CGCC-Chicago Government Relations, Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility (GR, PR & CSR) Workshop 

The Government Relations, Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility (GR, PR & CSR) Workshop was successfully held on Friday, November 9, 2018 at the CGCC-Chicago conference meeting room. Main speakers of the workshop, Mr Mark Kirk, former US Senator, and Mr Warren W. Stippich, National Managing Partner of Grant Thornton, shared with over 20 representatives from different CGCC-Chicago member enterprises their valuable insights on effective government and public relations and the importance of corporate social responsibility. 

Mr Kirk kicked off the workshop by sharing the power of relationships across different sectors, and how to integrate public relations to those areas, specifically government relations and public affairs. Mr Stippich further shared how his company, Grant Thornton has been actively participating in programs and activities that deliver the company’s corporate social responsibility as an implicit public relations tool (e.g., through IMPACT2030, a CSR campaign on maximizing 17 sustainable development goals). Through platforms like that which strategically engage the employees, clients and the public, companies can leverage their positions as market leaders in order to improve the brand awareness and increase both internal and external engagement.  

After one and a half hour of the sharing and discussion session, CGCC-Chicago Executive Director Wenyue Zhang announced the commencement of the CGCC–Chicago 2019 Social Responsibility Program, and invited Mr Kirk, Mr Stippich and all representatives from participating member enterprises to sign their names on the newly designed CGCC-Chicago volunteer T-shirt in support of the program and the mission to participate in social voluntary work: “It’s the little things that count.” Representatives from member enterprises stayed behind after the workshop and networked with each other and with the speakers. The workshop officially ended at 3:30 pm.