Transforming, Innovating, Growing: 14 Featured Companies Embodying Chicago’s Industrious Spirit

If Chicago is about two things, it’s transformation and industry.

For the uninitiated, one guided tour along the Chicago River illustrates a storied history of large-scale technological innovation and the will of a city to deliver big ideas into reality. The river itself reversed its flow with the help of city engineers in the early 20th century. The infamous Chicago Fire prefaced a major growth spurt for Chicago, tripling the overall population as the city rebuilt itself over 20 years. With a remarkable history of growth in the face of hardship, it may be more accurate to update the “Second City” nickname to the “City of Second Chances.”

Today, Chicago remains an inspirational beacon for companies of all stages to make their mark in the competitive landscape of business — and, maybe, a potential addition to the iconic downtown architecture. In the last decade alone, Chicago’s tech industry has grown rapidly, rising more than 18 percent compared to other industries in the area, according to Chicago’s Chamber of Commerce.

In the spirit of a city that continues to reinvent itself, Chicago’s tech businesses are finding new ways to establish themselves with new hires, partnerships, product announcements and more. Built In Chicago brought together a list of featured companies this month to highlight the successes that define Chi-town’s continuous transformation.

 

What Caterpillar does: Caterpillar’s digital and technology arm, Cat Digital, brings digital capabilities to the construction, mining and engineering equipment manufacturer, helping customers build a better, more sustainable world.

Powering industrial machines with cutting-edge tech: To enhance Caterpillar’s large range of machinery in the modern era, the company is investing in virtual simulation to experiment with and improve on upcoming products. Built In Chicago spoke with Lead Data Scientist David Villero about his role in harnessing AI tools to accelerate the development of Caterpillar’s mining and construction products.

 

What Morningstar does: Morningstar is a financial services firm that provides an extensive line of products and services for research-backed investment.

Open roles at Morningstar: Morningstar is currently hiring for a large number of hybrid positions in the Chicago area. Roles range from entry- to senior-level positions in sales, customer success, product management, engineering, talent management and marketing.

 

What TransUnion does: TransUnion is a global information and insights company that ensures each consumer is reliably and safely represented in the marketplace.

Open roles at TransUnion: There are currently many open positions at TransUnion, both for remote professionals and hybrid workers in the Chicago area. Roles span from entry to senior level and include positions in data science, marketing, sales, engineering, legal and product.

 

What Chamberlain Group does: Chamberlain Group builds hardware and software that provides intelligent, safe access to residences and businesses.

Open roles at Chamberlain Group: Chamberlain Group is currently hiring for a number of hybrid roles near Naperville, Illinois. Roles range from early- to senior-level experience and include roles in implementation, design and engineering. There are also internship opportunities available.

 

 

What Vivid Seats does: Vivid Seats is a live event ticketing marketplace that connects fans to the live events, artists and teams they love.

Hybrid work, optimized: As passionate fans of sharing live experiences, the Vivid Seats team has taken a calculated and intentional approach to building a hybrid office. In a recent interview with Built In Chicago, Senior Director of Talent Tim Malican described the importance of flexibility and meeting employees’ needs in building a welcoming work environment. 

“Ultimately, it’s our employees’ actions that really create an environment that allows us to take full advantage of a hybrid structure,” said Malican.

 

What Zoro does: Zoro is an e-commerce platform that provides over 10 million business products to companies and consumers alike, with fast and affordable shipping.

Open roles at Zoro: Zoro is currently hiring for a handful of hybrid positions in the Chicago area. Roles are currently listed for positions in management, engineering, merchandising and design and range from entry to senior level.

 

What NinjaTrader does: NinjaTrader is a retail trading platform that provides market analytics and trade simulation.

Open roles at NinjaTrader: NinjaTrader is currently hiring for a large number of roles in the Chicago area. Roles range from entry to director level and include positions in product management, software development, business operations, payroll and benefits and machine learning.

 

What Tock does: Tock provides an all-in-one system for reservations, takeout, delivery and events.

Bringing Tock to more food lovers worldwide: Recently, financial services company American Express announced an acquisition of Tock. The acquisition will integrate Tock into the company’s growing suite of digital tools for restaurants, merchants and consumers, allowing a wider audience to access the company’s reservation, management and event technology.

 

 

What Reverb does: Reverb is an e-commerce music marketplace that helps music makers and sellers connect over the perfect piece of gear.

Giving back: With a mission to make the world more musical, the Reverb team dedicates a portion of its earnings to its grant program, Reverb Gives. The program, founded in 2018, provides youth music education programs with much-needed instruments. 

 

What Gelber Group does: Gelber Group is a proprietary trading company that operates in a variety of asset classes.

Open roles at Gelber Group: Gelber Group currently has several open positions in the Chicago area, ranging from talent acquisition to engineering to trading. Roles span a range of experience requirements, including entry-, mid- and senior-level positions.

 

What Bringg does: Bringg is a delivery management platform that helps retailers and carriers increase their overall delivery efficiency and costs.

Employee growth as leadership philosophy: As the team at Bringg strategizes for the future, it is prioritizing employee development. In a conversation with Built In Chicago, Bringg’s COO and CFO Nurit Reder shared her leadership vision, which includes an investment in the continuous learning of the Bringg team.

 

What Attain does: Attain is an opt-in purchase data platform that provides solutions for the modern marketer. 

New leadership driving innovation: Attain recently announced the hiring of two new executives on the team, Rachel Conforti as senior vice president of business marketing and Dave Constantino as senior vice president of business development. As new additions, they will amplify the company’s marketing efforts and expand its strategic partnerships.

 

What EDGE does: EDGE offers an analytics platform that leverages bank translation data to measure credit risk.

Sharing solutions through partnerships: EDGE recently announced a partnership with CU*Answers, a core processing and loan origination system for credit unions. This partnership integrates EDGE’s underwriting technology into CU*Answers’ core operating system, allowing credit unions to make more informed decisions more efficiently.

 

What Purchasing Platform does: Purchasing Platform is an online spend management, analytics and marketplace tool for the property management industry.

Partnering to bring smart tools to more vendors: This year, Purchasing Platform announced a new partnership with real estate company Lessen. The partnership will allow Lessen’s community of over 30,000 vendors access to Purchasing Platform’s e-commerce portal as well as a variety of discounts and special offers.