Nancy Wright

The Association House of Chicago Kitchen Culinary Program now operates as a pre‑apprenticeship pathway, designed to prepare participants for entry into Registered Apprenticeship Programs or for direct placement into the workforce. https://lnkd.in/eNDU97AH

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Smart operators don’t replace tradition—they remove friction around it. Great to hear how Chicago Cubs and Levy Restaurants are scaling Just Walk Out technology at Wrigley Field—leaning into speed, data, and loyalty without losing what makes the place iconic. That’s the playbook: protect the soul, upgrade the system. And on a day when everything flows a little greener 🍀… fewer lines, faster service, and one more round in hand before first pitch feels like a win. #FoodServiceMatters #SportsBiz #FanExperience #Innovation

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Create a culture where people feel empowered to take ideas and run with them. Introducing the next edition of Unreasonable Hospitality Out in the World, this one submitted by Julie Harrigan Wagner of Frankfort, Illinois. 🍍🥞🌎 #unreasonablehospitality 

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We are so proud to share that McDonald's, in partnership with The Chicago Community Trust, has announced that City Colleges of Chicago has been chosen as a Chicago Community Impact Grantee for working to advance workforce readiness. Career Launch Chicago, part of the Chicago Roadmap, pairs students with paid youth apprenticeship positions at notable employers across the city. We are grateful for this grant opportunity that will help us build and scale the impact of this program. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gWwhBrqS

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There are moments in an organization’s journey when you realize it is time to step back and re-imagine how you move forward. For us at The Dovetail Project Chicago, that moment came as our work with fathers and families across Chicago continued to grow. We knew the next phase of this work required us to think differently about how we show up, how we engage our community, and how we continue reaching more fathers who are looking for support and opportunity. That is where Jemini came in. Under the leadership of Diane Bradley and Laureen Feeny, their team approached this work with care, thoughtfulness, and a real respect for the mission. They helped us step back, reflect, and re-imagine how we present and share our work digitally for fathers and families across this city. I am grateful for the partnership and the care Jemini brought to this process. Now it is another organization’s turn. If your nonprofit is ready to think bigger about how it shows up and connects with the community it serves, I encourage you to apply for the next All In! partnership. Applications close Friday, March 13, 2026 https://lnkd.in/ggqyJWFM #AllIn #Jemini #DovetailProject #ChicagoNonprofit #Fatherhood #Partnership

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At last week's Crain's Chicago Business "Powering Illinois' Future event," I shared ComEd's new Long-Range Strategy, designed to manage growth in power demand and provide our customers with intuitive programs and services that can reduce their bills. This new strategy was carefully crafted to enhance the value we provide to customers, with investments that will help them embrace cleaner, more efficient technologies and give them confidence that the grid can withstand extreme weather conditions. It's all part of preparing communities across northern Illinois for a more electrified future. Read my latest Crain's article here 👉 http://spr.ly/60417exwW

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"Economic mobility and opportunity aren’t accidental. They are designed." We are thrilled to be continuing to co-create strong futures and plentiful opportunities for the youth of Detroit by create real immersion through this incredible partnership. As we continue to look for innovative opportunities, we're excited to keep partners like Urban Alliance Detroit thinking about how we can make what's already working even more impactful.

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This past week marked significant progress toward the creation of a Tourism Improvement District (TID), an initiative that has been years in the making to strengthen Chicago’s tourism and visitor economy. It’s a rare moment when the hotel industry aligns around an incremental tax burden (a proposed 1.5% surcharge on hotel stays), but industry leaders recognize the necessity of reinvesting in future tourism growth. Thanks to the past and current leadership of Choose Chicago, and the tireless, ultimately successful leadership of Michael Jacobson, President & CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, Chicago is now close to securing an estimated $40 million in additional annual investment to grow visitation. This would significantly elevate the current $33 million annual budget managed by Choose Chicago. How would it work? A 1.5% assessment would be added to guest bills at hotels with 100 or more rooms within a defined geographic boundary, including the Central Business District, South Loop, McCormick Place, and the Illinois Medical District. The funds would be administered by Choose Chicago, with spending priorities determined by a new 11-member board of hotel owners, alongside non-voting participants from labor and the Mayor’s Office. One key challenge is that the total Chicago hotel tax rate would rise to approximately 19%, among the highest in the nation. That reality makes it critically important that these funds are invested in truly breakthrough, differentiated marketing campaigns that elevate Chicago’s global brand. Pending City Council approval, potentially as early as January, this new TID structure could be implemented throughout 2026. Thank you to Michael Jacobson, both the current and former Choose Chicago leadership teams, and many others, for advancing this important initiative and ensuring that Chicago remains a globally compelling destination for visitors from around the world. Read here the excellent Crain's Chicago Business coverage by Justin Laurence: https://lnkd.in/gWndwcy6

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The African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission is holding a public hearing next month to discuss "repairing yesterday" and "restoring equity." But I have a question for the taxpayers and the general public of this state: Where are our reparations for the fraud and theft actively being committed by the State of Illinois? Right now, an entrenched administrative syndicate at the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is running a massive "ghost payroll" operation, draining federal grant funds to use as their own entitled, illegal slush fund. When my wife, Gina Rodriguez, an active IDHS timekeeper, blew the whistle on a $141,000 theft, the State didn't offer "equity." They offered destruction. On December 1, 2025, management issued a retaliatory order forcing Gina into a known toxic, hazardous facility. The engineered stress and environmental exposure caused her to suffer a massive stroke and hypertensive crisis. The State physically broke a female whistleblower to protect their theft. And now, the architects of this heist are actively covering it up—going so far as to weaponize a deceased administrator's (Stephanie Almond) IT credentials to retroactively scrub the digital audit logs. If we want to talk about "repairing harm," we need to start with the harm the State of Illinois is inflicting on its own public servants today. We are heading into an April 3rd Emergency Hearing fighting this corrupt machine entirely alone because they are trying to deny her medical care for the stroke they caused. We are publishing the forensic "Ghost Logs" on Substack today. (Link in the comments). It's time to demand accountability for the theft happening right now under our noses. Justice for Gina Rodriguez. Justice for the people of Illinois.

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Today we celebrate #DestinationProfessionalDay — and the extraordinary people who shape how the world experiences place. Tourism isn’t just an industry. It’s community-building. It’s economic development. It’s storytelling. It’s pride of place and taste of place! In 2026, the Culinary Tourism Alliance marks 20 years since our founding. What began as a bold idea - that food and drink are powerful drivers of destination development - has grown into a national movement spanning more than 115 communities across Canada. We’ve come a long way. And we are just getting started. Our ambition is clear: to see Canada recognized globally as a delicious destination. One that celebrates its regions, its producers, its chefs, its makers, and the communities that bring it all to life. I’m deeply grateful to the incredible team who turn vision into action every single day. The legends at the Culinary Tourism Alliance - Nicole Brown, Ian Worte, Makenna Maiers, Shayan Lallani, PhD, Rebecca Gordon, Zain A. and Tetiana Demkiw - continue to push boundaries and work tirelessly toward our Big Hairy Audacious Goals. And to our volunteer Board of Directors - Richard Willett, Emily Haynes, Sarah Jarvis, James Leppan, CDME, Nancy Small, CDME, Chatman S., Ellen Walker-Matthews, Lorie Watson, PEcD, Lisa John-Mackenzie and Carl-Éric Guertin - thank you for your leadership, governance, and belief in what’s possible. This June, we’ll gather in Edmonton for the 2026 Taste of Place Summit — a space to connect, share successes, learn from failures, and grow stronger together. If you believe in the power of place — and the power of food to tell its story — we’d love to see you there. #Tourism #CulinaryTourism #TasteOfPlace #DestinationDevelopment

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