Mayor Richard M. Daley and World Business Chicago (WBC) recently assembled a cross-section of Chicago's top business leaders for a roundtable discussion on ways to kick-start the local economy.

The roundtable, moderated by Michael Moskow, Vice Chairman and Senior Fellow for the Global Economy, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, is evident of the great partnership and collaboration between Chicago's civic and corporate leadership. More than 30 Presidents and CEOs from major economic sectors represented small and large Chicago businesses at the discussion. Companies ranged from AON, ComEd, Bank of America and Crate & Barrel, to Comfort Cake and Viewpoints.

The summit included a presentation on the state of Chicago's economy given by Charles Evans, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. It also included information on key city initiatives and an open forum and discussion on how the business community can help and short-term recommendations.

"Today I asked a group of Chicago business leaders to sit down with me for one important reason: the worldwide recession has become a crisis, and we know that the nation's recession will deepen before it gets better," Mayor Daley said at a press conference after the meeting.

"As leaders of our city, we have a shared responsibility to do all we can to help protect our economy and our working families, many of whom are struggling to make it through these tough times," Daley added.

The Mayor reviewed a series of steps the City of Chicago has taken to protect our economy and working families, including agreements to lease Midway Airport and our city's parking meters, steps to update our job training and tourism program, and our efforts to protect homeowners from foreclosure and provide tax relief. 

Additionally, the roundtable discussion produced a set of action items to be implemented immediately and give momentum to Chicago's economic recovery. The city, WBC and Chicago business leaders will carry out initiatives in four major areas -- Workforce, Local Economic Development, Employee Support, and Economic Stimulus through State and Federal legislation -- to help residents connect with the jobs, the employers and the information they need to become or remain economically secure during these difficult times.

The initiatives include:

Workforce:

• Enhance coordination on notification and "rapid response" to layoffs in order to increase capacity, resources and coordination in connecting laid-off workers to new jobs or to training programs.
• Post job listings on WBC website, also demonstrating to business leaders outside of Chicago that our region continues to offer good job opportunities.
• Enhance Chicago LEADS links between educational institutions, workforce development programs and the business community.
• Provide work experience opportunities, including paid and unpaid opportunities, internships and job shadowing to youth and college grads.

Local Economic Development:

• Enhance the city's current "Made in Chicago" initiative to promote locally manufactured products and local service providers.
• Expand business support network, providing companies resources for obtaining advice and support from other local businesses.
• Formalize WBC's "Ambassador Program" by preparing Chicago business executives to showcase and serve as ambassadors for Chicago in their travels, presentations and discussions abroad.
• Implement WBC's strategy to identify and successfully recruit new business sectors that will help support, enhance and further diversify our local economy.

Employee Support:

• Enable Chicago employers to better connect their employees with information about housing assistance, including foreclosure prevention resources/events, affordable homeownership opportunities and homebuyer incentives to help jumpstart our local real estate market.
• Participate in programs that ensure workers are accessing government assistance programs and benefits for which they may eligible (e.g., RTA/CTA Transit Check, Chicago Supports Workers, etc.).

Economic Stimulus Legislation (State and Federal):

• Support stimulus initiatives in the Illinois General Assembly that will accelerate local job creation and support long-term investments in Chicago's infrastructure and economy, and encourage the federal government to expeditiously send economic stimulus funds directly to cities and states.

The meeting stressed that Chicago has the resources to remain a top-tier international business center. The city is at the center of the country, with unmatched access to the world. It has a diverse and talented workforce, a relatively low cost of doing business and a great quality of life.  

Chicago Restaurant Week... eat it up!, produced by the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau (CCTB), returns this year for one week, February 20 - 27. More than 130 participating restaurants will offer three-course, prix-fixe lunches for $22 and dinner $32, excluding beverages, tax and gratuity. View the list of participating restaurants and make online reservations at http://www.eatitupchicago.com/.

Participation in the 2008 event more than tripled as a result of the incredibly successful 2007 Chicago Restaurant Week, the city's first. Returning restaurants this year praised the inaugural event for helping to drive new guests into their establishments, increasing covers an average of 40% and sales by 20%.

Mark Theis, CCTB's Executive Vice President, encourages not only visitors, but Chicagoans as well, to experience what The Wall Street Journal recently termed "America's top eating city," during Chicago Restaurant Week.

"No other city in the world can match Chicago's culinary diversity and experiences created by Chicago's most notable and emerging chefs," said Theis. "Chicago Restaurant Week offers diners an opportunity to celebrate the creativity and mastery of our chefs at two very affordable price points."

Diners may select restaurants by cuisine or neighborhood. Too many great restaurants to choose from? Ask the Chef for his recommendation online at http://www.eatitupchicago.com/. Visitors to the site can also sign up for email alerts and enter for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to any one of the participating restaurants, valid through the end of 2009 (but not during Chicago Restaurant Week).

Mayor Richard M. Daley and Mrs. Daley recently met with the Chicago Sister Cities Board and Executive Committee, as well as special guests, during an International Breakfast hosted by the Chicago Sister Cities International Program (CSCIP). During the breakfast, the Mayor delivered an address highlighting the work of CSCIP and Chicago's global connections.

"Urban centers are where the greatest concentrations of people will be living during the 21st Century. We must make cultural connections and expand our working relationships with global partners so we can continue to collaborate for the long term," said Mayor Daley. "The future well-being of cities like Chicago depends to a large degree on how we plan for and deal with that global interconnection."

The first Sister Cities agreement was signed in 1960 with Warsaw, Poland. Since then, Chicago has established official relationships with a total of 27 cities, making it the largest and most active Sister Cities Program in the United States. Through this global network, Chicago continues to foster educational, cultural and economic opportunity for its citizens.

In 2008, Chicago Sister Cities, in cooperation with the City of Chicago, hosted several large-scale international events, including the first-ever U.S.-Arab Cities Forum, which convened over 50 municipal leaders from throughout the United States, Canada and the Arab world. The three-day conference provided a unique opportunity for mayors and local leaders to engage in high-level dialogue about the challenges municipalities face and strategies to ensure cities remain globally competitive.

Additionally, the Sister Schools Abroad Program is currently active in more than 50 Chicago schools and engages more than 15,000 youth around the world in global thinking. Through academic exchanges that span language learning, cultural exploration, science education, sports and more, the program gives Chicago students access to a truly global education.

"I am very proud of this program and its impact on school children," said Mayor Daley at the breakfast. "It represents our commitment to international education to ensure that the young people we are preparing to be the leaders of tomorrow have an appreciation for foreign lands and cultures."

In October 2008, World Fashion Chicago returned to Millennium Park for its third run wowing audiences with designs by some of the trendiest fashion visionaries in the world.  All featured designers have roots in Chicago's sister cities, but six traveled especially from the sister cities of Amman, Jordan; Casablanca, Morocco; Durban, South Africa; Mexico City, Mexico; Paris, France; and Shanghai, China to Chicago to showcase their work.

Another highlight of 2008 was Sister Cities Gourmet, which was also held at Millennium Park and featured the culinary works of international top chefs hailing from seven of Chicago's 27 sister cities. 

"Although these exchanges are varied in their focus and scope, the real strength of Sister Cities lies in its ability to connect Chicago to the world on a person-to-person basis," said Leroy Allala, Acting Executive Director of CSCIP.  "This is accomplished through a network of more than 900 volunteers, whose resolve to see this program succeed speaks not only to the dedication of these individuals, but also to the visionary, cooperative spirit of our great city."