Catalyst Ranch

Art and innovation run high this weekend as the Stop Motion Plant company brings their monthly Salon back to Catalyst Ranch on Sunday! The performance artist community in Chicago has a haven in these Salons, where experimental and underrepresented art forms can be tried out with an audience in a communal atmosphere. Find more information about attending the Salon at the link...

We think the city has had one for the books, and we're not talking about heat index. There were history-making music fests, yes, but one event was the most impactful in our estimation. See what it was: https://bit.ly/3Y0QTDH in our latest Creative Juice!

We've chatted with author Erin Diehl about her debut book at its launch earlier this year, but it's time to officially add 'I SEE YOU' to Our Catalyst Ranch Bookshelf recommendations. You can meet Erin tonight, when the improve it! Co. team returns to the Ranch for 'Don't Tell HR,' a networking workshop designed for L&D and HR professionals. RSVP for the event (https://bit.ly/4evt7oK), and find the book here before the event — it's the first hard-copy from Our Catalyst Ranch Bookshelf list of insightful reads that we have available to peruse on-site! Have a great time tonight, Erin and improve it! #purposefulplay #creativeworkspace #chicagowestloop #offsitemeeting #chicagobusiness #westloopchicago #offbeat #meetingplanner #eventplanner #corporateretreat #catalystranchbookshelf

Erin Diehl and improve it! Co. invite you to the Ranch this Wednesday night — tap Erin’s link below for all the juicy details… 🤗

In just 6 days, improve it! Co. returns to Catalyst Ranch with a special workshop for L&D and HR professionals! "Don't Tell HR" will have you exploring improv comedy techniques to up your networking game. Get in that room on Wednesday, Sept 19 >>> Find more info and the ticket link in the first comment below!

Tonight's the night! Knowledge-sharing and industry connections happen at AMA Chicago's Connex event, tonight at 6pm. All Chicagoland marketing professionals welcome, AMA members and non-members alike! More info and ticket link in the first comment below 👇🏽

Our Public Event calendar is stacked: We've got ample opportunity for meaningful connection this month! 📌 Chicago marketers, come to AMA Chicago's CONNEX on Sept 11; 📌HR and L&D pros, have fun deepening your ability to network with improve it! Co. on Sept 18! Learn more at the link in the comments 👇🏽!

What's your favorite Black-owned business? What are your top three? What about your top three specifically in your city? Seriously, we're interested. It's National Black Business Month, and we're wondering what that looks like to you. To us, in one way, it looks (👁️) like a Google Maps 'Saved' list, with a sprinkling of labeled green flags dotting the vast street grid of Cook County. We've got Semicolon Bookstore (locations in West Town AND The Magnificent Mile® Association The Wrigley Building - Chicago(!)). We've got Black Ensemble Theater on Clark. Buddy Guy's Legends anchors the Loop. A bunch more. But then💡 what if YOU share *YOUR* Google Maps list with us? (👁️+👁️). That's two sets of pins filling in our Chicago streetscape. And whoa⚡what if you invite your friends and we invite ours and we all collaborate on a *METAPHORICAL (for now)* Google Maps SHARED SAVED LIST. (👁️+👁️+👁️) Do you see the map getting fuller? All of Chicago dotted, with labels noting why one, five, or fifty people can't live without each pin, each singular, loveable Black-owned biz. We're collaborating, and we're benefitting from every contributor's Don't Miss list, and each seeing with our own #thirdeye, as much as is possible, the landscape of Chicago Black Business. Wow. 🤯 Don't know if the metaphor worked, but we're vibing with it. And hey, one step further— at that level of collaborated celebration, we can then visualize pins in the third dimension, lifting off the map, marking businesses that are itinerant, mobile, or exist digitally, or don't have a traditional brick-and-mortar, yet or period. I'm thinking ChiBoys. 📌 Forty Acres Fresh Market. 📌📌 BRIAN THOMPSON FINANCIAL LLC. 📌📌📌 Refine Collective 📌📌📌📌 IT'S THREE-DIMENSIONAL! IT'S BREATHING!! IT CAN'T BE CONTAINED!! IT'S ALIVE!! CHICAGO BLACK BUSINESS IS ALIVE!!!! 🧟 IT'S ALIIIIIVE📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌📌 Neighbors (and even non-locals), tell us your TOP ONE, TWO or THREE Black Chi-Town establishments/companies/LLCs/ and non-profits, because these all strengthen the local economy and community of humans in the City of Chicago. This is what we want for National Black Business Month 2024. Give us a hand. Or an eye. *Weird mixed metaphor cocktail digging its heels into Frankenstein imagery, that's how our Ranch brain works, you've seen our walls. 🎨🌈🌀 >>>Drop your favorite Black-owned Businesses in the comments. We'll start with ours: Three on our list are in our latest #CreativeJuiceBlog post. The first is the aforementioned Black Ensemble Theater. ❤️ Peep the other two at the link in the first comment! 👇🏽🔗

We see ourselves as an incubator for the groups and individuals who use our space. So when we learned the Polsky Center at the University of Chicago and Portal Innovations, LLC are creating a new science incubator in Chicago that will usher a massive infusion of resources and development, we got excited. Check out our latest Creative Juice Blog post to see why it's great news! #chicagoentrepreneurs #sciencestartup #businessgrowth

In our #CreativeJuiceBlog, we're getting sentimental about #Lollapalooza, the sprawling festival that brings together artists and fans of a plethora of genres. Its expanse, reach and history are uniquely Chicago. Read more about why #lolla has a special place in our hearts, at the link!