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Posted on September 10, 2015

By LT Philip Fortnam, Navy Office of Community Outreach

MANAMA, Bahrain – A 2013 Kenwood Academy High School graduate and Chicago native is helping the U. S. Navy keep sea lanes safe and open in the Middle East, serving on the mine countermeasures ship USS Sentry (MCM-3).
Seaman Apprentice Joshua Johnson is a Navy information systems technician and lives and works at a Navy base in Manama, Bahrain, where the Sentry is based. Bahrain is a small island country situated near the western shores of the Arabian Gulf.

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Posted on September 9, 2015

I Keep Getting This E-Mail

Dear Steve,
I am a District Manager for Farmers Insurance Group looking for a successful, business-minded individual with a strong desire for personal growth, career fulfillment, and financial success.
That is not me.
Based on my initial review of the resume you posted online, I believe you may be an excellent fit for our career opportunity in sales with Farmers Insurance and Financial Services. We are currently developing new agencies in the greater Chicago area.
I must need to rewrite my resume.

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Posted on September 8, 2015

By Steve Rhodes

The view from Lakeview.
(ENLARGE FOR PROPER VIEWING)

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Posted on September 4, 2015

An Aussie Named Chris

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Around 40 kilograms (88 lb) of wool has been sheared from a sheep found near Australia’s capital, the RSPCA said on Thursday, making him unofficially the world’s wooliest.

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Posted on September 3, 2015

By The Wisconsin Wool & Sheep Festival

Spend the weekend with us as we celebrate the multi-purpose wool- and fiber-bearing animals as well as the wonderful and renewable products that they provide for us.
One of the Midwest’s major events for sheep producers and fiber enthusiasts is set for September 11-13. It’s a full weekend of activities – full of entertainment, shopping and education and it’s all at Jefferson Fair Park, Jefferson, Wisconsin, just 30 miles west of Milwaukee off I-94.

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Posted on September 2, 2015

By Jane Harper

Several weeks ago, I received a call from a woman in another state. After my (required) lengthy and extraordinarily perky greeting, she said, “Hi, Jane! This is ‘Anita Perkins!'”
Who? I have a lot of regular customers and I deal with a lot of distributors and owners of other businesses, but I definitely don’t know an ‘Anita Perkins’ (not her real name).
But, being the retail pro I’ve become, I responded with a cheery, “Hi Anita! How are you? What can I help you with?”
It turns out Anita was in “my” store just after Christmas of 2014 (our absolute busiest time of the year) and purchased numerous expensive leather and Swarovski dog collars for her many expensive pure-bred dogs (all of whom happen to be a breed of which I’m not particularly fond). I have no memory of Anita, the sale we made to her, which was, I’m sure, sizable, or much of anything from around, say, October through March, when we tend to rake in the money that’s used to allow us to get by in the lean months. But, since we’re in the midst of those lean months now, a decent sale would be a great thing.

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Posted on September 1, 2015