Chamber leader announces retirement
Jerry Roper leaving Chicagoland post after two decades
Jerry Roper, president of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, announced Thursday that he will be retiring this year after 20 years on the job. (Phil Velasquez, Chicago Tribune / April 11, 2013)
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Jerry Roper, the high-profile voice of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce for 20 years, will retire by year-end, the organization announced Thursday.
Roper, 72, will remain as president and CEO until a replacement is hired, and he will continue to be active with the business advocacy group after his successor takes over.
"I still have a lot to bring to the party, more in a visionary role than day-to-day," Roper said.
Roper, who has been battling prostate cancer, said his illness played no part in his decision to retire.
"I feel fantastic. I still have a lot of juice," said Roper. "I'm not in any pain. ... Nowadays, they treat prostate cancer as a chronic disease."
The Tribune reported in October that the chamber had formed a committee to start succession planning. At that time, Roper said he had no plans to retire.
His decision Thursday comes from a confidence that a succession plan is in place and that the organization is on strong footing, he said.
He cited the leadership of retired American Airlines executive John Carpenter, the chamber's chief operating officer, who was hired as senior vice president for public policy in 2011 and promoted in July.
He also noted the chamber is expanding its reach through strategic partnerships with two other civic groups: the Chicago Central Area Committee, which is focused on fostering the health of the city's core, and the Alliance of Business Leaders & Entrepreneurs, an organization of African-American executives.
"They will nest with us, and we'll manage the back end of their operations, and help with programming and membership," Roper said.
The chamber's search for his successor is likely to consider internal candidates as well as those from across the country.
"By all accounts, Jerry has done a great job for a number of years," Deputy Mayor Steven Koch said. "He's very respected. It's a really good position, and I'm sure they'll have no trouble getting great people interested in taking the job."
Roper "has been a great ambassador for the city," said serial entrepreneur Howard Tullman, president and CEO of Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy. "I'm excited to see the next generation of leadership because that's where the city is headed."
Roper was hired at a time when some major business leaders had drifted away from the organization, said former Commonwealth Edison chief Jim O'Connor Sr., who was chairman of the chamber board at that time.
"Our financial situation needed attention, membership needed attention and we were trying to identify the principal activities to be involved in," he said, adding he was drawn to Roper because of the energy he displayed in his previous long-running role as top executive at the city's convention bureau.
At the chamber, "he provided superb leadership," O'Connor said, citing Roper's representation of business interests in Springfield, his strong relationship with former Mayor Richard M. Daley and his administration, his push for expansion of O'Hare International Airport and his role in helping the city develop international relationships.
Scott Swanson, regional president of PNC Bank and chairman of the chamber's board, thanked Roper for his role as a passionate business advocate and for contributions to the formation of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, which launched 1871, the city's technology start-up hub, and to the launch of the Illinois Innovation Accelerator Fund.
