Omicron Storm | Trump SPAC Surprises | Avoiding Campus Shutdowns

Plus: Meet The Marathon Manager Helping Tampa's First Responders Retire Rich

Good morning.

The news that the pandemic caused the steepest drop in the life expectancy of Americans since World War II (down two years to 77) makes for sobering reading just as new evidence emerges about the spread of the omicron variant. Health experts are, however, warning against colleges adopting another virtual semester, while Forbes digs into the Trump SPAC and finds it loaded with unwelcome surprises for its investors. And finally, meet the no-frills stock picker that has helped generate top decile returns for Tampa’s municipal pension fund. 

In The News Today

The omicron variant of the coronavirus raises the risk of infection on board a passenger plane by two or even three-fold, according to the airline industry’s biggest trade body, a finding that could overshadow millions of travellers taking to the skies for the holiday season.

Israeli officials said Tuesday a fourth Covid-19 vaccine shot will soon be available to older adults and healthcare workers, apparently making Israel the first country to widely approve a fourth round of vaccination against Covid-19.

Top Take-Aways

SPACs often come with tricks and surprises that can harm retail investors but Donald Trump’s new venture, which is aiming to launch a Twitter rival, comes loaded with additional boobytraps. Despite Trump fans' enthusiasm, many don’t know what they are buying. 

It wasn’t until self-proclaimed “data nerd” Angela Sutherland became pregnant with her first child that her analytical brain zeroed in on the fructose in even organic baby food. The Goldman Sachs alum set out to build her own healthier baby food startup Yumi and has just raised $67 million from investors.

During the rush to market in 2021, it seemed like almost every corner of the food industry was looking for a seat at the table. But investors in restaurant chains, grocery store favorites and even a lab-grown meat maker had trouble digesting a year’s worth of spicy and bland public listings, from Oatly’s $10 billion IPO bust to Sweetgreen’s abrupt reversal from a first-day run-up.

Omicron is spiking Covid rates on college campuses and across the nation, but it would be a huge mistake to launch another virtual semester in 2022, say medical experts. That means higher-ed leaders need to accept Covid could be here to stay and have plans to feed and care for potentially hundreds of thousands of isolating students.

This past year saw Main Street undergo a rapid transformation, fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic. Resilience has been a recurring theme in our coverage, and it’s reflected in this compilation of the best small business stories of the year.

Matthew McConaughey is better known as an Academy Award-winning actor than as moonlighting as a copywriter, but for the last five years he has been the creative director of Kentucky whiskey brand Wild Turkey. Unlike other celeb promoters, the Texan’s strategy appears to be working more than all right, all right, all right.

Today's Must Read

In Case You Missed It

Rick Cohen spent his life building his family’s traditional grocery distribution business into a $25 billion powerhouse. But the 69-year-old knows the future is automation and he is betting big on a robotics firm that’s building cutting-edge warehouses for mega-retailers like Walmart, Albertsons and Target—and is set to go public in a $5 billion SPAC deal.

Tips You Can Trust

Saying goodbye has never been so popular but here are four smart steps you should take before a big career leap in the new year.

If 2020 was about survival, then 2021 was about growth for many leaders with the reopening fueling the economy and inflation. Here are 10 leadership lessons to take away from an unprecedented year. 

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