August 3, 2018

Dear Friend of ULI Chicago,

The Urban Land Institute Chicago is proud to announce our 24th Annual Lifetime Achievement Award honoree:

Thomas S. Ricketts

As a ULI Chicago key leader, we invite you to join us and reserve a table for the 24th annual event honoring Mr. Ricketts, which will be held at Gallagher Way beside on Monday, September 17, 2018. The ULI Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award was established to recognize leaders in Chicago real estate whose industry contributions, as well as civic, charitable and philanthropic endeavors, exemplify the spirit and mission of ULI. Mr. Ricketts and his family are more than deserving of this year’s honor.

In October 2009, the Ricketts family took control of the and Wrigley Field and promised fans the team would win the World Series, preserve and enhance venerable Wrigley Field and be a good neighbor to the entire city. By any measure they have exceeded those goals. The Ricketts, with Tom serving as the executive chairman of the Cubs, joined by his siblings on the board of directors, built the best organization of business and baseball talent in the game. As everyone knows, on a rainy night in November 2016, the Cubs won the World Series, ending a 108-year quest - the longest championship drought in sports. Not only was this moment a global sports event, it called attention to the equally momentous effort of preserving and expanding Wrigley Field.

While pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into Wrigley Field to keep the iconic ballpark standing would have been praiseworthy, Mr. Ricketts and his family are being honored for their commitment to making a lasting impact on the neighborhood around the ballpark and to the entire city and region. Just as on the field Mr. Ricketts fostered the best ideas and management talent while investing in championship infrastructure, Mr. Ricketts developed the family’s vision: to restore Wrigley Field to the time when the ballpark was grand and to expand and modernize it to meet the needs of modern-day fans and players.

From the outside, the Ricketts’ led effort replaced chain link fence and concrete panels that covered the beauty of Chicago’s baseball cathedral with original materials to return Wrigley Field to its hey-day of the 1930s. They invested hundreds of millions of dollars in steel and concrete to shore up the foundation of the more than 100-year-old ballpark. The family also invested hundreds of millions more to expand seating and add food options, clubs, the best clubhouse and training facilities in Major League Baseball and improved accessibility for fans. The ballpark that cost Charles Weeghman $250,000 to build in 1914, is now in the final phase of a $750 million reinvestment.

Outside Wrigley Field is an amazing gift from the Ricketts to the neighborhood and the city. What was once a parking lot and home in years past to a car wash and donut shop, became Gallagher Way - a park intended as Wrigleyville’s town square. It is also home to a new office building with exciting retail options on the street level for neighbors and fans alike. On game days at Gallagher Way, children and families play ball before, during and after games while parents relax. On non-gamedays, Gallagher Way is home to free movie nights, exercise classes, music programs for children, special concerts, farmer’s markets and, in winter months, an ice rink. On the west side of Clark Street, where more parking lots stood is another $250 million investment, the Hotel Zachary. Named for the original architect of Wrigley Field—Zachary Taylor Davis—the boutique 173-room Tribute Marriott hotel is open year-round for families and tourists—securing Wrigley Field as one of the top three tourist destinations in . Hotel Zachary is home to chef-driven restaurants to provide a variety of dining options for neighbors and visitors.

The entire redevelopment of Wrigley Field, the office and retail development, Hotel Zachary and Gallagher Way have included the broader community in the process. Nearly $350 million in wages have been paid so far to union labor and more than 44 percent of all contracts have been awarded to firms owned by women or minorities.

Several years and more than $1 billion later, Mr. Ricketts and his family have reimagined Wrigleyville with respect for the past and vision for the future.

Investments continue outside the Wrigley Field campus as well. The Cubs under the Ricketts’ ownership is the most generous team in Chicago. Cubs Charities donated more than $5 million in 2017 to benefit Chicago’s youth, bringing its total to more than $25 million since the Ricketts era began. The Cubs Diamond project has invested several million dollars to build and refurbish nearly 50 new baseball and softball diamonds across the city. From supporting local charities that care for children with special needs to building the best and most sought-after new high school baseball field in the City, Cubs Charities under Mr. Ricketts makes an impact in every community in Chicago.

Mr. Ricketts will join a highly regarded list of past ULI Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award recipients including Mayor Richard M. Daley, Marshall Bennett, the late Bernie Weissbourd, the late Charles Shaw, the late Richard Brown, Lester Crown, the late William Alter, Ed and the late Ken James, the late Matthew Bucksbaum, Richard Stein, Stuart Scott, Douglas Crocker, Robert Wislow, Norman R. Bobins, Richard A. Hanson, James R. Loewenberg, John S. Gates, Jr., John A. Buck, Eugene Golub, Penny Pritzker, Neil G. Bluhm, Lynn Thurber, and James A. McShane.

We are pleased to add him to this distinguished list and hope you will join us in celebrating our 24th year and honoring Mr. Ricketts at the Lifetime Achievement Award Dinner. To reserve your table, please return a completed response form to ULI Chicago no later than Friday, September 7, 2018.

We greatly appreciate your help in making this special celebration an unqualified success. The proceeds from the event support the outreach initiatives and community work coordinated by ULI Chicago with the assistance of its members and local leadership.

Sincerely,

Crane Kenney President of Business Operations Chicago Cubs

Edward J. Wehmer Chief Executive Officer Wintrust Financial Corporation

ULI Chicago 773-549-4972 ULI – the Urban Land Institute 1700 West Irving Park Road 773-472-3076 Facsimile 2001 L Street NW Suite 208 Chicago.uli.org Suite 200 Chicago, IL 60613 www.uli.org Washington, D.C. 20036

24th Annual Lifetime Achievement Award Honoring

Thomas S. Ricketts

September 17, 2018 Cocktails: 5:30 pm | Dinner/Award Presentation: 6:30 pm

at Gallagher Way - Chicago

Host Committee Reply Form

_____ Yes, I will join the Host Committee for the 2018 ULI Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award (Please choose a level. All levels include a table of 10 at the event, unless otherwise specified. Please provide the name & company of the ten (10) guests who will be sitting at your table.)

____ Patron $50,000 (Two tables of 10 at the Lifetime Achievement Award Dinner.)

____ Benefactor $25,000

____ Sustainer $12,500

____ Contributor $ 7,500

_____ No, I cannot join the Host Committee, but I will attend the Award dinner and request ___ reservations at $700 each. (Please note, this year there are a LIMITED number of individual tickets available.)

_____ No, I cannot join the Host Committee or attend the Award dinner but have enclosed a donation to support ULI Chicago’s community outreach work.

Name:______

Company:______(as you wish it to appear on all printed materials)

Address:______City:______State:______Zip:______

Phone: ______Email: ______

We must receive your response by Friday, September 7, 2018 in order to reserve space for your listing as a member of the Host Committee. All checks should be made payable to ULI Chicago (Fein #530159845) and sent to:

Cindy McSherry ULI Chicago, 1700 West Irving Park Road, Suite 208, Chicago, IL 60613 Phone: 773-549-4972 Fax: 773-472-3076 Email: [email protected]

The Urban Land Institute is a 501-c3 non-profit, non-partisan research and educational institute whose mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. ULI Chicago, with a membership of over 1,300 real estate related professionals, continues to develop its role as the organization that civic and community leaders turn to for guidance in land use matters. With your assistance, these efforts will continue to grow and expand.