Facing fleets of grounded planes, changing consumer tastes and the formation of a new marijuana industry, 2020 could be a defining year for these Chicago executives.
David Calhoun, incoming CEO of Boeing. Calhoun is set to take the reins of Boeing Jan. 13, following then-CEO Dennis Muilenburg’s firing in late December. He’ll inherit problems with the plane manufacturer’s most important and troubled jet, the 737 Max. Boeing heads into the new year with a temporary production suspension of the planes, which were grounded in March after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people. A longtime Boeing director who was named board chairman in October, Calhoun is hardly an outsider. He comes from investment firm Blackstone and spent 26 years at General Electric, where he ran multiple business units, including its aircraft engines business.
Maurice Cox, Commissioner of Planning and Development for the City of Chicago. He’s been a Virginia mayor, a dean at Tulane University in New Orleans, and Detroit’s planning chief, helping revive its hurting neighborhoods. In 2020, his focus will be on Chicago. Mayor Lori Lightfoot hired him to help spread the wealth to the city’s neighborhoods, and the task ahead of him looms large. There are redevelopment opportunities such as the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park and the former Michael Reese Hospital site in the Bronzeville neighborhood. But reversing decades of disinvestment is no easy feat. “I think we have to first stop the bleeding,” Cox told the Tribune in October. “We have to give residents a sense of where their neighborhood is going.”
Sean Garrett, president and CEO of United Way of Metro Chicago. A longtime United Way executive, Garrett’s move to the top spot in late 2018 from Charlotte, N.C., followed a prior stint with the Windy City chapter as director of major gifts. In October, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a development initiative for 10 neighborhoods on the city’s South and West sides. BMO Harris Bank would invest $10 million through United Way, spurring work the organization has had underway for five years. The plans, which vary by neighborhood, are in place, Garrett said. Now it’s time to roll them out. “The plan has to be created by the community,” he said. “Our job is to provide the resources and support to help bring that to life.”
Chris Kempczinski, CEO of McDonald’s. Kempczinski was promoted to CEO in November after Steve Easterbrook was fired for having a consensual relationship with an employee. He inherits an effort to modernize McDonald’s with major store renovations, including the addition of digital menu boards and self-service kiosks. Though those plans have created friction with franchisees, Kempczinski is expected to continue the push. Brought in by Easterbrook in 2015 as head of strategy, business development and innovation, he was promoted to lead the U.S. business in 2017 and took part in devising the modernization plan. He previously held roles at Kraft, PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble.
Scott Kirby, incoming CEO of United Airlines. Kirby is set to take the top spot at Chicago’s hometown carrier in May. Experts say United has emerged from a rocky period that included a 2017 incident in which a passenger was dragged off a flight, but there is still work to do. Kirby, who came in as the No. 2 executive three years ago, has been heavily involved in the airline’s strategy. Known as a “details guy,” he has spent years prepping for the role, including during a stint at rival American Airlines. He’ll be tasked with improving the airline’s on-time performance and tackling industry challenges, including concerns about climate change, slowing economic growth and the ongoing grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max.
Edie Moore, executive director of Chicago NORML. Years before recreational weed came to Illinois, Moore was working with policymakers to draft the law, pushing to ensure those most harmed by the war on drugs are properly represented in the burgeoning industry. With sales underway, the work is just beginning, Moore said. “We’re absolutely going to keep going,” she said. “We know that we came from zero to where we are now, but we are definitely not at the finish line.” The marijuana advocacy group Moore helms has trained hundreds of potential workers, and is expanding its curriculum in 2020 to teach people to work in marijuana growing facilities. It’s also helping the state study who is participating in the industry, to be a watchdog for equity.
Miguel Patricio, CEO of The Kraft Heinz Co. The new chief executive has a busy year ahead. The maker of household names like Jell-O and Kool-Aid struggled in 2019 against slumping sales and changing consumer tastes. Patricio’s task is to rejuvenate brands and innovate, winning back customers who have veered toward natural and organic products. The native of Portugal and long-time AB InBev executive has developed a strategy to do so, but isn’t giving details yet. He said his main priority is to stabilize the business. “Before growing the business, you have to stabilize and you have to prepare the business for growth,” he said.
RJ Scaringe, CEO of Rivian. The company, often called the Tesla of trucks, plans to start rolling vehicles off the line at a converted Mitsubishi plant in downstate Normal late next year. The plant employs about 250 people, with plans to hire hundreds more in 2020. Many employees worked at the plant in its previous iteration, Scaringe said. He declined to disclose how much Rivian is investing in the facility, but the 10-year-old company drew more than $2.8 billion in investments in 2019 from Ford, Cox Automotive and Amazon, among others. It also plans to build 100,000 custom electric delivery vehicles for Amazon alongside its consumer-focused truck and SUV. “It’s a bit of a construction zone right now,” he said. In the next several years, employment could number in the thousands.
Natalie Shmulik, CEO of The Hatchery. In 2019, Shmulik oversaw the opening of the nonprofit’s67,000-square-foot food manufacturing space in East Garfield Park, drawing local entrepreneurs in need of professional kitchen space, job training and food industry know-how. The roughly 200 members can find jobs, train with chefs like Rick Bayless, and rub shoulders with Hatchery partners such as Kellogg, Conagra and Ingredion. “For them, it’s the ability to be on the ground floor of innovation,” Shmulik said. The new year brings more potential for The Hatchery’s members as big companies tap into startups to help with innovation, and workers get a chance to make their mark with food industry giants, Shmulik said.
Karen Teitelbaum, president and CEO of Sinai Health System. Like other hospitals, Sinai Health System is facing financial challenges. It’s dealing with low reimbursement rates from government health insurance programs, and a shift from patients needing overnight care. But health care isn’t all about bed count anymore, said Teitelbaum, who has been CEO since 2015. “The way health care is delivered has changed,” she said. “The trends are really more toward outpatients.” Teitelbaum is focused on helping the health system reduce admissions and bolster services, like dialysis, that can help patients without requiring lengthy hospital stays.
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