Crain's Chicago recently took an in depth look at the 'Chicago Way' of business going on at the government agency commonly known as McPier (which runs Navy Pier and McCormick Place):The chief executive officer won his post after raising campaign cash for disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The just-departed human resources director owed her job to a powerful state senator. Other top executives have long ties to Mayor Richard M. Daley's political machine.Since it's a neighbor of Sloop and potentially could be a driving force behind growth in our neighborhood we thought some people might be interested in reading about it. It's been a brutal year for the McPier agency and the article doesn't make it sound like it's getting any better.That's what clout looks like at the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, known as McPier, a little-understood government entity that operates the city's primary convention venue, the vast McCormick Place complex; the adjacent McCormick Hyatt Regency Hotel, and the lakefront tourist center Navy Pier.
(image from chicagobusiness.com)
The City and the Unions have no one to blame but themselves in regards to the current situation. Convention trends are no great mystery and all these guys should have seen the writing on the wall.
ReplyDeleteThe Olympic Debacle probably hurt McPier the most IMO. If Chicago would have gotten the Olympics, the outlook for McPier would have been much better.
ReplyDeleteBut you're right Carl, they have no one to blame except themselves!
How does not winning a bid to host a two-week sporting event 6 years from now affect plastic companies holding their convention in chicago? I don't think Orlando is hosting the Olympics anytime soon.
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