On November 12, 2019, Delta Institute’s associate board, the Delta Emerging Leaders, will host our annual BOOST event at Chop Shop in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. BOOST, now in its 8th year, showcases Chicago’s most innovative emerging entrepreneurs in sustainability. We are grateful to have philanthropic support from the local community through corporate sponsors like West Monroe Partners, a platinum sponsor for this year’s event. We talked with their Sustainability Team to share more about their approaches to innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.
Our annual BOOST event showcases the most innovative emerging entrepreneurs in the local area. Why is entrepreneurship and innovation important to you/your organization?
As an organization founded in 2002, entrepreneurship and innovation have been core to our firm’s growth and success. We see start-up organizations consistently reshaping the ways in which we live and work – and it is through innovation that we uncover ways to improve society. At West Monroe we introduced a formal innovation strategy five years ago and since then have continued to refine our approach. We invest in innovation through many facets including:
- Hiring a senior director of innovation and strategic partnership, Tyson Hartman.
- Adding a career path for technologists centered around innovation.
- Launching our “Shark Tank” program in 2017 that evaluates and funds employee ideas for new business and technology solutions.
- Investments in innovation in our communities through event sponsorships like BOOST.
What do you/your organization see as the biggest opportunities and barriers to improve and increase sustainability in the Chicago area?
As we think about opportunities to address sustainability, we must think about the type of future we want to create. To address sustainability, we must first prioritize it in our decision-making, set goals for improvement, and then enable the necessary processes and technology to realize those goals. Beyond this, an area where our firm sees significant opportunity is to improve sustainability measurement. While it’s important to set goals, without a baseline and continued mechanisms for measurement it is challenging to make progress. Furthermore, organizations need to be equipped with tools to interpret data and understand how to use it to inform decision-making.
Your sponsorship is helping support sustainability efforts in the Chicago region and greater Midwest. Are there other ways in which your business/organization is committed to sustainability?
West Monroe Partners’ mission is to build the Next Generation of Leaders, and we know the success of our firm ultimately depends on the health and viability of the people, communities, and environment around us. Therefore, we invest our time, talent, and treasure to giving back to our local communities. Through events like National Day of Service and our charitable giving, we are making strides toward improving the communities where we live and work. Furthermore, through the West Monroe Sustainability team, we are measuring and working to reduce our firm’s environmental impact as well as support clients in achieving their sustainability goals. Our Sustainability team’s efforts expand across our offices allowing this team to have national impact through local office action.
What else would you like to share with our supporters about your business/organization, and where can they go to learn more?
We are excited about our continued commitment to social responsibility and sustainability. Stay updated on our efforts in this space on the social responsibility portion of our website.
Thank you to West Monroe Partners for supporting BOOST, and sustainability in Chicago!
Tickets are on sale now for $45, or the day of the event for $50. Purchase your tickets today!
Event details:
November 12, 2019 | 6pm-9pm
Chop Shop, 2033 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647