This International Women’s Day at 1871 was remarkable! The impact was so strong because of the thought leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals like you in our community. It was a day dedicated to covering topics that concern everyone, from a woman’s perspective. Underscoring this year’s theme “Each for Equal,” everyone was invited to join in on panels, breakout discussions, and fireside chats ranging from product design to health and wellness.

We’re invested in Chicago, beyond the walls of 1871. It’s in our community’s best interest and our own to keep seeking out ways to support and enable innovation from the outskirts to the epicenter and back, so that our impact is decentralized and, therefore, more inclusive to Chicagoland as a whole.

It's hard to know where to start when it comes to Desiree Rogers, the keynote speaker for International Women's Day at 1871. A total leadership powerhouse, Desiree has over 25 years’ experience building brands in a variety of industries, from magazine publishing to natural gas to, most recently, beauty & wellness.

Desiree's career took form through her tenure as President of the $2B gas utility Peoples Energy and her seven-year stint as CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines.

1871 is dedicated to helping provide pathways to innovation for disinvested communities and any entities doing so on a day-to-day basis are inspirations to us. 

This Black History Month, we would like to highlight some of Chicago's community organizations that are doing the work of supporting black businesses and business owners every day of the year!

Our friends at organizations such as West Side Forward, the LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Joseph Business School, and Teamwork Englewood may all have different ways of doing it, but ensuring that diverse entrepreneurs and communities are flourishing is central to the fabric of each of these organizations.

West Side Forward

CONTACT

J Blaszczykiewicz

1871, the world’s #1 private business incubator, and mHUB, the nation’s largest and fastest growing physical product innovation center make partnership official, offer members of both entrepreneurial centers access to reciprocal memberships.