A message from the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Chairman: Dan Wagner
“To this place and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century and have passed from a young to an old man.”
Abraham Lincoln Farewell Speech Leaving Springfield, Illinois to go to DC
We are proud to call Illinois “The Land of Lincoln” for a reason. Abraham Lincoln spent 31 years living in Illinois and as his quote underscores the importance Illinois as the place and Illinois as the people that helped him mature into the leader that saved the union and freed the slaves. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce celebrates the fundamental strengths of our State that have not only given our country incredible leaders like Abraham Lincoln, but also incredible companies from large to small that have shaped our proud American Business Industry.
The Illinois Chamber was founded in 1919, and I am honored to be the 52nd Chair of the Chamber and it is important to reflect on our fundamental strengths that make Illinois an incredible place to live, work and raise a family. Some of the top strengths include our central location as a major transportation hub and our incredible research and educational infrastructure. As a major transportation hub, all you have to do is look at a national highway map and see the network of interstates is far denser than for any other state and we have 2,200 miles of Interstate arteries, more than any state but Texas and California. In 2022, Megahub Connectivity Index ranked O’Hare the best-connected airport in the world. Since we are right in the middle of the country you can fly anywhere in the continental United States and return home on the same day. Chicago remains the nation’s busiest rail hub…all six U.S. Class I railroads operate here as do many non-class I railroads, and Illinois waterways relieve traffic congestion and the state’s networks of rivers, waterways and ports contributes $6.4 billion to the Illinois economy each year. In addition, our fertile soil provides for our strong agricultural industry and location next to the great Lakes provides and unparalleled level of a freshwater supply. As for our industrial research and educational infrastructure, Illinois is home to the Universities of Chicago, Northwestern, University of Illinois, Illinois State University and the other 74 colleges and universities, along with major research laboratories such as Argonne and Fermi Labs who receive more National Science Foundation funding than anywhere in America. It's no wonder Illinois is a magnet for employers given the high level of education within our workforce.
Clearly the place of Illinois and the people of Illinois are two key fundamentals that the Illinois Chamber of Commerce promulgates and promotes to the world. With such advantages the question arises why did business leaders 105 years ago form the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and what keeps the Chamber relevant for our business community? Kipling said it best, “The strength of the Wolf is the Pack and the strength of the Pack is the Wolf.” In other words, the alliance of our business community (large and small) brings together such a large and diverse group of interests that we can represent to our elected officials at the local, state, and national level of how their proposed legislative and regulatory initiatives could weigh down and impede the successful execution of our businesses.
The Illinois Chamber provides this unique connectivity of such a broad array of interests that we are a trusted resource and the go to organization for many of our elected officials. Our members represent every community throughout the State of Illinois and each of these communities are represented by good and caring officials who want their communities to prosper. Government officials are not ordained into their positions but rather they are elected. A vast majority of the time business works in concert with our elected officials but there are times when disagreements arise, and the Chamber vigorously stands up against legislation or regulation to defend the interests of our members. A single business does not have the resources or wherewithal to stand up to government but thanks to the “Pack” the Illinois Chamber has a proud history of promoting, defending, and protecting our business community. With these diverse businesses many individual companies can expand and educate their workforce through incredible networking opportunities which would not have been possible except for their Chamber membership.
For the businesses around the State that are Chamber members…Thank you for understanding the strength of the PACK! If you are currently not a Chamber member you will be amazed what our new CEO and President Lou Sandoval and his entire Chamber Staff can do to help you recognize the strength of the PACK and the impact on your bottom line. Please consider joining the Illinois Chamber because together we can keep Illinois that special place Abraham Lincoln loved so much and foster the people that have defined America’s entrepreneurial spirit.