1871 announced Thursday the expansion of WiSTEM, its women-focused entrepreneurship program that tackles major barriers faced by women in the entrepreneurship community. The expansion -- made possible by grant funding from JPMorgan Chase among other sponsors -- will allow for three cohort-based programs in 2017 that focus on capital, community and technology -- adding an extra cohort for the year. 

Civis Analytics and @properties were honored as the 2016 Merrick Momentum Awards winners at the 9th Annual Momentum Awards Dinner, held by the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center Thursday evening at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel. The coveted award honors businesses that are on track to become the next great companies to emerge in Chicago.

The 9th Annual Momentum Dinner at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel was an enormous success, bringing together the best and brightest in Chicago to once again to celebrate the past, present and future of the Chicago entrepreneur. Hosted for the benefit of 1871 by the CEC, the 2016 Momentum Awards welcomed more than 800 guests to celebrate “Impact and Purpose” -- a theme that recognized the leaders in the community who embody the unique and unselfish spirit of the entrepreneurial community in Chicago.

There have been a lot of prescriptive articles about the critical--and often ignored or overlooked--need for succession planning in large companies, particularly at the highest management level. And I've seen the massive notebooks at some big businesses that detail the candidates and the replacement process for practically every member of the senior team. 

Annual Award Recognizes The Best And Brightest Companies In Chicago; This Year Two Awardees Will Be Recognized

The Chicago Cubs are having a spectacular season, clinching their division and on the way to winning 100+ games. Without taking anything for granted, it's clear that their talent strategy and their commitment to rebuilding with young, impact players has begun to pay serious dividends.

Hardly a week goes by without my hearing yet another version of the same startup struggle. The companies may change, but the song remains basically the same: we couldn't find it so we had to build it and now "it" is a bigger business opportunity for us than the business we set out to build in the first place.

Honored to celebrate 10 years of 1-on-1 cancer support at the 2016 @imermanangels Wings of Hope Gala. #IAX #1871chicago #upshow

A photo posted by @1871chicago on Sep 17, 2016 at 8:15pm PDT

"London is the world’s most competitive city, offering expanding international companies unrivaled talent and creativity." - Sadiq Khan . Did you hear? The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined us today to highlight trade and investment opportunities between Chicago and London! #LondonIsOpen #1871Chicago #upshow

A photo posted by @1871chicago on Sep 16, 2016 at 6:24pm PDT

"A warm smile is the universal language of kindness." . Wishing Rhonda Fair the happiest of birthdays! If you have ever visited #1871Chicago, we hope you have also had the privilege of being greeted by her kindness—and a smile we undoubtedly look forward to seeing each day. #upshow #HappyBirthdayRhonda #QOTD

A photo posted by @1871chicago on Sep 15, 2016 at 11:31am PDT

Good morning from the 2016 @ilhischambr Business Conference! Connect. Collaborate. Create. #IHCCBC #1871chicago #upshow #IHCC

A photo posted by @1871chicago on Sep 15, 2016 at 6:12am PDT

Another successful round of coding for #CodeLatino! . Last night marked the second opportunity for those who have never written a single line of code to learn the basics of data types, expressions, input/output, and control structures. . As a bonus, beginning coders were given an introduction to the Eclipse IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The only requirement (for now) is to bring your laptop. . The goal at the end of each class is for everyone to have a written, working Java program! #1871Chicago #upshow #programming #Latinx #chitech

A photo posted by @1871chicago on Sep 14, 2016 at 2:48pm PDT

Entrepreneurship and innovation extends across all industries! . The @FamilyFarmed Application Celebration for the #GoodFoodBusiness Accelerator (GFBA) included a thought-provoking discussion on the positive impact of #foodtech in the Midwest. . This engaging panel discussion highlighted the mission of each entrepreneur's intent to increase the supply of local and sustainable food. #1871Chicago #upshow #GFBA

A photo posted by @1871chicago on Sep 14, 2016 at 8:49am PDT

Today we announced CEO and Co-Founder of @sapfieldglass Jai Shekhawat as the 2016 Entrepreneurial Champion! . He will be honored at the Ninth Annual #MomentumAwards, which will take place on October 6, 2016 at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel. . You can still reserve a table, purchase individual tickets, or make a donation to CEC/1871 by emailing momentum@1871.com. #1871Chicago #upshow #ImpactPurpose16 #Momentum2016 #socent #chitech

A photo posted by @1871chicago on Sep 13, 2016 at 1:58pm PDT

I was recently asked about the productivity tools, handy tips or other strategies I have used over the years to help me stay on course--focused on my most important goals and primary objectives-- in the midst of the messy multitude of ongoing emergencies, unavoidable distractions and regular interruptions that make up my typical day. I wish I had a good answer. Or a magic wand to solve the problem.