40S’ Past Reflect on Lessons Learned by Barbara E
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18 DECEMBER 3, 2012 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS 40 UNDER 40: THEN AND NOW FILE PHOTOS 1989 (THE FIRST YEAR) CRAIN’S DAVID AXELROD LINDA JOHNSON RICE JOHN ROGERS JR. MARC SCHULMAN OPRAH WINFREY Class: 1989 Class: 1989 Class: 1989 Class: 1989 Class: 1989 Then: President, Axelrod & Associates Then: President, Then: President, Ariel Then: President, Eli’s Chicago’s Then: Owner, Harpo Production Co. Now: Director, Institute of Politics, Johnson Publishing Co. Capital Management Inc. Finest Cheesecake Inc. Now: Chairman, Oprah Winfrey University of Chicago; president, Now: Chairman, Now: Chairman, chief investment officer, Now: President, Network LLC; chairman, CEO, Axelrod Strategies LLC Johnson Publishing Co. CEO, Ariel Investments LLC Eli’s Cheesecake Co. Harpo Productions Inc. THE 1990S RAHM EMANUEL ILENE GORDON PENNY PRITZKER JOE MANSUETO BARACK OBAMA MARYSUE BARRETT VALERIE JARRETT DESIREE ROGERS MICHAEL FERRO JR. DANIEL HAMBURGER Class: 1990 Class: 1991 Class: 1991 Class: 1992 Class: 1993 Class: 1994 Class: 1994 Class: 1995 Class: 1998 Class: 1999 Then: Principal, Then: Vice president, area Then: President, Classic Then: President, Then: Director, Then: Chief of policy, Then: Commissioner, Then: Director, Then: CEO, Click Then: President, Research Group general manager, Packaging Residence by Hyatt; Morningstar Inc. Illinois Project Vote mayor’s office, Chicago Department of Illinois Lottery Interactive Inc. Grainger Internet Now: Mayor, Corp. of America partner, Pritzker & Pritzker Now: Chairman, Now: President, city of Chicago Planning and Development Now: CEO, Johnson Now: Chairman, CEO, Merrick Commerce city of Chicago Now: Chairman, president, Now: Chairman, CEO, CEO, Morningstar Inc. United States Now: President, Metropolitan Now: Senior adviser, Publishing Co. Ventures LLC; chairman, Now: President, CEO, CEO, Ingredion Inc. PSP Capital Partners Planning Council President Barack Obama Wrapports LLC DeVry Inc. THE 2000S J.B. PRITZKER ALEX ZOGHLIN ARNE DUNCAN KEN GRIFFIN MATT MOOG AUSTAN GOOLSBEE ANDREW MASON Class: 2000 Class: 2000 Class: 2001 Class: 2004 Class: 2005 Class: 2006 Class: 2009 Then: Managing director, William Then: Chief technology Then: CEO, Chicago Public Schools Then: Founder, Citadel Then: President, CEO, Then: Professor of economics, Then: Founder, CEO, Blair New World Ventures LLC officer, Orbitz Inc. Now: Secretary, U.S. Investment Group LLC CoolSavings Inc. University of Chicago Groupon Inc. Now: Managing partner, Now: CEO, VHT Inc. Department of Education Now: Founder, CEO, Now: Founder, CEO, Viewpoints Graduate School of Business Now: Founder, CEO, Pritzker Group; founder, partner, Citadel LLC Network LLC; founder, Now: Professor of economics, Groupon Inc. New World Ventures chairman, Built in Chicago University of Chicago Booth School of Business ‘40S’ PAST REFLECT ON LESSONS LEARNED BY BARBARA E. ROSE summer associate at the Chicago firms that the local economy re- three but we have dozens and industry. He was chief technolo- office of law firm Sidley Austin mains dynamic and diverse, with dozens and dozens.” gy officer of travel site Orbitz Inc., When Crain’s 40 Under 40 list LLP, where he met his future wife, a swath of midmarket companies Among them is Matt Moog, class which its airline founders sold for debuted in 1989, Oprah Winfrey Michelle Robinson. He would be and a startup scene that’s sim- of ’05, ex-CEO of coupon site Cool- $1.25 billion in 2004. was riveting talk-show audi- named to the 40 list in 1993. mering—a Silicon Prairie 2.0. Savings Inc., now founder and Chicago’s highest-profile start- ences with tabloid topics such as Since Crain’s launched 40 Under “The difference between then CEO of consumer review site up, Groupon Inc., was co-founded satanic dismemberment. 40, its annual feature spotlighting and now is night and day,” says Viewpoints and founder and by CEO Andrew Mason, 31, class Marc Schulman, another 1989 local luminaries under the age of venture capitalist J.B. Pritzker, 47, chairman of Built in Chicago, an of ’09. Valued at nearly $13 billion honoree, had succeeded his late 40, no fewer than 1,000 up-and- class of 2000, who in 1996 raised online community for digital en- when it went public in 2011, the father at Eli’s Chicago’s Finest comers from every walk of life have one of Chicago’s first funds target- trepreneurs. daily-deal site has 12,000 employ- Cheesecake Inc., which would won the honor. The oldest among ing Internet opportunities at Cashing in on his success, ees in 48 countries. But Grou- make a 2,000-pound cake for them began their careers when Evanston’s New World Ventures. Michael Ferro Jr., class of ’98, sold pon’s shares plummeted since President Bill Clinton’s 1993 inau- stores meant bricks without clicks, More recently, he organized a software maker Click Commerce the IPO, rattling faith in Mr. Ma- guration. the Soviet Union hadn’t disinte- tech startup hub in the Merchan- Inc. for $292 million in 2006. His son’s leadership. And Richard M. Daley was be- grated and MTV still played music dise Mart, 1871. current ventures include Wrap- While the tech startup scene ginning his 22-year reign at videos. Many, as we knew they “Years ago, one had to roam ports LLC, which acquired with a emerged in the 1990s, Chicago Chicago’s City Hall with a cam- would, became leading players in around and scrounge to find the group of local business leaders was losing its biggest financial in- paign assist from a young politi- the business, political and cultural tools to build a new technology Sun-Times Media LLC, publisher stitutions to bank consolidation. cal consultant, David Axelrod, dramas that define our times. business in Chicago,” he adds. of the Chicago Sun-Times. Yet even as money center also class of ’89, who would go on To be sure, Chicago is home to “Today there are many organi- At age 42, Alex Zoghlin, class of bankers faded from the local to chart Barack Obama’s historic fewer large corporations now zations that provide support and 2000, is chief executive of his sev- scene, an exploding financial sec- 2008 bid for the White House. than a quarter century ago, but a encouragement as well as capi- enth startup, Rosemont-based tor and booming stock market As for Mr. Obama, the Harvard glance at the young leaders tal. We now have serial entrepre- VHT Inc., which provides mar- Law School student was then a Crain’s spotlights annually con- neurs in Chicago, not two or keting services for the real estate See 40s PAST on Page 20 BLASTS FROM THE PAST: Catch up with past 40 Under 40 honorees in our new monthly video series, launching in January. .