Tricia Scully
“Let’s not make the next big thing something incremental,” said noted philanthropist, investor and entrepreneur J.B. Pritzker at the Metropolitan Planning Council’s (MPC) 2015 Annual Luncheon on Wednesday, June 3. “Let’s actually think about transforming the city.” Pritzker, in a conversation with MPC President MarySue Barrett, spoke engagingly on a range of topics at the luncheon, which was titled “Investing in Chicago’s Future.”
Tricia Scully
Nearly 800 business and civic leaders gathered to hear Pritzker discuss his visions for the Chicago region, including a "traffic-less city," better funding for kids between the ages of zero and three and why MPC’s Great Rivers Chicago and Accelerate Illinois initiatives fit into his mantra of thinking “crazy/big/macro/exciting.”
In MPC's new video, our staff shows how they're making Chicagoland a better place to live and work.
Along with his vision for the future, Pritzker took some time to describe the evolution of tech incubator 1871 into what it has become today. He said, “We tried to keep it secret because the more people we told, the more people told us it was a bad idea. And that is just true of all startups." He pointed out that to transform an idea like 1871 into a reality, you must have a degree of “maniacal persistence.”
As an urban planning nonprofit, MPC relies both on thinking big and on persistence to get our ideas in front of the audiences that matter—from government officials who make the decisions, to community members who live the realities of our actions, to the business and civic leaders who often step up and provide the resources and insights necessary to make big ideas become concrete.
Barrett commented that Pritzker’s talk about thinking big and being persistent was “reinforcement for MPC,” since “thinking big and thinking comprehensively puts the people and the pieces together” and is what MPC has become known for throughout our 80+-year history.
From bus rapid transit to Accelerate Illinois, MPC’s current push for dedicated transportation funding in Springfield; to our Great Rivers Chicago vision with the City of Chicago and many others; to our push to get more low-income families moving to high-opportunity communities with good schools and access to jobs, all the work we do just to get people to listen can sometimes seem daunting.
So to hear Pritzker talk about these exact same issues with starting 1871 was refreshing. It was nice to know that something Chicago has become known for throughout the tech world began as a big idea labeled “crazy” by most people who heard it.
Tricia Scully
Andrew J. McKenna (left) presents Miles D. White with MPC's Champion Fighter Award.
CHAMPION FIGHTER AWARD
In a heartfelt presentation by past Champion Fighter awardee Andrew J. McKenna, chairman, McDonald's Corporation and Schwartz Supply Source, MPC was honored to recognize Miles D. White, chairman and CEO of Abbott, with our 2015 Champion Fighter Award for his dedication to and passion for the future of the region. “If there is a fight,” said McKenna, “we all want Miles on our side…[He] is an intelligent, responsible and effective leader.”
"We all care about this city," said White during his acceptance speech. "I want to live here...We all want to make [Chicago] better."
ACCELERATE ILLINOIS
Attendees also learned about MPC's ongoing Accelerate Illinois initiative to make transportation funding a priority in Springfield. PNC Bank, the Presenting Sponsor of the 2015 Annual Luncheon, is the most recent of many organizations to sign on in support. Join Accelerate Illinois today as an individual or business, and support getting more quickly and easily from point A to point B!
Tricia Scully
The continued support of sponsors like Scott Swanson from PNC Bank (second from left) are critical to the success of MPC's Annual Luncheon.
SPONSORS
“The Metropolitan Planning Council is a leading organization capable of bringing together government, business and community leaders to effect substantive change,” said Scott Swanson, president for PNC Bank, Illinois, at the event. PNC Bank was the Presenting Sponsor of the event. “PNC Bank supports MPC in creating solutions to make metropolitan Chicago—and cities and regions across the country—more resilient, equitable and vibrant.”
The 2015 Annual Luncheon surpassed past annual luncheons in raising $804,000 from friends new and old. We cannot thank enough everyone who made this year’s luncheon a success! Join the hundreds of engaged Chicagoland residents who contributed to this event, and support MPC's unique problem-solving approach.
PNC Bank was the Presenting Sponsor of the Annual Luncheon for the 10th year in a row; Crain’s Chicago Business was this year’s Media Sponsor. See our sponsor list for all who supported this event.
