Obama Foundation And Emerald South Launch Community Tourism Prep Sessions

Sherman ‘Dilla’ Thomas at Emerald South's annual community bike ride in 2023. Photo provided by Avoq.
Sherman ‘Dilla’ Thomas at Emerald South's annual community bike ride in 2023. Photo provided by Avoq.

Obama Foundation And Emerald South Launch Community Tourism Prep Sessions

By Tia Carol Jones

The Obama Foundation and the Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative are hosting sessions for business owners and residents with the goal of helping them prepare for the Obama Presidential Center’s opening. The Community Tourism Prep Sessions are set to begin January of 2026. President Obama recently announced that the Obama Presidential Center will be opened in July of 2026.

Ghian Foreman, President & CEO of the Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative, said the collaborative was created because the Obama Presidential Center was locating on the South Side and President Barack Obama wanted to ensure that the economic benefits of the center were not just felt on the campus, but throughout the community where it would be located.

Foreman said that it is estimated that there will be more than 1 million people visiting the Obama Presidential Center annually once it opens, as well as people who already visit places like the University of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry and the DuSable Museum. So, there is a concerted effort to ensure businesses located in the surrounding communities are ready for the influx of visitors.

The Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative launched the Shared Purchasing Network around May of this year to allow organizations and small businesses to take advantage of economic development opportunities. Foreman said that while there is an incredible network of business service organizations like the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, the Quad Communities Development Corporation and the South East Chicago Commission, who are doing great work, they can’t do it by themselves. He said that the Obama Foundation is supporting those business service organizations and leveraging its relationships to help get the local businesses ready.

Foreman said that being able to engage with local business owners and residents through these upcoming sessions is important because there are great businesses in the community who are doing great work and the goal is for them to grow their businesses and make them sustainable for the future. He said everything from how businesses are found through internet searches to social media presence are meaningful tools for businesses to know how to use. Having the top leaders in those industries provide their expertise is also a valuable asset to those businesses.

“This is a great opportunity for them to learn from that and utilize it to improve our businesses so they can take it to another level by bringing in experts from across the industry and we’re doing it in partnership with those BSO’s (business service organizations),” he said.

Some of the topics the sessions will cover include job opportunities at the Obama Presidential Center; how local residents can earn extra income by sharing their homes with visitors, which will be hosted in partnership with Airbnb; and tips on how to optimize Google Business. Foreman said that the hope is that the community tourism prep sessions will take place monthly. He said the organizations also want to hear from the business community about their needs and what topics they want covered.

Josh Harris, VP of Public Engagement for the Obama Foundation, said that when President and First Lady Michelle Obama decided to put the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side, they wanted to give back to a community that has given so much to them.

He said when people come to the campus, the hope is that people will visit the communities and support the businesses located there. He said that Foreman and Emerald South are trying to ensure that the center has a ripple effect across the South side of Chicago.

For more information about the Obama Foundation, visit www.obama.org. To register for the Community Tourism Prep Sessions, visit obama.org/prep-sessions.




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