Commentary: How to cultivate Chicago's tech superstars
Howard Tullman
Chicago Tribune
28 October 2015
It's no secret that the exodus of tech talent has long been
a concern for Chicago's economy.
But Chicago — at the center of the Midwest's technology
resurgence — is a strong competitor in the global economy, and no one here is
standing still.
The key, even as we know that some talent will leave for
Silicon Valley, is to cultivate the growing stream of superstars who are being
educated right here in our backyard so that Chicago can continue to thrive as a
primary launching point for emerging businesses.
If the region's tech leaders can build on recent success
stories and implement a collaborative plan for the future, Chicago will hold
its own alongside established tech centers such as New York and Boston as well
as new tech hubs such as Austin, Texas, and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
Chicago has had some notable successes: Cleversafe,
Fieldglass, Coyote, GrubHub and Braintree. These companies are moving forward
with billion-dollar mergers or huge IPOs. And, most critically, they are
staying in Chicago as they continue to grow, attract talented people and
reinvest their sale proceeds into new opportunities.
Those new opportunities will pave the way to train and
retain the next generation of tech talent.
At 1871, we have nearly a dozen classes teaching coding,
entrepreneurship and design. We are training hundreds of people, from all
backgrounds, with all levels of technical expertise. It will take time before
these training efforts pay dividends, but they will, and they are worth our
investment.
Multiple public, private and civic organizations in Chicago
are working together to attract companies, retain employees, promote the city's
growth and do what is necessary to advance the collective interests of our
economy.
One example is ThinkChicago, a program that brings together
the city, the University of Illinois, 1871 and established companies such as
Motorola and LinkedIn to showcase Chicago to college graduates deciding where
to build their professional and personal lives. Another is World Business Chicago,
which is bringing foreign dignitaries and businesses to 1871 to see how to
launch their products in the United States through Chicago. And yet another
example is the Merchandise Mart, which is working to rebrand itself as the
center for technology in Chicago and throughout the Midwest.
These collaborative organizations also have investigated
other ways to draw talent to Chicago. One is a "study abroad" program
in which undergraduates from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
will spend a semester in Chicago, combining course instruction with practical
work at a tech company.
Another is encouraging Chicago's tech companies to work
together and show off more than one company when strong candidates come to
town. One of the unique attributes of the Chicago tech community is our
unselfish willingness to reach out and help our peers. So let's make it our
business to tell new recruits about some of the other cool companies in town so
that they can imagine a future in Chicago for themselves and their families.
Many of these ideas would be nonstarters in other cities.
Chicago has a collaborative spirit that makes them possible. We are not Silicon
Valley, for better or for worse, but we know what we do well and where our
strengths are. If we double down on what we've done and what we're doing, our
future is very bright.
Howard Tullman is CEO of the Merchandise Mart-based tech hub
1871.
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Melissa Wooten | Communications and Operations Associate |
1871
mwooten@1871.com
| 336.618.1910 | @1871Chicago