Greg Wade
Publican Quality Bread started in the basement kitchen of Publican Quality Meats, baking overnight. We only served the One Off Hospitality restaurants and we were able to do a wide variety of products from sourdough breads to naan, bagels and pretzels. Read more>>
Marcin Iskra
Marcin was passionate about street photography ever since he moved to Chicago from a small town in Poland. Chicago streets were filled with interesting people from all over the world, which was a perfect playground for an aspiring street photographer. He also loved incorporating his subjects into the amazing Chicago architecture. Read more>>
Tionna Van Gundy
Wedicity – Wedding Day Detailing stemmed from my love of details, events and organization. Although I’ve been planning weddings in Chicago for 7 years, I’ve been in the event and wedding industry for about 12 years, originally starting out in Ohio. Read more>>
Patrick James Murphy
I am a student of life. My passion for learning and education is intense, and I got it from my mother and some fantastic mentors. My teachers taught me that curiosity is a superpower. That got me started and it is what keeps me going today. I am more attracted to questions and problems than to answers and solutions. Read more>>
Loreen Hospodar
Oddly enough, I am a planner that never planned her business. I graduated with an illustration degree from Grand Valley State University and received a job in a West Loop art gallery with the thought of learning the ins and outs of the art world. With luck, a family friend approached me about creating a painting for her niece as a wedding gift. We decided on a painting of the bride’s bouquet. Read more>>
Vince Verza
Well, when I was around 4 or 5 I began playing the piano, and that led me too join other bands in school, I would have band rehearsals before and after school everyday starting in 5th grade and that lasted up until I hit 8th grade in junior high. Read more>>
Justin Jacobson
I started my company as a sophomore at the University of Miami promoting parties and nightclubs to fellow students. This was at the turn of the century and the south beach nightlife scene was exploding. Liquor brands and other various companies found this outlet for students (who were of age) to try new flavors like “Cherry flavored Vodka” Since my promotion company had a pulse on the city these various companies hired us to create these large scale tasting events. Read more>>
Drew Whiting
Andrew Maratea and I started Whiting Maratea LLP in my kitchen in Lakeview on February 1, 2012. We were 26, fresh out of law school, and determined to carve our own career paths without being dependent on the whims of others or the economy. We had no idea what we were getting into, but had faith that if we worked hard and told everyone what we were doing, that things would work out. Read more>>
Vik Pandya
I got started in comedy like most stand ups do, I went to an open mic. After watching stand up for years as a kid, and being a fan of shows like The Daily Show, MadTV, SNL, and comedy movies, I realized I was taking in a ton of comedy without actually doing any. Read more>>
Janice Garcia, Jennifer Galligani
The father of Janice’s youngest son started his own photo booth business back in 2015. At the time, Janice was his assistant and helped him grow his business while at the same time gaining knowledge about the industry. She met a lot of vendors and got a general idea of certain customer needs. She reached out to one of the vendors that she had meet at an expo. Read more>>
Michelle L’amour
I began dancing when I was 15. I started with ballet and then added jazz, hip hop, contemporary, bellydance, and even a little flamenco and ballroom. I was a very shy kid and it took a lot of courage for me to walk into that first class, but as soon as I did, I was hooked. From that moment on, I wanted to be a dancer. Read more>>
Arica Hilton
“I have never believed that our lives are predestined by the event that happened before or that we do not have the ability to change our circumstances because of one choice or another. I believe in free will, that we can choose our path the way we want to design it. I believe in the power of vision, perhaps that’s why I am an artist.” AH Read more>>
Percy Scott
I was born to a blind mom and father. My father left us when I five. Things were rough but I remember at 10 years old I knew there was more to life then what I was experiencing, my mother couldn’t give me much because she couldn’t see… but she did give me a vision. She said never let people define who you are because of where you are. Read more>>
Bret Gornik, Jason Loebig
We both started in corporate jobs after college. Having a passion for health and fitness, we started talking about creating a business one day after seeing each out the night before. I (Bret) had been creating a superfood protein bar and was personal training one client on the side at the time. We started with the Live Better Bar. Read more>>
Norman Clausen, Susan Clausen
We have a couple good friends from South Africa and every time they’d visit, we would always frequent the same restaurant. About a year and a half ago, we headed to dinner and were shocked and disappointed to discover that our favorite restaurant had permanently closed. Despite having numerous dining options at our fingertips, we felt lost. Read more>>
Lauren Girardin
When I was little I always told my mom when I grow up I want to be a “mommy” and “teach all the kids.” Well that’s exactly what I did, but now I’m teaching moms and kiddos! Growing up I was always involved in sports and physical activities. I would go to my basketball game and then come home and go babysit the neighbors kids. Read more>>
Kim Scodro
Kim Scodro Interiors was started 10 years ago. We believe our clients drive the vision of the project and it is our responsibility to give them the best version of their vision. The very first job I got remains my single most challenging client, and that was the best thing that could have happened. Read more>>
Sid Bala
Right around the time I was finishing my master’s degree, I was ready to start my career at a well-established company and work my way up. I shared my plan with my father, who worked in corporate America. He gave me two pieces of advice that shaped my future: (1.) “There is a glass ceiling in corporate America that could get in your way,” and (2.) you are too ambitious to put up with it. Read more>>
Jeffrey Moss
Having spent almost 20 years as a venture investor in education and technology companies, I recognized the challenges facing recent college graduates in securing the right full-time jobs and internships. For those students from underrepresented populations or who lacked the “right” academic pedigree, this was particularly challenging – while they had the grit, intelligence, drive, and other skills to thrive, they were often screened out by automated tools based upon their GPA or resume. Read more>>
Michael Matrejek
I didn’t grow up knowing that i wanted to become a slackliner and festival producer. Today i can proudly say that I help run the day-to-day operations for the Chicago Slackliners Associations (CSA) and BREATHE: A Slackline & Discovery Festival. Read more>>
Ashanti Altovese Griffin
I began fashion design during my freshman year in high school with my first ever sewing machine class. I learned to make my own clothes such as vests, skirts, and dresses. I was also participating in art classes at the same time and learned painting, drawing, airbrushing as well as computer digital art design and Photoshop techniques. Read more>>
Brian Smego
I’d always had an interest in pursuing a career in Film. After attending Columbia College here in Chicago, I bounced around town as a production assistant working on just about anything I could get hired on; from music videos to student films, all for little to no pay. A few months in, I got called to come edit casting auditions at Energy BBDO (which at the time I had never heard of). Read more>>
Gregg L. Greer, Don Adams, Joseph Pughsley
I was the founder of two organizations including-The Guilty in Innocence Project. In 2010, he founded the Freedom First International, a non-governmental organization (NGO) working for alternatives to racial hate and promoting world peace. All organizations were dedicated to “building and developing strong leadership-keeping the Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. alive. Read more>>
Wes Patterson
Wes Patterson, a Chicago native, founded precise personnel in 2012 based on his many years of experience, his love of people and his belief in excellence. Wes worked for a boutique luxury condominium in the south loop for many years. Over time he assumed increasing responsibility for management of the team and the 24-hour valet and doorman services they provided. Read more>>
Phil Kain, Rick Lopez
After working for many years in commercial banking, mostly financing M&A transactions, the partners came together in 2015 to found Rush Street Capital. The firm is a boutique investment bank, serving the needs of companies and private equity firms that operate mostly in the lower middle market. Read more>>
Erich Kurschat
I founded Harmony Insights in 2011, following nearly 12 years in corporate human resources. In my HR role, I experienced first-hand the power of effective workplace communication to influence things like trust, culture, engagement, enablement, turnover, customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, company profits. Read more>>
Valerie Landis
Eggsperience.com is an educational website to teach and inspire women to learn about their reproductive health options such as egg freezing, cryopreservation, and family planning choices. Not to be confused with the breakfast restaurant, Eggsperience started with the simple goal in mind to provide all the resources, education, and knowledge in one place. Read more>>
Anil Shah
Honesty, to serve client interest first with best services and competitive rates in foreign exchange and precious metals. Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome? As always first two years are very hard and tuff but survive and completed 30 years in business. Read more>>
Andrew Sykes
I was living in South Africa, running a large health insurance consulting company. Twelve years in, I asked my board this question: “We’ve done great work for employers for so long, managing their health insurance costs, and we’ve been really successful doing so. But we don’t have any measures of success when it comes to the health of the people that they employ. Read more>>
Livio Bolzon
I started Codemoji a little over a year ago now because we felt there was room for good computer science curriculum in elm and middle schools. I and our team got to where we are today by working hard and always thinking about the students and teachers first. Read more>>
Jihad Muhammad,
In 1999, a group of scientists and educators, led by forensic anthropologist Jihad Muhammad, decided it was time to confront a serious issue within the African American community: Many African Americans do not know or understand their connection to the slavery experience and, lacking this connection, cannot verify their ancestral history. Read more>>
