In November 2018, leaders from the US, Mexico, and Canada signed a historic trade pact, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, to replace the 1994 NAFTA deal. Reactions to the new agreement have been mixed, from both American lawmakers and our neighboring leaders. The deal has the potential to impact US and Illinois businesses in a major way as it intends to incentivize domestic automobile manufacturing, strengthen protection of intellectual property, and increase dairy market access. The power of protections for workers has been called into question, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concern that American laborers may be the ones to bear the brunt of consequences for violating any part of the pact.

In many historical industries such as AgTech, Fast Food, and Retailing, Chicago became a national leader by leveraging local innovations with a conscious national focus. Today, several organizations — DPI, P33, City Colleges of Chicago and the State of Illinois — have intentional efforts underway to increase the world’s awareness of Chicago as a leading technology center with a strong talent pool. Backed with more than $1 billion in public and private funding, these organizations are focused on specific sectors where Chicago, Illinois and the Midwest have historic strengths: advanced manufacturing, agriculture technology, and B-to-B software, among others.

Hear directly from the leaders of these four organizations on their focus and aspirations, as well as identify ways that your company can best leverage how to obtain a competitive advantage with these upcoming efforts.

Mr. Schwab, the Founder and Chairman of the Charles Schwab Corporation joins Gail MarksJarvis in conversation about his new Memoir INVESTED, his personal story of launching and building his namesake brokerage firm.  He’ll discuss the obstacles he encountered starting the fledgling company in the 1970s, it’s astonishing growth and the ups and downs it weathered as it expanded to become one of the country’s leading financial services providers, and why he thinks the revolution it sparked 40 years ago is still ongoing.