Annual Meeting/Luncheon

Friday, June 8, 2012
Chicago Hilton Downtown

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting of Members & Business Leaders Luncheon is one of the Chamber’s largest annual events. It always consists of the official passing of the gavel from current chair to the incoming chair, as well as the opportunity to hear a prominent business leader speak.

In 2012, the keynote speaker will be Edward B. Rust Jr., Chairman of the Board and chief executive officer of State Farm Insurance, and the new Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (inducted that week). In his speech, entitled “Capturing Opportunity: Closing Gaps“, he will be describing why America’s global leadership is at risk and how an engaged business community must help solve our problems and restore opportunity, growth and prosperity for all.

The 2012 Annual Luncheon is scheduled for Friday, June 8, and will be held at the Hilton Chicago Hotel.

About the keynote speaker, Edward B. Rust Jr.
Edward B. Rust Jr., chairman of the board and chief executive officer of State Farm Mutual® and its principal affiliates, is nationally recognized as a leader of business community efforts to improve the quality of education in the United States.

Rust is vice-chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a member of Business Roundtable and The Financial Services Roundtable. He serves on the boards of America’s Promise Alliance and the James B. Hunt, Jr., Institute for Educational Leadership. He is former chairman of the Business-Higher Education Forum and Business Roundtable’s Education Initiative. He served on the National (Glenn) Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century and on the No Child Left Behind Commission.

Rust was co-chair of The Business Roundtable for more than seven years. He is also past chairman of the American Enterprise Institute, The Financial Services Roundtable, the National Alliance of Business and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. He currently serves as a trustee of The Conference Board, the Committee for Economic Development, and Illinois Wesleyan University.

Rust is also a member of the boards of directors of Caterpillar, Inc., Helmerich and Payne, Inc., and McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

A graduate of Illinois Wesleyan, Rust holds both juris doctor and master of business degrees from Southern Methodist University. He joined State Farm in 1975 at the company’s Dallas, Texas, regional office. He became president and chief executive in 1985 and was elected chairman of the board two years later. He and his wife Sally have one son.

Luncheon Agenda

11:00 am – 11:30 am
Registration and Networking
11:30 am
Call to Order and Posting of the Colors,
Illinois Army National Guard

Ray Drake, Chairman of the Board of Directors,
Illinois Chamber of Commerce &
Vice President, State Government Affairs, UPS

Pledge of Allegiance, Welcome & Remarks

Acknowledgement of Retiring Board Members & New Members

The Edie Awards
presented by
Tom Wolf, Executive Director, Illinois Chamber of Commerce’s Energy Council
&
Kim Uhlig, Business Development Director
Morton Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council

Plated Lunch

Introduction of Keynote Speaker
Mary Crego, Senior Vice President,

State Farm Insurance Companies

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Mr. Edward B. Rust Jr.

Chairman of the Board and CEO
State Farm Insurance Companies

Closing Remarks
Doug Whitley, President & CEO, Illinois Chamber of Commerce

Retiring of the Colors
Illinois Army National Guard

Adjourn at 1:30 pm