DECEMBER 2024  3 
1. Bridge Builder Award
Simply put, businesses do not know 
ideology, as political parties represent 
businesses in their districts. In our 
current polarized world, we need 
more bridge builders who, regardless 
of ideology- put their constituents 
first and the needs of the businesses 
in their community. 
	
The newly developed Bridge 
Builder Award is given to one 
Democrat and one Republican 
from the Senate and House. These 
individuals exemplify bipartisan 
leadership in working across the aisle 
to create a business environment 
conducive to growth. Yes, growth is 
not redistribution of money from one 
group to another, but organic growth. 
That is what Illinois needs more of. 
	
Our team was honored to 
present Senator Meg Cappel, Senator 
Jil Tracy, and Representatives Eva-
Dina Delgado and Jeff Keicher with 
the inaugural Bridge Builder Awards. 
Congratulations! We look forward 
to our next cohort of awardees at the 
104th General Assembly. 
2. Symposium Series on 
Supply Chain and Energy
We held two new Symposium Panels, 
convening thought leaders on 
applying technology and innovation 
to supply chain management and 
driving economic growth via 
innovation and energy.  These 
panels offered members an excellent 
opportunity to network and gain new 
insights into how the world of supply 
chain management has evolved post-
pandemic and how innovation and 
energy can be economic drivers for 
the state’s economy.  Stay tuned for a 
more robust series in 2025 focusing 
on the “Future Of” various sectors 
driving economic growth in Illinois. 
3. International Business Council
With the global nature of our world 
today, we saw fit to reignite our 
International Business Council, 
a natural fit for our Foreign 
Consulates in the state as we seek 
to develop more avenues of Foreign 
Direct Investment that assist the 
existing businesses as suppliers and 
developing channels of reciprocal 
trade with other parts of the world. 
In the first year, we launched four 
signature events that connected 
our members with countries such 
as Kazakhstan, Argentina, the EU, 
Indonesia, and many others, and this 
has proven to be one of our most 
popular endeavors this year. 
	
These achievements directly 
result from your passion, 
commitment, and engagement 
with your state chamber. Your 
participation has been invaluable 
in helping us expand our range of 
offerings in 2024.
	
We are excited about the 
possibilities as we look ahead to 
the coming year. We are planning 
even more opportunities for you to 
connect, grow, and thrive in your 
business endeavors. We will continue 
to focus on advocacy, education, and 
building a supportive community 
that drives value for your business. 
	
Thank you again for being part 
of this incredible journey. We could 
not have come this far without you, 
and we look forward to what we 
can accomplish together in the year 
ahead. Please do not hesitate to 
reach out with ideas, questions, or 
opportunities for collaboration—we 
are here for you.
	
Here’s to a Safe, Happy, and 
Healthy Holiday Season. We 
look forward to bigger and better 
endeavors in 2025!
Yours in Fellowship,
Lou Sandoval 
President & CEO
Illinois Chamber of Commerce

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