FIVE FORWARD INITIATIVE

Five Forward is a strategic initiative that enlists the commitment of CEOs of mid- to large-sized corporations in the Chicago metropolitan area to establish or expand business relationships with five current and/or new local minority firms. The initiative is designed to build a stronger regional economy and minority businesses of scale.

Empirical evidence indicates that MBEs disproportionately tend to locate within and hire from areas with higher percentages of minority residents. The enhanced flow of money to the region improves the property tax base, increases employment and earnings, ignites business activity and creates the multiplier effects of local firms and residents spending dollars with other local firms.

<Download Full Five Forward Report>

<Download Executive Summary Five Forward>

<Download Five Forward Fact Sheet>

MBe-Source

Five Forward will feature MBe-Source , a web-based resource to provide major corporations access to information on the top 100+ minority firms located in the counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will. Conversely, it will provide minority firms of scale the opportunity to illustrate capacity, core competencies, industries served and success stories.

Professional Services Model

Supporting Five Forward, Chicago United’s Professional Services Model (PSM): A Business Management Tool for Large Corporations to Address the Problem of Limited Utilization of Minority Professional Service Firms is designed for companies who have minority supplier development programs currently in place and expert staff that can easily adapt our practices to their existing program to aid in expanding their current initiatives to include minority professional service firms.

<Download Professional Services Model>

Chicago United’s Five Forward and Members Skogsbergh, DeSantiago and Wedgeworth featured on Chicago Tonight on WTTW

WTTW’s Chicago Tonight show featured Chicago United, the Five Forward Initiative and Chicago United members Mike DeSantiago of Primera Engineers, Chicago United Chairman Jim Skogsbergh of Advocate Health Care and Pam Wedgeworth of Wedgeworth Communications on Wednesday, June 18, 2008.

<View the WTTW's Chicago Tonight featuring Five Forward>

WLS-TV ABC 7 News Views Show
Broadcast Date: May 18, 2008

The momentum around the Chicago United Five Forward Initiative continues as M. Bridget Reidy, Chief Supply Officer of Exelon's Business Services Company, and Al Grace, Jr., co-founder and President of Loop Capital Markets, discuss Five Forward. Five Forward is a strategic initiative that enlists the commitment of CEOs of mid- to large-sized corporations in the Chicago metropolitan area to establish or expand business relationships with five current and/or new local minority firms. The initiative is designed to build a stronger regional economy and minority businesses of scale.

<View the Five Forward Discussion during WLS-TV ABC 7 News Views Show>