One goal we can all agree upon is the need to promote growth throughout the Chicago region.

Consider what a healthy, growing business environment provides:

• Our economy and our companies expand · We increase the number of jobs and the incomes we offer workers 
• It lays the foundation for the creation of new businesses and entrepreneurs 
• It raises the quality of life for all our citizens.

Through the combined efforts of government, business and civic leaders, we’re making good progress toward achieving this goal, as evidenced by our efforts to make Chicagoland the most business-friendly region in the U.S. This includes, most notably, our support for the region’s entrepreneurs in their efforts to build high-growth, sustainable businesses. Chicago was recently listed as one of the top large cities in Entrepreneur and Fast Company magazines.

When it comes to entrepreneurial activity, one needs look no further than the activities of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC), an affiliate of the Chicagoland Chamber. The CEC has helped countless entrepreneurs secure financing, form strategic alliances and ultimately make better business decisions so they can be successful at all stages of growing their businesses.

There are many others who are working hard to make Chicago a business-friendly region. City and state programs, such as those provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), complement the Chicagoland Chamber’s efforts to expand the number of qualified, educated candidates in the region’s workforce, and offer economic and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Our higher education community is also extremely active in this effort. Four of Illinois’ largest universities offer programs to help hone the skills necessary to succeed as an entrepreneur. DePaul University, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, and University of Illinois at Chicago have each been recognized as being one of the nation’s “Top 100 Entrepreneurial Colleges,” while their graduate schools of business consistently rank among the highest in the nation, including University of Chicago at #1.

The collaborative efforts of the region’s business and civic leaders, including those led by Chicago Metropolis 2020, Central Area Committee, and World Business Chicago encourage long-term planning that will lead to wise investments in the region’s infrastructure. So it is rewarding when Site Selection magazine names Chicagoland the “top region in the country for corporate investment and expansion,” or The Economist magazine calls Chicago “a success story . . . looking shiny and confident.”

While we’ve come a long way toward reaching our goal of making Chicago the most business-friendly region in the U.S., there’s always more to do. That’s why the Chicagoland Chamber works tirelessly to support policies that encourage economic development and job growth, and oppose burdensome legislative and regulatory proposals.

Sources for Doing Business in Chicagoland
Business Resource Guide & Membership Directory, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, 2006