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BUSINESS AND INNOVATION CONFERENCE

February 20, 2026 9:00 AM - February 21, 2026 1:00 PM (CST)

Description

"FUTURE BUILT": THRIVING BEYOND TODAY WHILE SHAPING TOMORROW 

Join the African American Business Association’s Annual Business Conference—an energizing, strategy-focused experience designed to help entrepreneurs and business leaders thrive beyond today while shaping tomorrow. This year’s theme, “Thriving Beyond Today While Shaping Tomorrow,” brings together high-impact insights, practical tools, and real-world expertise to help you strengthen your foundation, scale with confidence, and build a business legacy that lasts.

You’ll hear from keynote speaker Robert “A.J.” Patton, CEO & Founder of 548 Enterprise, a Chicago-based developer and sustainability leader advancing equitable, high-performance community development. His story and strategy-driven perspective will challenge attendees to think bigger about growth, resilience, and impact.

What to expect

New Business Track: Build a strong foundation for growth and learn funding strategies to scale responsibly.

Young Professionals Track: Modern marketing strategies plus a hands-on introduction to AI tools that help you automate, market smarter, and streamline operations, no tech background required.

Legacy Business Track: Exporting and global expansion guidance, plus business credit strategies to access capital and scale.

Closing Panel: A powerful session on the entrepreneur’s mindset, resilience, vision, and grit, to help you lead through uncertainty and stay built for the long game.

Whether you’re launching, scaling, or strengthening a legacy, this conference is built to send you home with actionable next steps, new connections, and the clarity to move forward with momentum.

Conference Offerings:

VENDOR & RESOURCE EXPO

PITCH COMPETITION

WORKSHOPS & MORE

Time

This is a two-day event

  • Business Conference, Friday, February 20th, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
  • BIG Pitch Competition, Saturday, February 21st, 9:00 AM- Noon

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Contact Information

Name: African American Business Association of Will County
Phone: (779) 707-0778
Email: info@aabaconnect.org
Details: Office: 201-255-1057
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