I'm great at shopping for billionaires and other stories

Gathering a few quirky stories from Chicago's DNC

What gift do you buy for a billionaire who can buy anything he wants?

Most of us never face a decision like that. But since I anticipated meeting a billionaire recently — and thought it’d be fun to give him a present — I was prepared.

As you may recall, I attended the Democratic National Convention last week in Chicago and had lots of opportunities to view celebrities such as three Presidents, John Legend, Common and Pink.

I noticed on my agenda a meet-and-greet with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, whose family owns the Hyatt Hotel chain.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker receives an Iowa Cubs baseball cap from yours truly. My apologies for the blue light. (Photo courtesy John Naughton.)

Honestly, I’d heard Pritzker’s name before… but barely. Sorry, Guv.

That’s when my journalist skills kicked in to learn about him. He’s a billionaire. He loves a good party. And he’s a Chicago Cubs fan.

The light bulb went off.

So before I headed to Chicago, I stopped at the Iowa Cubs shop and picked up a cap for him. Because if he loves all things Cubs, it should be a delight for him to get an I-Cubs hat, right?

I am good at getting gifts for celebrities. Ask Peyton Manning, Shaq and Venus Williams. I met all three at The Des Moines Register’s Iowa Sports Awards. Peyton received one of his dad’s NFL rookie cards and Shaq and Venus got T-shirts from me. (Shaq is a size XXXXXXL.)

The baseball cap was cleared by the United Center’s Secret Service as I checked into the arena. At the event, ostensibly for Gov. Pritzker to show off Illinois’ tech success, I prepared to make my move.

The governor is a recognizable fellow. Stocky and with a big smile. I politely greeted a security detail person, who steered me to one of Pritzker’s handlers. I showed him a brown paper bag with the cap. Moments later, I presented the gift to Gov. Pritzker.

Of course, he was absolutely delighted. (Even though he looks bad in caps, he said.) Because what in the world do you give a billionaire, especially when he’s not expecting a gift?

Fortunately, I AM GREAT AT BUYING GIFTS FOR BILLIONAIRES.

A few other fun celebrity moments from Chicago:

Gene Chandler (left) and John moments after our duet. (Photo courtesy John Naughton.)