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 Left to right: Jim McConoughey, McHenry County Economic Development Corporation; Xochitl Flores, Cook County Bureau of Economic Development; Kyle Schulz, World Business Chicago; Andrea Sáenz, The Chicago Community Trust; Scott Gengler, Kendall County Board; Erin Aleman, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning; Peter Austin, McHenry County Administrator; Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board President; Greg Bedalov, Choose DuPage; Deborah Conroy, DuPage County Board Chair; Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Will County Executive; Lori E. Lightfoot, Mayor of Chicago; Doug Pryor, Will County Center for Economic Development; Irene Sherr, Cook County Bureau of Economic Development; Jim Reynolds, Loop Capital; Sandy Hart, Lake County Board Chair; Kevin Considine, Lake County Partners; Michael Fassnacht, World Business Chicago
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Counties and City of Chicago announce historic regional partnership for economic development
Regional leaders gathered yesterday to announce the formation of the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership, a first-of-its-kind collaboration among the seven counties of northeastern Illinois and the City of Chicago to drive inclusive economic growth and advance equity across the region.
The Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership is made up of economic development leaders across the public, private, and civic sectors. The Partnership will focus on promoting the region’s many assets, including extensive freight infrastructure, diverse talent, strong exporting industries, and world-class institutions of innovation, research, and culture to develop a competitive global identity.
World Business Chicago (WBC) will manage the Partnership and will expand its services region-wide, complementing existing municipal and county programs. WBC will be hiring multiple positions to support the new partnership and is already seeking a regional specialist for business development.
City of Chicago and county partners have together made a financial commitment totaling $1 million for the first in a three-year pilot.
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) set this work in motion two years ago, supported by a grant from the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust, at the request of the region’s county board chairs and the deputy mayor of Chicago. CMAP partnered with the Brookings Institution — a nonprofit public policy organization — and convened regional leaders to develop a shared regional framework for equitable economic development.
"I am confident that this new partnership will advance our goals of achieving an inclusive and thriving region," said Erin Aleman, executive director of CMAP. "CMAP appreciates the opportunity to help shepherd this new era of regional economic cooperation for northeastern Illinois."
The launch of the Partnership was covered in numerous media outlets, including:
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Check out new tool to strengthen regional economic development
A new innovative tool on job quality and access will help economic development organizations and other partners across the region improve northeastern Illinois’ economic position.
Communities can use the interactive data visualization tool to understand the advantages of their local labor market, identify where support is needed, and develop action plans to strengthen industries that support shared prosperity.
CMAP worked with consulting firm TIP Strategies to develop the tool and an accompanying plan, which provides a set of strategies to improve regional coordination of economic development and COVID-19 recovery efforts.
This work is one result of efforts by CMAP, the county board chairs, the City of Chicago, economic development organizations, and other partners to boost economic growth through regional coordination.
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Save the date: Regional Economy Committee meets this month
Join the next Regional Economy Committee meeting on Thursday, January 26, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. An agenda and other meeting materials will be posted on Legistar.
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