"CHICAGO, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today at the Chicago Urban
League's 2007 Annual Business Luncheon, President and CEO Cheryle Jackson
unveiled her economic empowerment vision for the agency, which will now
focus on empowering and inspiring Chicago's African-American workforce and
business community through four growth engines collectively called
projectNEXT: entrepreneurship, workforce diversity, commercial real estate
development, education and advocacy."
"BP Foundation Inc. and BP America Inc. (http://www.bp.com) have
committed more than $6.2 million over three years to programs that work
across all four areas of the League's strategic vision. BP is collaborating
with Chicago Urban League to create a series of pilot economic development
programs focused on diversity in employment, suppliers, business market
relationships, education and research."
"Building better, stronger communities in the places we operate, such
as Chicago and Northwest Indiana is important to BP and to the men and
women who work for us," said BP America Chairman and President Bob Malone.
"The Chicago Urban League is designing innovative, sustainable economic
development programs that we believe will make a real difference in Chicago
and we are proud to be part of them."
