Paul O'Connor will explore some of the many ingredients and techniques used in baking up a globally competitive Chicago. The blending and balancing of such a recipe are guided by intangibles (e.g., quality of life, civic will, taste), by indigenous ingredients (e.g., demographics, cultural DNA, infrastructure), and by strategic intent (e.g., vision, image). Paul O'Connor will give an impressionistic public reflection on how Chicago might prosper in the global big city bake off (and on how it could fail to make the jump).

Paul O'Connor recently stepped down as the founding Executive Director of World Business Chicago, a public-private nonprofit organization that the Financial Times rated the "best investment promotion" operation in North America. For six of the past seven years Chicago has led all U.S. metropolitan areas in corporate capital investment, including the recruitment of the Boeing Company. He is an inaugural board member of the Global Chicago Center, and sits on the board of CEOs for Cities.

Prior to founding WBC at Mayor Daley's request in 1999, Mr. O'Connor had a crazy-quilt communications career spanning global marketing, advertising, and state government economic development. The son of Chicago-loving reporter Len O'Connor, Paul was mentored by columnist Mike Royko, was John Callaway's first hire at WTTW, and went on to be the urban affairs writer for Seattle's morning newspaper. He combines the vision thing with frank Chicago humor.

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