The Chicago Propeller Club is rechartering this month after a 15 year hiatus vowing to ramp up awareness of Chicago’s ‘underestimated’ maritime status.
The club staged its first sold out event of 2024 at the city’s University Club with club leaders emphasizing Chicago’s maritime pedigree as the principle interior trade route to the Great Lakes, Atlantic, Mississippi River, and Gulf of Mexico.
The club said it wants to encourage more networking within Chicago and the Great Lakes diverse maritime community of inland marine, deep ocean and leisure marine sectors. Club President elect Chris Carr, managing partner of SBSB Eastham law firm said Chicago needed to raise its profile nationally and internationally as a natural destination for maritime companies. He pointed out the city is already home to many of the biggest shipping lines in the world including CMA and MSC as well as a massive intermodal transport industry.
“Chicago has an awesome maritime heritage with many businesses based here and we need to promote that better,” he said. “The Propeller Club can play a big role in this by bringing the Great Lakes and Mid West maritime community together from manufacturers to shipping lines and barge operators to professional services and Government. We’re already seeing business being done and more than 200 people have attended our three events since November.”
GUESTS
More than 70 guest gathered at the University Club of Chicago’s Gallery Room including Spliethoff, BP Shipping, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, American Equity Underwriters, QSL stevedores, Gallagher Insurance, Travellers and Tunley Environmental.
SPEAKERS
Speakers at the event included Ryan McCoy from Ports of Indiana, Jeff Zuercher from the US Army Corps of Engineers and Grant Crowley owner of Crowley Yacht Yard on behalf of seafarer charity Stella Maris.
Mr Carr told the audience that the club has now opened a bank account and members can sign up for $150 via the club website.
“By the interest received over our three events, we are extremely confident that we can have an initial membership roll of close to 100 and we have already collected a number of sponsors enabling us to host four very high-quality events in 2024.”
BOARD MEMBERS ELECT NAMED
Mr Carr said a board of volunteer officials has been established featuring Erik Varela executive director of Illinois International Port District, Ian Hirt of Benchmark Marine and the Ports of Indiana, Ben Pinnington managing partner of Polaris Media and Tara Pappalardo of RLI Marine.
DATES FOR THE DIARY
Club vice president elect Ben Pinnington said the club is aiming to add value to members staging receptions on May 22 Maritime Day and August 7 at the American Great Lakes Ports Association conference. He also pointed to events being staged by the International Propeller Club including its Salute to Congress in June and the Annual Convention in October.
SPONSORS
The event was sponsored by Armada Risk Partners 5R Enterprises, Polaris Media America LLC, SBSB Eastham and Sonihull Ultrasonic Antifouling.
Background
The Chicago Propeller Club was first established in 1933 and is a chapter of the US headquartered International Propeller Club of the United States, giving our members access to largest maritime networking organization in the world representing more than 70 clubs and 5000 individual members.
The Chicago Propeller Club is being revitalized and reconstituted in 2024 after being dormant for 15 years. Under new leadership, drawn from some of the leading maritime organizations on the Great Lakes, the club is planning four major networking events. This will include events around National Maritime Day on May 22 and the American Great Lakes Ports Association Conference in August.
Our membership is diverse and our first ‘kickstarter’ events in the autumn of 2023 welcomed businesses and organizations ranging from Government agencies including Illinois International Port District, the Ports of Indiana, the US Coastguard, the St Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation and the US Commercial Service to shipping lines, barge operators, lake carriers, boatyards, marine equipment manufacturers, freight forwarders, stevedores, law firms, insurers and professional services companies.
Membership starts from $150 for an individual with corporate sponsorships also available. For more details email:chicagopropellerclub24@gmail.com