Giving Thanks for the Spirit of Chicago

As we take this moment for Thanksgiving reflection, we celebrate the extraordinary people and businesses who power the momentum of the entire Chicagoland region — in every neighborhood, every municipality, every sector, and across our global network. Gratitude is more than a theme this week; it’s the lens through which we view the progress we’ve made this year and the shared path ahead.

In 2025, World Business Chicago led over one hundred convenings and engagements with companies, investors, entrepreneurs, civic partners, and international delegations — each helping strengthen Chicago’s economic future.

We celebrated Chicago being named Site Selection Magazine’s Top Metro for corporate relocation and expansion — for the 12th consecutive year, a data-driven confirmation that companies continue to choose Chicago to grow and hire.

And our annual flagship venture event, Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Food, brought together hundreds of founders, innovators, global brands, and investors — reinforcing Chicago’s status as the #1 food production and food innovation ecosystem in the country. Read more about the ecosystem here.

We tracked 174 pro-Chicago decisions, including 125 expansions and 49 relocations or new market entrants — with 77 investments in the City of Chicago and 97 across the broader Greater Chicagoland region.

Across the year, our teams advanced investment opportunities, championed entrepreneurship and business growth, strengthened global partnerships, expanded workforce pathways, shared new research and analytics that shaped the narrative, and supported pro-Chicago decisions across industries.

2025 Chicago International Gala

On November 14, our annual Chicago International Gala at Navy Pier brought together more than 700 civic, diplomatic, cultural, and business leaders — a living portrait of what it means to be a Chicagoan. Whether rooted here for generations, newly arrived, or carrying Chicago with them across the world, the evening celebrated the people who continue to shape our city and region’s global identity.

The gala program featured remarks from Reyna Torres, Consul General of Mexico in Chicago and Chair of the Chicago Consular Corps, representing more than 80 nations, building cultural and economic bridges with Chicago. We also heard from Mayor Brandon Johnson, Phil Clement, and Charles Smith, and others. This year’s honorees reflected the breadth and depth of Chicago’s global impact:

• Global Citizen Award — Martin Nesbitt, The Vistria Group
• WBC Innovation Award — The Second City, with special remarks from Rachel Dratch and Ed Wells, and recognition of Kelly Leonard and the full creative team who continue to shape Second City’s worldwide influence — watch a special video vignette here.
• Rocky Wirtz Corporate Ambassador Award — Hyatt, accepted by Mark Hoplamazian.
• Chicago Sister Cities International Volunteer of the Year Award — Conrad Nowak, celebrating 65 years of Chicago Sister Cities International— whose first sister city was Warsaw, Poland — and honoring Conrad’s exemplary leadership as Chair of the Warsaw Committee — see special video here.

We also honored the life and legacy of Lori Healey, whose impact spanned planning, global engagement, the 2012 NATO Summit, the 2016 Olympic Bid, and decades of civic leadership across mayoral administrations. The evening featured heartfelt introductions from Kara Bachman, Marilynn Gardner, Meredith O’Connor, and Daniel Gibbons, who helped tee up a special video tribute honoring Lori Healey — you can watch it here.

Performances by Uniting Voices Chicago and Chicago’s own J. Ivy helped make the evening unforgettable.

Behind the scenes, the gala was made possible by a small but mighty team comprising WBC leadership and staff, in partnership with the exceptional production team at PJH & Associates, Inc. See highlights from the night in our photo gallery here.

Chicago 2050: The Crescendo of This Year’s Work

The most defining milestone of 2025 was the release of Chicago 2050 — the culmination of a year-long process involving convenings, reviews, engagement sessions, expert guidance, and alignment across business, civic, community, and governmental leaders.

Phase One — the economic strategy — is now complete and published. Download Chicago 2050 → here. 

And just last week, we opened the next chapter — one that will continue to take shape in the weeks ahead.

Phase Two: Horizon Lines — Visions for Chicago 2050

World Business Chicago has begun phase two of Chicago 2050 through Horizon Lines: Visions for Chicago 2050 — shifting from planning to visible action.

Built on a simple truth — that Chicago has never lacked imagination, only the coordination and capital to match it — Horizon Lines pairs bold ideas with real pathways to implementation, aligning designers, community leaders, investors, civic partners, and Chicagoans behind a more ambitious regional future.

Chicago earned its skyline and lakefront because generations championed bold ideas. Horizon Lines continues that legacy by helping today’s most promising concepts move from vision to action.

A full public launch of the plan’s aspirational phase arrives in early 2026.

As we close this Thanksgiving edition of WBC’s Business Pulse, powered by LinkedIn, we return to what this holiday reminds us of: gratitude, community, and the responsibility we share in shaping Chicago’s future. Everything we build — every win, every partnership, every milestone — is made possible because people like you choose to believe in this city and invest in its promise.

Chicago needs every one of us.

• If you know a business looking to expand, relocate, or launch, point them our way.
• If you know investors seeking to diversify or explore new markets, email CEO@worldbusinesschicago.com or DM us with an introduction.
• If you believe in Chicago — its people, its potential, its global future — keep leaning in with us.

Chicago’s next chapter will be written by the people who choose to stand with this city. Thank you for being among them. Happy Thanksgiving.