Illinois Chamber of Commerce to Hold Annual Luncheon

On Thursday, September 19, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., business leaders from around Illinois will gather at the Marriott Marquis in Chicago for the Illinois Chamber’s 2024 Annual Luncheon.

The annual luncheon provides an opportunity to gather with business leaders to strive toward a better and brighter future for everyone in Illinois. The event repeatedly has served as a platform for highlighting and addressing business-related concerns at the forefront of the public agenda. This year’s event will center around the theme “Innovation to Drive Growth: The Formula for Business Resilience.”

“I am proud of our lineup of speakers for this year’s event,” said Chamber President and CEO Lou Sandoval. “We have enhanced the Chamber’s signature event of the year to address one of the key opportunities facing business in today’s market – innovation. It will be great to see our members from throughout the state come together to continue to make Illinois the great place to do business that we all know it is.”

We are proud to announce David M. Foulkes, CEO and director of Brunswick Corporation, will be this year’s keynote speaker. David was appointed Brunswick’s chief executive officer and non-independent director in January 2019. Foulkes had served as president – Brunswick marine consumer solutions, as well as retaining his role as Brunswick’s chief technology officer (CTO).

Foulkes joined Brunswick in 2007 and for 10 years he was head of product development at Mercury Marine, during which time he led the development of Mercury’s line-up of market-leading outboard engines, including the recently introduced V-6 and V-8 outboard engines and advanced vessel controls, as well as the new MerCruiser gasoline and diesel inboard/sterndrive engines.

“I am honored to join the Illinois Chamber of Commerce as the keynote speaker at their September event,” said Foulkes. “Brunswick is proud to be headquartered in Illinois and has a long history of collaborating with a network of Illinois-based companies and organizations. The Next Never Rests spirit embodied in Brunswick’s tagline reflects a commitment shared with the Illinois Chamber to constantly demonstrate innovative solutions that enhance and elevate the experiences of our respective customers and partners through economic cycles.”

Organizers are excited to announce Lourdes Duarte, co-anchor and lead investigative reporter from WGN, will serve as emcee for the event. Duarte is a four-time Emmy Award winner. She co-anchors the WGN Evening News at 4 p.m. and is one of the station’s lead investigative reporters. She started her journalism career as a reporter for Telemundo Chicago and then went on to work in news markets throughout the country, including Miami, Indianapolis, and Detroit.

Registration is now open!