# World Business Chicago

> World Business Chicago is the nonprofit economic development organization that gives companies and investors a front door to Chicago and its surrounding counties. It combines site-selection help, public-sector navigation, workforce connections, market research, startup and investor programs, international relationships, and regional coalition-building. Its distinctive move was to treat Chicagoland as one economy rather than a collection of competing jurisdictions, then count concrete relocations, expansions, and market entries as its central performance measure.

- **Founded:** 1999
- **Headquarters:** Chicago, United States
- **Founders:** Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago (Founding organization), Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce (Founding organization)
- **Products:** Business Development Concierge, World Business Chicago Research Center, Chicago Venture Summit, ThinkChicago, Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership
- **Notable:** Chicagoland was ranked the No. 1 U.S. metro for corporate relocation and site selection for a 13th consecutive year in 2026., WBC counted 223 pro-Chicagoland decisions in 2025, associated with an estimated 19,600 jobs, $1.7 billion in earnings, and 26.3 million square feet of space., The 2024 pipeline included 140 pro-Chicagoland decisions and more than 14,800 jobs.

## Products & services

- **Business Development Concierge** — Confidential assistance with expansion, relocation, site selection, government relations, incentives, and connections to workforce and regional partners.
- **World Business Chicago Research Center** — Economic dashboards, market briefs, sector analysis, workforce data, and custom evidence used by companies, civic leaders, and site selectors.
- **Chicago Venture Summit** — A recurring convening that connects growth-stage startups, investors, corporations, and civic leaders in priority industries.
- **ThinkChicago** — A STEM talent program connecting students with Chicago technology companies, founders, and the city’s innovation ecosystem.
- **Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership** — An eight-jurisdiction alliance managed by WBC that gives companies a coordinated regional route to sites, talent, and economic-development partners.
- **ChiForward** — A capital-attraction platform that identifies and vets projects, strengthens investment cases, packages opportunities, introduces capital partners, and helps transactions advance.
- **Chicago 2050** — A five-year economic playbook paired with a longer-term civic strategy for jobs, investment, priority industries, and major city-shaping ideas.

## Achievements

- Chicagoland was ranked the No. 1 U.S. metro for corporate relocation and site selection for a 13th consecutive year in 2026.
- WBC counted 223 pro-Chicagoland decisions in 2025, associated with an estimated 19,600 jobs, $1.7 billion in earnings, and 26.3 million square feet of space.
- The 2024 pipeline included 140 pro-Chicagoland decisions and more than 14,800 jobs.
- The Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership aligned Chicago and seven counties behind a single regional business-development proposition beginning in 2023.
- WBC and partners helped position Chicagoland for PsiQuantum’s planned $1 billion-plus investment at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park.
- The Global Strategic Initiatives team maintains relationships spanning 28 sister cities, more than 90 consulates, and more than 100 chambers of commerce.
- Public-sector investment programs connected business opportunities to more than 350 small hospitality vendors from 96% of Chicago wards; more than half were minority- or women-owned.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Green City Rising and Wonderways were named co-winners of Horizon Lines, WBC’s citywide competition for ideas shaping Chicago through 2050.
- **2026-05** — WBC’s State of the Economy 2025 report recorded 223 pro-Chicagoland decisions tied to an estimated 19,600 jobs and $1.7 billion in earnings.
- **2026-04** — SelectCHI convened business leaders from more than 30 countries for regional site visits and investment discussions.
- **2026-03** — Site Selection Magazine named Chicagoland the top U.S. metro for corporate relocation and site selection for a 13th consecutive year.
- **2025-12** — WBC released the first chapter of Chicago 2050 and launched ChiForward as a coordinated platform for attracting capital to companies and projects.

## Links

- Website: https://worldbusinesschicago.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-business-chicago
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/worldbizchicago
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/WorldBusinessChicago
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldbusinesschicago/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldBusinessChicago/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/world-business-chicago
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-23