HOWARD TULLMAN NAMED NEW CEO OF 1871
Chicago business leader & iconic
serial entrepreneur brings new energy and vision for taking successful digital
hub to next level in order to better serve city’s growing startup community
CHICAGO – November 23, 2013 – Chicago’s
leading, digital hub, 1871 today announced that Howard Tullman will become its
new CEO. Mr. Tullman succeeds Kevin
Willer, a founder of Google’s Chicago office, who successfully led the organization
over the past two years and left the role in June. 1871 is the flagship project
of the CEC, the 501c3 non-profit committed to supporting, promoting and growing
the startup community in Chicago. Tullman
will report into Jim O’Connor Jr. and Bryant Keil, the co-chairmen of the CEC
Board of Directors. Mr. O’Connor has assumed the role of interim CEO since
Willer’s departure.
“The selection committee set
a very high bar for the 1871 role,” said Bryant Keil, co-chairman of the CEC
Board of Directors. “We recognized that this is an important role not only as a
leader for 1871, but also as a visionary for the broader startup community in
Chicago. Howard is a proven entrepreneur who exemplifies everything that we
were looking for and we couldn’t be happier that he has agreed to take 1871’s
success to the next level.”
“Howard’s appointment to 1871
serves as an example of what we call “Chicagoness,” whereby people launch and
grow great companies, have successes, and then come back to mentor the next
generation of entrepreneurs as the cycle continues,” added Jim O’Connor Jr.,
co-chairman of the CEC Board of Directors.
Howard Tullman’s reputation
as an entrepreneur is legendary both in Chicago and nationally. He founded CCC Information Services nearly 33 years ago and since then, the company
has created thousands of jobs nationally and in Chicago. Mr. Tullman was also an initial investor and
the long-time Board Chairman of The Cobalt Group, which was sold to ADP
for more than $300 million in 2010. In addition, Tullman is responsible for saving
Kendall College by bringing it
to Chicago and turning it into one of the Top 3 culinary schools in the U.S. And most recently, Tullman is
known as the founding CEO of Tribeca Flashpoint Media
Arts Academy,
which reinvented and reinvigorated high-end vocational training in the digital
media arts, and which has graduated more than a thousand students since 2007.
“1871 is the heart of Illinois’ thriving startup community, and
I cannot think of a more experienced innovator and visionary leader than Howard
Tullman to ensure its continued success,” Governor Quinn said. “As a lifelong
entrepreneur, Howard knows what Chicago’s best and brightest need to push the
innovation boundaries further than ever before.”
“Howard Tullman is the perfect person to take 1871 to the next
level,” said Mayor Emanuel. “1871 is a global model as an entrepreneurial hub
and has had a strong impact on innovation in Chicago. Under Howard’s
leadership, 1871 will be a primary engine to help Chicago achieve the goal I
set out last month to double our tech economy over the next ten years and add
40,000 new jobs. Our tech industry relies on four pillars – a strong
entrepreneurial spirit, access to talent, venture capital, and physical spaces
for innovation. In each of these areas, 1871 has already made a huge impact. As
an accomplished business leader and entrepreneur, Howard will help grow our technology
economy in the future, and I look forward to working closely with him in his
new role.”
"Howard Tullman is not only one of Chicago’s most
successful, prolific tech entrepreneurs, but he is also a prominent voice on
the national stage,” said J.B. Pritzker, managing partner of Pritzker Group and
1871 founder. “His experience as a visionary business builder and an educator
makes him the obvious leader of Chicago’s newly energized startup
community. Howard helps 1871 gain greater traction as the flagship
entrepreneurial center in the nation."
Added Larry Levy, founder and chairman of Levy Restaurants, "Howard is a proven entrepreneur and a great
Chicagoan whose successes are many. I am confident that his vision will lead
1871 toward new and exciting directions that will benefit the city's next
generation of business leaders.”
1871 opened its doors in
May of 2012. Since then, it has become a
local, national and global model that is known for providing ground breaking
programming, thousands of hours of mentorship from leading entrepreneurs, hands
on training and physical space to digital entrepreneurs. It is also the home to two incubators
including the nationally recognized Tech Stars Chicago. In its first year, 1871 has
been host to local, national and international leaders including Steve Ballmer,
Steve Case, Dick Costolo, Brad Feld and David Cameron. More than 240 companies work out of 1871. Those businesses have attracted $40 million
in investment capital and created more than 800 jobs, which have already contributed
an estimated $15 million to the Illinois economy.
“There is an entrepreneurial
renaissance in Chicago and 1871 is at the center of it,” said Howard Tullman,
incoming CEO of 1871. “As a serial entrepreneur for more than 40 years, I can
honestly say that there has been no more exciting time to be part of a startup
organization in Chicago than today.”
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About 1871
1871
is an entrepreneurial hub for digital startups. Located in the famed
Merchandise Mart, the 50,000-square-foot facility provides Chicago startups
with programming, access to mentors, educational resources, potential investors
and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs that help them on their path to
building successful businesses. 1871 is the flagship project of the CEC.
About the CEC
The
Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC) is a 501c3 committed to the mission of
supporting entrepreneurs and promoting entrepreneurship in Chicago. Its
flagship project, 1871, fulfills its vision of a central address for tech entrepreneurs in
Chicago.
