June 1 Symposium

We invite you to participate in the upcoming symposium, “ Business Growth and Employment in Chicago’s African American Neighborhoods,”  on Thursday, June 1st , at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The event is sponsored by the Community Development and Policy Studies (CDPS) division of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Greater Chatham Initiative (GCI), and World Business Chicago.

This symposium will highlight the ways in which investments and economic growth can be brought into Chicago’s south side neighborhoods. The program will include panel discussions with a range of experts, including Congressman Bobby Rush, U.S. representative for the 1st Congressional District; Andrea Zopp, deputy mayor for the City of Chicago; Theaster Gates, director, Arts and Public Life, Office of the Provost at the University of Chicago; Natalie Moore, author of The South Side; Jane Rhodes, professor of African American history at the University of Illinois at Chicago; Nedra Sims-Fears, executive director of the Greater Chatham Initiative; and Terry Mazany, president of the Chicago Community Trust.

At the symposium, GCI will recognize local businesses with the Chatham Business Award.

Advance registration is required, tickets are $25. To RSVP, please contact: Robin Newberger, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago 312.322.5752. Registration Deadline, Tuesday,May 23, 2017

About CDPS
The Community Development and Policy Studies division of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago promotes fair access to credit and financial services. The Fed’s community development function has for decades worked to better understand and address impediments to economic mobility and participation in the mainstream economy.
About GCI
The Greater Chatham Initiative has a mission to drive investment in African American communities on the south side of Chicago, including Chatham, Greater Grand Crossing, Avalon Park and Auburn Gresham. GCI came together a year ago under the impetus of Bobby Rush, the city of Chicago, and other civic leaders.
About World Business Chicago
World Business Chicago is a public-private, nonprofit partnership that drives inclusive economic growth and job creation, supports business, and promotes Chicago as a leading global city.

Speakers/Awardees

Speakers

June 1 Symposium Speakers

  • Alicia Williams, Vice President, Community Development and Policy Studies, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
  • Nedra Sims- Fears, Executive Director, Greater Chatham Initiative
  • Jane Rhodes, Professor and head of African American studies, University of Illinois at Chicago.
  • Marisa Novara, Vice-President, Metropolitan Planning Council
  • Theaster Gates, Professor of Visual Arts, University of Chicago
  • Natalie Moore, author of  The South Side and WBEZ reporter
  • David Doig, President, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives
  • Maude Toussaint-Comeau, Senior Business Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
  • Karin Norington-Reaves, CEO, Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership
  • Congressman Bobby Rush, U.S Representative, 1st Congressional District Illinois
  • Andrea Zopp, Deputy Mayor and Chief Neighborhood Development Officer, City of Chicago
  • Terry Mazany, President and CEO Chicago Community Trust
  • Michael Sacks, Vice Chairman, World Business Chicago

         

Food Processing Awardee

John Clark, Founder and President of Reggio’s Pizza

Reggio’s has been making pizza for 40 years , selling in 20 states to stores such as ALDI, Jewel, Safeway, Kroger, Save-A-Lot, Food 4 Less, Walgreen’s, Meijer, CVS, Ultra Foods, Strack &Van Til; and through distribution channels for public schools, hospitals, institutions and corporate lunchrooms. Reggio’s is housed in 36, 000-square foot USDA inspected and licensed processing facility where they produce 23 varieties of frozen pizza. Reggio’s also operates three restaurants at O’Hare airport and one restaurant on the south side. In all, the company employs 137 people. Reggio’s has received the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s prestigious National Supplier of the Year, the US Department of Commerce the National Minority Retail Firm of the Year and the Minority Business Report’s Ten Most Outstanding Minority Businesses of the Year awards.

Metal Fabrication Awardee

Ernest Edwards, President and COO of US Architectural Glass and Metal

Since 2000, U.S Architectural Glass and Metal has been devoted to quality installation of glass and miscellaneous metal products in various major architectural  applications , including new and miscellaneous metal products in various major architectural applications, including new construction, building rehabilitation , tenant interiors, and custom specialty work. U.S. Architectural Glass has built a strong reputation among major general contractors in the industry through quality workmanship, on-time project completion and trusted relationships.

Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Awardee

Pamela Rakestraw, Founder and CEO of SCR Transport

More than 25 years ago, Pamela and Stanley Rakestraw realized a need within their community for reliable transportation for the mobility challenged. Combing their skills in healthcare and financial management, they created SCR- one of the fasted growing companies of its type in the Midwest. Since SCR’s inception, it has connected millions of passengers to the friends, family and services that are vital to their lives. Today, SCR is comprised of a vast set of operations and processes to manage a large fleet of vehicles, a highly functional maintenance program, on-going training programs, technologies, a call center and a mobility management division-all poised to expand into new contracts and municipalities.

Institutional Anchor Awardee

Alyssa Berman-Cutler, Director, Community Economic Development Initiatives, University of Chicago

Berman-Cutler leads the Office of Civic Engagements’s community economic development efforts in the mid- South Side neighborhoods near the University of Chicago, including UChicago local, the University’s live, buy, and hire local program. She also leads the Polsky Exchange’s community outreach. Berman-Cutler previously served as executive director of Uptown United, a community development organization in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. She also worked as a zoning and land-use attorney at Foley &Lardner LLP. Berman-Cutler is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Chicago Law School.

Social Enterprise Award

Pastor John Hannah, New Life Covenant Church

Pastor John F. Hannah is founder and Senior Pastor of New Life Covenant Church Southeast based in Greater Chatham. New Life Covenant Church has 20,000 members throughout the country. Pastor Hannah has become a national leading figure in faith. He is the author of two books, “What to Do While You’re Waiting” and “Desperate for Jesus”, and for 13 years, Pastor Hannah hosted the “John Hannah Morning Show” on 1390 AM which garnered him a Stellar Award in 2013 for Gospel Radio Announcer of the Year. At the request of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, he serves on the Human Resource Board for the City of Chicago and Civic Consulting Alliance for the Chicago Public Schools. Pastor Hannah’s annual ” Prayer on the 9″ is a community outreach initiative for addressing violence where it is most prevalent. In 2015 he launched Grand Crossing Kid Care, a $4 million state of the art early care and education center for 300 children. In 2016, he opened a counseling center. He is building a new $26 million church complex in the Greater C

Agenda

Business Growth and Employment in Chicago’s African-American Neighborhoods Agenda

Business Growth and Employment in Chicago’s

African-American Neighborhoods

 

June 1, 2017

 

 

 

7:30-8:15 am  Breakfast and registration

 

8:15-8:20 am  Opening remarks by Chicago Fed

 

Alicia Williams, Vice President, Community Development and Policy Studies, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

 

8:20-8:30 am Opening remarks from Greater Chatham Initiative

 

Nedra Sims-Fears, Executive Director, Greater Chatham Initiative

 

8:30-8:50 am Keynote lecture

 

Jane Rhodes, Professor and head of African American studies, University of

Illinois at Chicago

 

8:50-10:00 am  Reflections on community change in south side neighborhoods

 

Moderator: Marisa Novara, Vice President, Metropolitan Planning Council

 

Theaster Gates, Professor of Visual Arts, University of Chicago Natalie Moore, author of The South Side and WBEZ reporter David Doig, President, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives

10:00-10:15   Break

 

10:15-10:30   Data on business growth and employment in Chicago communities

 

Maude Toussaint-Comeau, Senior Business Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

 

10:30-11:15 am  Accelerating business growth and employment in minority neighborhoods

 

 

Moderator: Karin Norington-Reaves, CEO, Chicago Cook Workforce

Partnership

 

 

Illinois Service Federal Savings & Loan (Invited) Calumet Area Industrial Commission (Invited) Chatham Large Employer (Invited)

Small Business Employer (Invited)

 

11:15 11:30 am Chatham Business Awards

 

Nedra Sims-Fears, Executive Director, Greater Chatham Initiative

 

11:30-12:00 Lunch and networking

 

 

12:00:12:25 Keynote remarks on Greater Chatham Initiative

 

Congressman Bobby Rush, U.S. Representative, 1st Congressional District

Illinois

 

12:30 -1:15 pm  Challenging inequality, driving economic growth

 

Andrea Zopp, Deputy Mayor and Chief Neighborhood Development Officer, City of Chicago

 

Terry Mazany, President and CEO Chicago Community Trust

 

1:15-1:30 pm Concluding remarks

 

Michael Sacks, Vice Chairman, World Business Chicago

Food Processing Awardee

John Clark, Founder and President of Reggio’s Pizza

Reggio’s has been making pizza for 40 years , selling in 20 states to stores such as ALDI, Jewel, Safeway, Kroger, Save-A-Lot, Food 4 Less, Walgreen’s, Meijer, CVS, Ultra Foods, Strack &Van Til; and through distribution channels for public schools, hospitals, institutions and corporate lunchrooms. Reggio’s is housed in 36, 000-square foot USDA inspected and licensed processing facility where they produce 23 varieties of frozen pizza. Reggio’s also operates three restaurants at O’Hare airport and one restaurant on the south side. In all, the company employs 137 people. Reggio’s has received the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s prestigious National Supplier of the Year, the US Department of Commerce the National Minority Retail Firm of the Year and the Minority Business Report’s Ten Most Outstanding Minority Businesses of the Year awards.

Metal Fabrication Awardee

Ernest Edwards, President and COO of US Architectural Glass and Metal

Since 2000, U.S Architectural Glass and Metal has been devoted to quality installation of glass and miscellaneous metal products in various major architectural  applications , including new and miscellaneous metal products in various major architectural applications, including new construction, building rehabilitation , tenant interiors, and custom specialty work. U.S. Architectural Glass has built a strong reputation among major general contractors in the industry through quality workmanship, on-time project completion and trusted relationships.

Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Awardee

Pamela Rakestraw, Founder and CEO of SCR Transport

More than 25 years ago, Pamela and Stanley Rakestraw realized a need within their community for reliable transportation for the mobility challenged. Combing their skills in healthcare and financial management, they created SCR- one of the fasted growing companies of its type in the Midwest. Since SCR’s inception, it has connected millions of passengers to the friends, family and services that are vital to their lives. Today, SCR is comprised of a vast set of operations and processes to manage a large fleet of vehicles, a highly functional maintenance program, on-going training programs, technologies, a call center and a mobility management division-all poised to expand into new contracts and municipalities.

Institutional Anchor Awardee

Alyssa Berman-Cutler, Director, Community Economic Development Initiatives, University of Chicago

Berman-Cutler leads the Office of Civic Engagements’s community economic development efforts in the mid- South Side neighborhoods near the University of Chicago, including UChicago local, the University’s live, buy, and hire local program. She also leads the Polsky Exchange’s community outreach. Berman-Cutler previously served as executive director of Uptown United, a community development organization in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. She also worked as a zoning and land-use attorney at Foley &Lardner LLP. Berman-Cutler is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Chicago Law School.

Social Enterprise Award

Pastor John Hannah, New Life Covenant Church

Pastor John F. Hannah is founder and Senior Pastor of New Life Covenant Church Southeast based in Greater Chatham. New Life Covenant Church has 20,000 members throughout the country. Pastor Hannah has become a national leading figure in faith. He is the author of two books, “What to Do While You’re Waiting” and “Desperate for Jesus”, and for 13 years, Pastor Hannah hosted the “John Hannah Morning Show” on 1390 AM which garnered him a Stellar Award in 2013 for Gospel Radio Announcer of the Year. At the request of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, he serves on the Human Resource Board for the City of Chicago and Civic Consulting Alliance for the Chicago Public Schools. Pastor Hannah’s annual ” Prayer on the 9″ is a community outreach initiative for addressing violence where it is most prevalent. In 2015 he launched Grand Crossing Kid Care, a $4 million state of the art early care and education center for 300 children. In 2016, he opened a counseling center. He is building a new $26 million church complex in the Greater Chatham area.

Outdoor Pools

Outdoor Pools

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Water Slides

Water Slides

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Kids Pool

Kids Pool

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