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May 19, 2025

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Forums help SBEs navigate, thrive in current environment

The Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council (Chicago-MSDC) recently held its 2025 Chicago Business Opportunity Forums Day (CBOF). The program launched the Council’s “Forums” series of events to include networking opportunities for the more than 900 ChicagoMSDC small and minority business enterprises to connect with corporate and government buyers throughout the year.

“Competing in a New World” is this year’s Forums theme, and it is a call to action for the small business community.

“In today’s fast-evolving global landscape, organizations face unprecedented challenges and exciting opportunities. The three-part CBOF Speaker Series will provide corporate leaders and small businesses with the tools and insights needed to navigate and thrive in a world shaped by rapid technological advancements, shifting markets and new societal expectations,” said Debra Jennings-Johnson, president and CEO of ChicagoMSDC.

The Council’s mission is to certify, develop, connect and advocate for small and minority businesses by creating sustainable and profitable relationships between small business enterprises and major buying organizations.

The purpose of the CBOF is to convene small and minority businesses, government agencies and corporate buying organizations to intentionally drive socioeconomic equity and generational wealth in communities of color.

The Chicago Business Opportunity Forums feature a wide spectrum of events throughout the year: The Chicago Business Opportunity Forums features a wide spectrum of events throughout the year:

• Chicago Business Opportunity Day

• The ConnectionExchange

• Dolores Saxton-Walker Scholarship Awards Luncheon

• Sharing Success Awards Dinner

• Chief Procurement Officer Summit (CPO) Luncheon

• Young Entrepreneurs Pitch Competition

• CBOF Speaker Series

The next leg of the Forums kicks off June 11, 2025, with the first of a three-part CBOF Speaker Series. The Speaker Series will provide corporate leaders and small businesses with the tools and insights needed to navigate and thrive in a world shaped by rapid technological advancements, shifting markets and new societal expectations, Jennings-Johnson said.

“The Speaker Series will build on this year’s Competing in a New World theme to further expound on the importance of alternative growth strategies for small businesses; explore corporate strategies to ensure small business engagement remains strong; and serve as a full-circle moment to continue to address the knowledge and tools corporations and small businesses need to remain competitive,” she said.

“Whether you are a corporate leader, entrepreneur or change-maker, this series has been designed to empower you with practical knowledge and inspire forward-thinking approaches to compete and succeed in this dynamic new world,” Jennings-Johnson added.

CBOF is presented and supported by more than 30 sponsors and promotional partners, including many major corporations located in the Chicago region.

To learn more about ChicagoMSDC, visit chicagomsdc.org.

ChicagoMSDC Business Opportunity Forums Speaker Series 2025

What: Chicago Business Opportunity Forums - Speaker Series

When: Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 9 am - 12 p.m.

Theme: Competing in a New World

Guess speakers: Include Rufus Williams, host of The Morning Show, WVON 1690 AM, and Greg Willis, vice president and counsel, Phoenix Strategies Inc.

Hosted by: Aon Center at 200 East Randolph St., State Street Conference Center, 3rd Floor, Chicago, Illinois.

To register: web.cvent.com/event/6c742af9-94f6-4a93-ac3a-f6eb88229e50/regProcessStep1 

What’s next: Chicago Business Opportunity Forums - Speaker Series on Sept. 18, 2025, and Oct. 16, 2025