4  ILLINOIS BUSINESS LEADER
CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
We are proud to call Illinois “The 
Land of Lincoln” for a reason.  Abra-
ham Lincoln spent 31 years living in 
Illinois and as his quote underscores 
the importance Illinois as the place 
and Illinois as the people that helped 
him mature into the leader that 
saved the union and freed the slaves.  
The Illinois Chamber of Commerce 
celebrates the fundamental strengths 
of our State that have not only given 
our country incredible leaders like 
Abraham Lincoln, but also incredible 
companies from large to small that 
have shaped our proud American 
Business Industry.
	
The Illinois Chamber was found-
ed in 1919, and I am honored to be 
the 52nd Chair of the Chamber and 
it is important to reflect on our fun-
damental strengths that make Illinois 
an incredible place to live, work and 
raise a family. 
	
Some of the top strengths in-
clude our central location as a major 
transportation hub and our incredible 
research and educational infrastruc-
ture. As a major transportation hub, 
all you have to do is look at a national 
highway map and see the network of 
interstates is far denser than for any 
other state and we have 2,200 miles of 
Interstate arteries, more than any state 
but Texas and California. 
	
In 2022, Megahub Connectivity 
Index ranked O’Hare the best-con-
nected airport in the world.  Since we 
are right in the middle of the country 
you can fly anywhere in the conti-
nental United States and return home 
on the same day.  Chicago remains 
the nation’s busiest rail hub…all six 
U.S. Class I railroads operate here 
as do many non-class I railroads, 
and Illinois waterways relieve traffic 
congestion and the state’s networks of 
rivers, waterways and ports con-
tributes $6.4 billion to the Illinois 
economy each year. 
	
In addition, our fertile soil pro-
vides for our strong agricultural in-
dustry and location next to the great 
Lakes provides and unparalleled level 
of a freshwater supply. 
DAN WAGNER
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
A Word From the Chairman
“To this place and the kindness of these 
people, I owe everything. Here I have lived  
a quarter of a century and have passed 
from a young to an old man.”                
– Abraham Lincoln 
– Farewell Speech  Leaving Springfield, Illinois to go to DC

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