Billions of dollars in construction and infrastructure projects are underway across Chicago, with even more work on the drawing board. To keep up with the demand—and help boost the local economy—more skilled construction workers will be needed.

This trend extends across the country. According to some estimates, the U.S. construction industry will need to attract more than 450,000 additional workers next year, just to meet demand.

In Chicago, HIRE360 is meeting that challenge head-on.

The organization, which is set to open a new job training center in the city’s South Loop, connects women, veterans and underrepresented groups in Chicago to good-paying careers in over 30 skilled trades. It also puts a special focus on getting high school students to consider the trades as a viable career path.

In February, JPMorganChase announced a $650,000 philanthropic commitment to HIRE360—the bank’s third investment in the organization—bringing its total support to $1.85 million.

Since launching in 2019, HIRE360 has placed over 400 people into apprenticeships and worked with over 190 women- and minority-owned businesses, mentoring them and helping contractors apply for over $15 million in working capital for growth.

“A prosperous and inclusive job market is the foundation of a strong economy,” says Molly Leonard, Vice President of Global Philanthropy at JPMorganChase. “HIRE360’s work is so impactful because they are helping more people move up the economic ladder, strengthening the talent pipeline employers need to compete, supporting the growth of diverse contractors as employers and helping to build a thriving Chicago.”

A Ripple Effect

HIRE360 does more than workforce training; it also works with local businesses to help them find the money they need to expand their operations.

Capital is critical for entrepreneurs looking to start a business, but many rely on credit cards and personal loans—a move that Jay Rowell, Executive Director of HIRE360, says can weaken credit scores and make it harder to access capital down the road.

Using a portion of the grant provided by JPMorganChase, HIRE360 worked with Allies for Community Business, a local funding partner, to provide loans to contractors from historically underserved communities. In 2023, the partnership awarded 12 loans totaling $879,000.

“That’s 12 contractors who would not have gotten working capital loans otherwise,” Rowell says.

Simply E&C, an electrical contractor on Chicago’s West Side, is one of the many local businesses HIRE360 has supported. It helped Simply E&C get a line of credit and sign a multimillion-dollar contract to work on a massive solar panel project. And Simply E&C is hoping to work on more large projects and hire more people in the Austin neighborhood.

Coming Full Circle

HIRE360’s relationship with JPMorganChase started three years ago, but Rowell’s connection with the bank goes back even further. "My mom used to work at JPMorganChase and was in the Community Investment Act area. I worked there as a teller when I was a kid,” Rowell says.

Rowell is happy to see his relationship with JPMorganChase come full circle.

“This is an exciting time in Chicago,” he says, “and JPMorganChase can see that. They gave me a chance with a job when I was younger, and I love that they’re helping us give others a chance through employment all these years later.”

Serving Chicago For 160+ Years

With more than 14,500 Chicagoland employees, JPMorganChase is one of the area’s largest private sector employers. The bank recently announced plans to renovate its downtown headquarters, a project that will create over 970 local construction jobs and trigger an extra $264 million in economic activity for Cook County.

See how JPMorganChase is helping to make an impact across Chicago.

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