In partnership with

US manufacturing is making a comeback and nowhere is that more visible than in the Midwest.

Across our region, factories are reopening and new facilities for advanced materials are breaking ground every month.

America is reindustrializing and the Midwest is becoming its engine.

The Midwest as a whole is home to over 35% of all new industrial construction in the US, fueled by reshoring, automation, and federal programs.

Collectively we’re managing a $150B pipeline of public and private manufacturing investments including chips, EVs, life sciences, aerospace, and advanced materials.

What makes the Midwest so competitive is our integration.

Companies here can source materials, manufacture, and distribute products faster and more sustainably than on either coast. Our supply chains, skilled labor, and logistics networks operate like a single industrial body connected by rail, road, and river.

Illinois is at the center of this transformation, making up over $92B in annual manufacturing output.

Manufacturing brings 1.7m jobs to our state and generates over $150B in labor income each year.

While only 9.5% of Illinois jobs are directly in manufacturing, the industry represents 30% of all jobs in our state because of a 2.7x employment multiplier (for every ten factory jobs another seventeen are created elsewhere in our economy)

Manufacturing jobs in Illinois also pay 12% higher than our state average.

In the last two years alone, more than ten major industrial developments have been announced across Illinois, creating over 3,300 jobs and adding four million square feet of new space.

What makes this era different is the convergence of intelligence and industry.

AKA Physical AI.

The next phase of industrial innovation will be powered by systems that merge AI with machines and materials in the real world.

Think robotic arms that learn from data, self-optimizing EV assembly lines, or predictive maintenance systems embedded directly in the grid (powered by Illinois energy)

AI automation and electrification could expand our state’s output by $30–$40B over the next decade.

We’re uniquely positioned at the intersection of compute, capital, and physical industry.

On Saturday November 1st, we’re bringing top AI engineers together for a hands-on hackathon exploring Model Context Protocol.

MCP is a new open standard that lets AI securely access and act on real-world data.

We’ll build agents that use Chicago’s open sourced data to improve transit, permits, energy, and 311 systems. This is perfect for anyone excited about AI, urban systems, and open data.

Come build the next generation of context-aware agents in Chicago.

Energy CX is the fastest-growing energy brokerage in the US.

They bring data, technology, and strategy to one of the most antiquated industries.

With nearly 2 billion square feet of real estate under management, they’re building the future of energy and they need engineers to help them get there.

Check out their careers page below:

Every Monday morning, this newsletter lands in the inboxes of Fortune 500 execs, startup founders, operators, VC/PE investors, and service providers across the city.

Fill out the form below if you’re interested in sharing a story, filling a job posting, or finding customers:

AI Tinkerers #21

Chicago’s Next Big Bets

Reinventing Industry: Future of Food

Blockchain & Digital Assets: US Policy Trends & 2026 Outlook

Health2Tech Chicago

Java Global Insights: Innovation w/ Discover and Brazilian Experts

Emerging Tech Inno Week: AI Day

Chicago Stablecoin Social

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram