Each of the Plan’s ten strategies will require the development and deployment of specific activities that together can impact our economy's future growth. Many activities aligned with the strategies are already underway across our region; in fact, we have identified over 300 of these so far. If you have a related activity that aligns with the strategies please use our Submit a related activity form to let us know.
World Business Chicago sees this process as living and ongoing, serving the economic development of Chicago for the future economy over the long term. Below are a few example of organizations working on some of the related activities. These examples provide evidence of how the activites advance each of the strategies, and how the strategies can help us build a better Chicago together.
Strategies
- Become a leading manufacturing hub
- Increase attractiveness as a center for business services and headquarters
- Become more competitive as a leading transportation and logistics hub
- Make Chicago a premier destination for tourism and entertainment
- Make Chicago a nationally leading exporter
- Create demand-driven and targeted workforce development
- Foster innovation in mature and emerging sectors and support entrepreneurship
- Invest to create next-generation infrastructure
- Develop and deploy neighborhood assets to align with regional economic growth
- Create an environment in which businesses can flourish
Advanced Manufacturing |
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Initiative |
Organization |
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Alliance for Illinois Manufacturing |
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Calumet Green Manufacturing Partnership (CGMP) |
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Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne |
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Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council |
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Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council |
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Austin Reentry Advantage Program |
Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council |
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City of Chicago Department of Housing & Economic Development |
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Integrated Lighting and Building Efficiency Systems (ILBES) Green Economy initiative |
Delta Institute, The |
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ForestCity Science + Technology Group |
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Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center |
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Manufacturing Boot Camp |
Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center |
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Illinois Manufacturers’ Training Program |
Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center |
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Illinois Science and Technology Coalition |
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Innovation Acceleration Platform |
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Instituto del Progreso Latino |
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Jane Addams Resource Network |
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Lean Breakfast Club |
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Milwaukee Water Council |
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National Center for Food Safety and Technology |
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Manufacturing day camps |
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Associate in Applied Science, Manufacturing Technology (AAS) |
Oakton Community College |
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Prairie State Community College |
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Green Economy |
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Society of Manufacturing Engineers Chapter 5 |
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Associate in Applied Science, Nanoscience Technology (AAS) |
South Suburban College |
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South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association |
Business Services & Headquarters |
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Initiative |
Organization |
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Proactive Headquarters Outreach |
World Business Chicago |
Transportation & Logistics |
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Initiative |
Organization |
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City of Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) |
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Harper College |
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Illinois Tollway Board |
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Joliet Arsenal Development Authority |
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Joliet Arsenal Development Authority |
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Joliet Arsenal Development Authority |
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Master of Science in Supply Chain Management (MSSCM) program |
Loyola University Graduate School of Business |
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Occupational Certificate - Transportation & Logistics |
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Freight policy agendas |
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Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) |
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Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) |
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O’Hare Perishables Facility |
O’Hare International Airport |
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Olive-Harvey Community College |
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South Suburban College |
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Thornton Township High School |
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Center for the Commercialization of Innovative Transportation Technology |
Transportation Center, Northwestern |
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Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE) program |
U.S. Department of Transportation |
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United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) |
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University of Illinois at Chicago |
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National University Rail (NURail) Center & other research collaborations |
Urban Transportation Center (UTC) at UIC |
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Urban Transportation Center, University of Chicago |
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Inland Port Advisory Council (IPAC) |
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Tourism & Entertainment |
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Initiative |
Organization |
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Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau |
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Meetings and conventions customer survey & strategy |
Choose Chicago |
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Sports Commission |
Choose Chicago |
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Cultural Tourism Commission |
Choose Chicago |
Increased Exports |
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Initiative |
Organization |
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Chicago Sister Cities International / World Business Chicago |
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Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce |
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City of Chicago |
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DHL Express expansion in Chicago |
DHL |
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Global Midwest Alliance |
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Illinois Science and Technology Coalition |
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Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago |
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Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago/Kinzie Industrial Development Corporation |
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North Business & Industrial Council |
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Demand-Driven Workforce |
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Initiative |
Organization |
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Evaluation of the City of Chicago’s Sector-Based Workforce Centers Initiative |
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High-school tech and entrepreneurship training |
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Chicago Career Tech training programs |
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Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership |
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Chicago Jobs Council |
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Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council |
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Human Capital Information Portal (HCIP) |
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning |
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Chicago Academy of Advanced Technology (Chicago Tech Academy High School) |
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) |
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Chicago Public Schools, Career and Technical Education |
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Chicago Workforce Investment Council |
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Merger of three existing workforce boards |
Chicago-Cook Workforce Partnership |
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Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center |
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City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) |
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Council for Adult & Experiential Learning (CAEL) |
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Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center (HPVEC) |
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Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center (HPVEC) |
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TalentSparks! |
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Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization (iBIO) |
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Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization (iBIO) |
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Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) |
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Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) |
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Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) |
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Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) |
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Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity |
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Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity |
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Illinois Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (IL-HITREC) |
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Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) |
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Illinois Technology Association |
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Illinois Worknet Center |
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Joliet Arsenal Development Authority |
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Leyden High School District 212 |
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Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Chicago New Communities Program |
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Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council |
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Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council |
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Health Information Technology (HIT) Workforce Development Program |
Moraine Valley Community College |
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Moraine Valley Community College |
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NanoBusiness Alliance |
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National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) |
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National Latino Education Institute (NLEI), formerly Spanish Coalition for Jobs |
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Nanotechnology Employment, Education, and Economic Development Initiative (NE3I) |
Oakton Community College |
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Partnership for New Communities |
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Project Lead the Way (Illinois) |
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Project Lead the Way (Illinois) |
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Smart Communities Chicago |
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Northern Illinois Workforce Consortium (NIWC) |
William Rainey Harper College (Harper College) |
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Workforce Boards of Metropolitan Chicago |
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Entreprenurship & Innovation |
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Initiative |
Organization |
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Chicago Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (CHITREC) |
Alliance of Chicago Community Health Services |
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On-line community |
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Charles H. Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, DePaul University |
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Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern |
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Chicago Biomedical Consortium |
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Chicago Biomedical Consortium |
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Internship Program, Chicago Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (CHITREC) |
Chicago Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (CHITREC) |
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Chicago Ideas Week |
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Chicago Innovation Awards |
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Chicago Urban League Entrepreneurship Center |
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Chicago Urban League Entrepreneurship Center |
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Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center |
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Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and other partners |
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City of Chicago, State of Illinois, Cook County |
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Clean Energy Trust |
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Clean Energy Trust |
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Clean Energy Trust |
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Clean Energy Trust |
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Excelerate Labs summer program |
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NUVention Medical; NUVention Web; NUVention Energy |
Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (FCEI), Northwestern |
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Early-stage tech start-up investment fund |
FireStarter Fund |
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Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation, IIT |
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Brinks Innovation Competition |
Global Midwest Alliance |
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Global Midwest Alliance |
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Goldman Sachs |
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Hadley School for the Blind |
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Health IT advocacy |
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) |
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Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization (iBIO) |
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Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity |
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Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity |
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Illinois Innovation Council |
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Illinois Innovation Network |
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Illinois Innovation Council |
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Illinois Innovation Council |
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Illinois Institute of Technology |
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Illinois Medical District |
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Chicago ITEC |
Illinois Medical District |
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Illinois Smart Buildings Initiative |
Illinois Science and Technology Coalition |
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Illinois Technology Association |
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Illinois Technology Association |
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Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO), Northwestern |
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Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, UIC |
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International Center for Advanced Internet Research |
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International Center for Advanced Internet Research |
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Small Business Entrepreneur's Evaluation (SBEE) |
International Institute for Nanotechnology, Northwestern |
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InvestMidwest |
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Justin Massa, formerly of MCIC, now of FoodGenuis |
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Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University |
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Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University |
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Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council |
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Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) |
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Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) |
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Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC), Northwestern |
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Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institutes (NUCATS) |
Northwestern University |
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Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institutes (NUCATS) |
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Strategic Healthcare IT Advanced Research Projects on Security (SHARPS) |
Northwestern University Memorial Hospital |
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Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship, Booth School, U of C |
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Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship, Booth School, U of C |
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Sandbox Industries |
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School of the Art Institute |
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Searle Community Trust |
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Technology Innovation Center, Northwestern University |
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University Technology Park at IIT |
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University Technology Park at IIT |
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Workforce Institute of the City Colleges of Chicago |
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Next-Generation Infrastructure |
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Initiative |
Organization |
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Center for Neighborhood Technology |
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Chicago Community Trust and other partners |
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Chicago Department of Transportation |
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Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning |
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Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning/ Metropolitan Planning Council |
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City of Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) |
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City of Chicago Department of Energy |
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City of Naperville Department of Public Utilities |
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Cook County |
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Cornerstone International |
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Clean Water and Healthy Fish / Chicago River Blue |
Friends of the Chicago River |
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Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation, IIT |
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Galvin Project, The |
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Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity |
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Illinois Tollway Board |
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International Center for Advanced Internet Research |
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International Center for Advanced Internet Research |
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What Our Water’s Worth |
Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) |
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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) |
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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) |
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Partnership for a Connected Illinois, Inc. (PCI) (a.k.a., Connect Illinois) |
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Urban Lab (private design firm) |
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Neighborhood Assets |
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Initiative |
Organization |
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Center for Neighborhood Technology |
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Center for Neighborhood Technology |
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Opportunity Chicago evaluation |
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Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning |
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Homes for a Changing Region project continuation |
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning |
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Chicago Urban League Entrepreneurship Center |
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Cermak Creative Industry District |
City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs |
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City of Chicago Department of Housing & Economic Development |
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Delta Institute, The |
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Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) |
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Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity |
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Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago/Kinzie Industrial Development Corporation |
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Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago/Kinzie Industrial Development Corporation |
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Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago/Kinzie Industrial Development Corporation |
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LISC Chicago's New Communities Program |
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Regional planning and development |
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Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) |
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Regional Housing Initiative (RHI) |
Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) |
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Reconnecting Neighborhoods |
Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) |
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Northwestern Law School |
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RW Ventures |
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SCORE |
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Smart Communities Chicago |
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Smart Communities Chicago |
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South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association |
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Urban Transportation Center, UIC |
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Business Environment |
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Initiative |
Organization |
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Better Government Association (BGA) |
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Center for State Innovation |
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Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA) |
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Chicago Department of Buildings |
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Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning |
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Chicago Office of the Mayor |
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Choose DuPage |
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City of Chicago |
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City of Chicago |
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City of Chicago |
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Illinois Fiscal Sustainability Initiative |
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Commercial Club of Chicago, Civic Committee |
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Cook County |
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DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation |
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Policy research |
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Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity |
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Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity |
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Lake County |
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Mayor's "Time in line" Innovation Delivery Team |
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Metro Economic Growth Alliance (MEGA) |
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Public Service for the 21st Century (PS21) movement |
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Supplier Diversity Task force |
