PROMOTION // GREAT PLACES CHICAGO. The Ultimate Global Business Destination

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1 PROMOTION // GREAT PLACES CHICAGO The Ultimate Global Business Destination Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau By Susan H. Burnell Chicago is jetting into a booming business expansion, equipped with new economic development plans and partnerships. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, World Business Chicago (WBC) and key stakeholders aim to strengthen the city s competitive position by identifying the best growth opportunities and marshaling the resources to address them. The city s focus on global competitiveness is getting results. In June, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranked Chicago among the top 10 cities in the world for future competitiveness. In U.S. city rankings, Chicago was second only to New York in competitiveness. The ranking compared 120 cities worldwide for their ability to attract capital, talent and business. Chicago s globally competitive, diverse workforce and outstanding infrastructure offer a tremendous advantage in the marketplace, says Mayor Emanuel. We ve worked to cultivate success, and we continue to see the kind of progress that attracts international companies. That includes public infrastructure, and also the broadband and wireless infrastructure essential to business. Accelerating Growth In Chicago, we re focused and looking outward to find the most forward-thinking ways to increase growth, says Jeff Malehorn, president and CEO of WBC. This is evident in World Business Chicago s plan for economic growth and jobs, now under way, which is designed to accelerate growth in gross regional product, employment, productivity,

2 PROMOTION 2 // GREAT PLACES income and wages for the region. It s an inclusive blueprint that brings together all of the various stakeholders to accelerate Chicago s economy. Malehorn reports to WBC Chairman Mayor Emanuel and Vice Chairman Michael Sacks. The former GE executive leads the implementation of the strategic plan WBC produced at Mayor Emanuel s request, which launched last year. The city s infrastructure action plan, called Building a New Chicago, is another indicator of progress. The mayor s $7 billion coordinated infrastructure blueprint is designed to revitalize the city s roads, rails and runways. A companion initiative, the Chicago Broadband Challenge, brings together private business, universities and the public to develop world-class broadband infrastructure with gigabit-speed fiber. The city kicked off the challenge by turning on free Wi-Fi in Millennium Park in September Digital start-ups have access to affordable workspace, mentors, potential investors and other resources at 1871, a 50,000-square-foot business incubator set up in Chicago s Merchandise Mart. New investment by AT&T aligns well with the city s goals for digital connectivity and growth. The company recently announced it is bringing 500 jobs to Chicago and expanding its wireless and wired networks. By midyear 2013, this leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, highspeed Internet, voice and cloud-based services had invested nearly $625 million in its Illinois wired and wireless networks. Michigan Avenue Bridge, spanning the Chicago River Diversified Economy Chicago s business environment is flourishing partly because it has one of the world s most diversified economies, says Malehorn. Manufacturing continues to thrive here. That includes Method s recent announcement that it will open its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Chicago s Pullman neighborhood, bringing about 100 manufacturing jobs. Chicago offered up to $9 million in tax increment financing (TIF) funds toward a $33 million plant the company is building. Method has reinvented the household cleaning product category with its biodegradable formulas, and is a natural fit for the Chicago manufacturing scene. Active collaboration is successfully bringing investment and jobs to Chicago s manufacturing sector. In July, the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance awarded its first industry-workforce partnership grant to the Illinois Manufacturing United is Chicago s hometown airline. We have deep roots in Chicago, and we continue to thrive here. With more than 14,000 coworkers between our corporate headquarters in Willis Tower and our hub at O Hare International Airport, we re one of the city s largest private employers. Our downtown location puts us close to our business partners, corporate customers and business travelers. Chicago is a world-class city. O Hare is a global business gateway, allowing travelers to get to and from other major cities around the world safely and conveniently. United Airlines BRETT J. HART Executive Vice President and General Counsel United Airlines Historically, Chicago has relied heavily on the engagement of businesses in the community. Businesses, including United, have responded. We continue to hire local workers, make major investments in our facilities, sponsor cultural and community programs, and support our co-workers involvement in a host of civic causes. Mayor Emanuel clearly understands the benefits of having the business community directly engaged and working with us to create a climate in which businesses like United can truly thrive.

3 2013 United Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved. The world s leading airline is proud to call Chicago home. From our global gateway at O Hare International Airport to our involvement in the communities we serve and the more than 10,000 employees that call the Windy City home, we are committed to Chicago. With more than 370 destinations worldwide and the most nonstop flights from Chicago, we re proud to connect our hometown to people and businesses around the globe. Includes destinations served by United Airlines, Inc., and United Express.

4 PROMOTION 4 // GREAT PLACES Excellence Center (IMEC). The grant will help equip workers with the added skills they need to attain higher-paying manufacturing jobs. The city s tech industry is another area that has seen tremendous growth. In 2012, 193 digital start-ups launched in Chicago a new one every 44 hours. In August, Acquity Group announced that it will increase its Chicago area staff 30% by the end of The digital marketing agency, now part of Accenture Interactive, supports Chicago s development as a technology industry hot spot. Acquity Group is exactly the type of company that Chicago is becoming known for, said Mayor Emanuel at the time of the announcement. Cutting-edge, dynamic companies are recruiting the best and brightest to the city of Chicago. Global Talent Pool Companies choosing to locate or expand in Chicago cite the city s access to tremendous talent and its access to the world due to its central location, says Malehorn. Chicago is home to two of the world s top business schools, and Chicago-area colleges and universities Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor, commonly known as The Bean confer nearly 150,000 college degrees annually. Chicago s dual-hub airport system provides nonstop service to more than 200 domestic and international destinations. Chicago has a private-sector labor force of more than 4 million. Together, the education and health services industries employ nearly one-quarter of the city s workers, while professional services employment accounts for another 19%. Chicago is home to more than 400 major corporate headquarters and 28 S&P 500 companies. Chicago embraces cultural diversity, with at least 35 different ethnic group populations of 10,000 or more. The global business landscape continues to grow, and 1,500 foreign-owned firms now have a Chicago presence. The talent pool here is very global in nature, says Patrick Beharelle, CEO of Seaton- Corp. The $500 million Chicago-based outsourcing and recruiting firm has doubled its Chicago presence in the last three years. In May, Walmart selected SeatonCorp s PeopleScout division to help hire 100,000 U.S. military veterans over the next five years. We recruit in 69 countries, and we have more than 1,200 employees in our Chicago recruiting center, says Beharelle. We could have put them anywhere, but we chose Chicago. We ve been able to find many people in Chicago who speak multiple languages, including Portuguese and Spanish. Beyond that, the public transportation infrastructure is strong, the cost of living is a good bit lower relative to the two coasts, and Chicago is simply one of America s great cities. International Trading Partners Chicago-based companies have a strong presence abroad, with over 4,100 locations in 170 countries. International The City of Chicago UL Today s businesses are under pressure to create newer, better products, faster and more efficiently than ever before. We at UL understand the pace and implications of innovation better than most. For more than a century, we have partnered with our clients to bring innovation safely to market. As a mission-based company, we have conscientiously advanced safety science, applying our efforts to prevent or reduce loss of life and property and to promote safe living and working environments for all people. We have employed the same exacting scientific processes and the highest ethical principles since our founding in KEITH E. WILLIAMS President and CEO Safety has evolved, and so has UL. Safety has expanded from traditional notions of product safety to a more comprehensive concept that includes indoor air quality, environmental sustainability, traceability and transaction security. To meet the needs of a rapidly changing marketplace, UL has extended our focus and created a variety of important new services to champion progress and help make the world safer.

5 Since our founding in Chicago more than a century ago, UL has been safeguarding new materials, new technologies and product innovation. These advances make us more efficient, more productive and more connected. But progress comes with a cost, and that cost is risk. Through fundamental discoveries, testing methodologies and equipment, procedures, software, and standards, UL is developing New Science and creating new and important ways to make the world safer. TRENDS. JOURNALS. INFOGRAPHICS. VIDEOS. UL.COM/NEWSCIENCE UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC.

6 PROMOTION 6 // GREAT PLACES trade in the Chicago area has increased from $154 billion in 2008 to $188 billion in Imports, including electric machinery, industrial machinery and mineral fuel, totaled $150 billion. Global exports, led by medical and optical instruments, industrial machinery and pharmaceutical products, totaled $38 billion. In 2012, WBC and the Shanghai Municipal Government signed an agreement that encourages new investment and interaction between Chicago and China. China is Chicago s top trading partner, followed by Canada, Japan, Germany and Korea. Higher Education Resources Chicago s top five graduate business schools are also engaged in the effort to raise the city s profile in the international business community. A partnership links WBC, Chicago Booth (University of Chicago), the Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University), DePaul University, the Quinlan School of Business (Loyola University Chicago) and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The partnership brings a wealth of resources, including a faculty inventory, to global companies looking to expand in the Chicago area. Aligning college curricula with highdemand career fields is the goal of Chicago s College to Careers (C2C) program. C2C programs in six city colleges offer practical experience, internships and other advantages for students in advanced manufacturing; information technology; healthcare; transportation, distribution and logistics; culinary and hospitality; and professional services and entrepreneurship. CHICAGO IS HOME TO 237 square miles of land An estimated 2.7 million residents Dozens of cultural institutions, historical sites and museums More than 200 theaters Nearly 200 art galleries More than 7,300 restaurants 77 community areas containing more than 100 neighborhoods 26 miles of lakefront 15 miles of bathing beaches 36 annual parades 19 miles of lakefront bicycle paths 552 parks Soldier Field A Hearty Chicago Welcome Mayor Emanuel has done a very good job of promoting a business-friendly environment, says Beharelle. In our view, government doesn t create jobs, but it does create the ideal conditions for privatesector employers to create jobs. With his focus on improving infrastructure and laying the foundation to attract business, the mayor is a champion for creating a business-friendly environment. Chicago s business community and government continue their optimism about Chicago. They are moving forward aggressively to make the climate welcoming for investment, job creators and job seekers. They are keeping their promises, and new business wins show their strategy works. Collaborating with a laser-sharp focus, Chicago s leaders are intent on making Chicago the ultimate global business destination. The City of Chicago CHICAGO: A WORLD PREMIERE CITY Chicago is home to more theaters than any other city in America. Its 250 theater companies include five Tony Award-winning regional theaters and the renowned comedy of Second City. Chicago s theater community presents over 150 world premieres annually. Residents and visitors to Chicago from around the globe have seen many notable Tony Award-winning productions before they opened on Broadway, including The Producers, Spamalot, Aida, Kinky Boots, The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Metamorphoses and Who s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to name a few. Chicago s Downtown Theatre District Chicago is acclaimed as a center for great theater. John O Hurley said, Chicago is the home of theater in America. Not Broadway, not anywhere. All the good theater generates from here. Al Pacino stated, When I think of Chicago, the first thing I think of is theater and how great a theater town Chicago is. With so many different options, from Broadway musicals in magnificent venues to cuttingedge work in tiny storefronts, every night in Chicago is a theater festival.

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