Siri Hibbler
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Siri Hibbler is an American entrepreneur, nonprofit executive, and community development advocate based in Chicago, Illinois. She is the founder and chief executive officer of the Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce (ILBCOC), the Cook County Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Garfield Park Chamber of Commerce. Her work focuses on small business development, urban revitalization, and economic empowerment in historically disinvested neighborhoods on Chicago's West Side. Hibbler is also recognized for leading the Rebirth of Garfield Park development initiative, a proposed $100 million mixed-use project covered by Crain's Chicago Business and other media outlets.[1]
Early life and education
Hibbler was born in Chicago, Illinois. She attended Marshall High School and later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from DePaul University.[2]
Career, organizational leadership, and development efforts
Garfield Park Chamber of Commerce
In 2017, Hibbler founded the Garfield Park Chamber of Commerce in East Garfield Park to counteract community disinvestment and support local business development.[3] In media coverage about West Side neighborhoods, she has been quoted discussing the challenges of attracting business investment to Madison Street and surrounding corridors.[4]
Garfield Park and "Rebirth of Garfield Park"
In 2018, Hibbler introduced a redevelopment concept called Rebirth of Garfield Park—also known as the East Garfield Park Design District—a mixed-use plan to revitalize vacant lots along Madison Street. The plan included approximately 114 residential units, a technology incubator, arts and performance spaces, and ground-floor retail.[5][6]
Crain's Chicago Business reported in February 2020 that investors had committed $100 million in financing to the project, describing proposed features such as gallery and performance venues, retail, and a business incubator.[1] In June 2020, Crain's noted that the project's starting location shifted one block west due to parcel availability and approval processes.[7]
Local coverage highlighted Hibbler's emphasis on affordability, community inclusion, and preventing displacement.[8] Industry blogs have described the plan as among the major conceptual redevelopment initiatives in Garfield Park.[9]
As of 2025, construction had not begun along the original alignment, with parcel acquisition and financing still in process.[10] Hibbler stated that two letters received in 2019 from the City of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development restricted her team's ability to purchase city-owned land along Madison Street and Fifth Avenue while the city conducted a planning study for the then-alderman. The City of Chicago owns most of the parcels in the proposed development area.
Illinois Black Chamber and Cook County Black Chamber of Commerce
Hibbler founded the Cook County Black Chamber of Commerce in 2019 and the Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce (ILBCOC) in 2020.[11]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cook County Black Chamber gained media attention for launching a COVID-19 African American Relief Fund to support communities disproportionately affected by the virus.[12][13] The initiative distributed grants to small business owners and provided groceries and protective supplies to seniors and families. In 2021, the chamber was included in Cook County's network of small business support providers through a $1.2 million countywide program.[14]
In media interviews, Hibbler has commented on the long-term effects of disinvestment and challenges faced by minority small businesses in Chicago.[15]
Media coverage and public profile
Hibbler and her organizations have been covered in numerous independent outlets:
- NBC Chicago, ABC7 Chicago, and WLS reported on the chamber's COVID-19 relief fund.[16]
- CBS Chicago covered the chamber's outreach to entrepreneurs and quoted Hibbler as saying, "We don't want to look like a segregated Chicago."[17]
- Crain's Chicago Business featured Hibbler's Rebirth of Garfield Park project and its $100 million investment plan.[1]
- ProPublica profiled community disinvestment in East Garfield Park, referencing local chambers and business advocates.[18]
- Illinois Latino News quoted her on the difficulty of attracting businesses to Madison Street.[19]
- The Wednesday Journal referenced her comments on local disinvestment trends in its coverage of Madison Street's economic decline.[20]
- Fusion92 profiled Hibbler's approach to marketing, diversity, and community impact.[21]
Awards and recognitions
According to ILBCOC, Hibbler has received multiple honors, including:[22]
- 2024/25 Infinite Hope of Ujamaa Award – Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation
- 2024 Global 100 Leading Black Professional - ICABA & Dr. Dennis Kimbro
- 2021 Business and Community Advocate of the Year – Chamber Awards
- 2020 Excellence Award – Cook County Treasurer's Office
- 2019 CommUnity Hero Award – Meridian Health
- 2019 Legacy Leader Award – Westside Women United & NLCCC
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Ambitious plan for East Garfield Park lands $100 million in financing". Crain's Chicago Business. Feb 24, 2020. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "About". Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "How government and private industry let the main street of a Black neighborhood crumble". ProPublica. Dec 1, 2020. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "A Tale of Two Neighborhoods". Illinois Latino News. Oct 2020. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "$100 million project planned for East Garfield Park". Austin Weekly News. Aug 27, 2018. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "A bold plan for reviving 'desolate' part of East Garfield Park". Crain's Chicago Business. Aug 27, 2018. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Big redevelopment plan in East Garfield Park shifts starting location". Crain's Chicago Business. Jun 19, 2020. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "$100 million project planned for East Garfield Park". Austin Weekly News. Aug 27, 2018. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "East Garfield Park redevelopment plans move forward". DataBid. Mar 2020. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Big redevelopment plan in East Garfield Park shifts starting location". Crain's Chicago Business. Jun 19, 2020. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "About". Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Cook County Black Chamber launches coronavirus relief fund aimed at racial disparity". NBC Chicago. Apr 14, 2020. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Cook County Black Chamber of Commerce launches COVID-19 relief fund". ABC7 Chicago. Apr 2020. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Cook County Black Chamber receives grant as part of county's $1.2 million effort to support small business". Daily Herald. Aug 8, 2021. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Longstanding impact of disinvestment in communities". NBC Chicago. Sep 2021. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Cook County Black Chamber launches coronavirus relief fund aimed at racial disparity". NBC Chicago. Apr 14, 2020. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Black Chamber encourages entrepreneurs to expand beyond South and West sides". CBS Chicago. May 2021. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "How government and private industry let the main street of a Black neighborhood crumble". ProPublica. Dec 1, 2020. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "A Tale of Two Neighborhoods". Illinois Latino News. Oct 2020. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "How Madison Street crumbled". Wednesday Journal. Dec 2, 2020. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "How Siri Hibbler found professional success and impacted her community". Fusion92. 2023. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Awards & Recognitions". Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved Oct 9, 2025.
External links
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