About
Connect Work Chicago is dedicated to helping people advance their careers – one of the most vital components of life– by making meaningful connections. Our events are designed to introduce ambitious, career-minded people to one another, whether they are unemployed, underemployed or simply looking for new opportunities. Connect Work is Chicago’s premier employment resource.
Founder Patrick Iwanicki discovered himself among the millions of Americans who were laid off in late 2008. Frustrated with the limitations of the traditional job search and the lack of local resources for job seekers, Iwanicki conceived inspired networking events where high-caliber professionals could connect, communicate and even commiserate on their way to new jobs under the name Out of Work Chicago.
Connect Work Chicago maintains an advisory board of recognized career experts and insightful speakers – the human resources director for McDonalds’s Corp, for example. Its events were a beacon of light for more than 5,000 attendees in 2009 alone.
Under its new name Connect Work Chicago will continue the innovation that made OWC one of the largest networking groups in Chicago. In only six months, OWC created a lot of buzz, including extensive coverage in the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio and more.
With a newly minted brand and enriched website, Connect Work Chicago is expanding its reach beyond just the unemployed. Networking is essential to everyone who wants to invest in their career: the underemployed, those on the right career path who want to advance more quickly, and people who simply want to explore all of their options.
Patrick Iwanicki conceived Connect Work Chicago — originally Out of Work Chicago — when he grew frustrated with his own job search after being laid off in the Winter of 2008. Job fairs were pointless as hundreds of applicants shuffled, zombie-like, though convention centers and gymnasia. He realized that tossing your resume into Lake Michigan and hoping it washed ashore into the hands of the right employer was as likely as securing employment through the online application process. Connect Work Chicago is the product of his dissatisfaction, research, development and hard work.Formerly a IT project manager at Thomson Reuters, Patrick has an avid interest in technology and how it may be used to achieve business goals. As sole developer of the Connect Work Chicago website, Patrick appreciates the power of the web and social media. (So it should be noted when a tech guy advises career-minded people to get out from behind their computers and make face-to-face connections with other professionals.)
While away from his computer, he enjoys playing golf, tennis and hitting the slopes. Patrick plans to gain admission to a top-tier business school, shoot under 80 on the golf course and amass a collection of great ski stories.
“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.” – Buddha
In February 2009 Amy Zagroba went from being a salaried employee to an independent contractor. Although she was comfortable with this role she also felt that after almost 18 years in sales that it would be the ideal time to see if she could find something that would allow her to continue to use her sales experience, strengthen other skills and build some new ones. As she embarked on this journey she was introduced to Out of Work Inc. and immediately became passionate about the vision and opportunity to join them.
Joining Out of Work Inc. in August 2009 as the Operations Director, Amy works primarily to make sure that people come away from our events feeling empowered, motivated, satisfied and connected as well as developing new programs within Connect Work Chicago. Amy also sits on the Board of Directors of the Suzuki-Orff School of Music, continues to do sales and lead generation for a small group of clients, and is wife to Kevin and mother to Ella (5) and Tess (3). In her free time, she…wait she doesn’t have any free time!
“Be what you are and say what you feel because those who matter don’t mind and those who mind don’t matter”
- Dr. Seuss
Veronica Ludwig is a Recruiter and Social Entrepreneur. Specializing in accounting and finance search for most of her recruiting career, she merged into other niches in 2007 when she co-founded the Skilled Recruiters Network of Chicago. This is also when Veronica discovered the true power of networking and relationship building. After she spent two years as an Independent Recruiter and Business Development Consultant with her first start up company she has continued to work with multiple entrepreneurial ventures since.
Helping others through connecting others is her main focus and one of the reasons why she is so passionate about the staffing industry. Veronica also contributes a large number of hours volunteering for various charitable causes. She can often be found around Chicago attending and even hosting multiple networking events.
Linda Kesselman is the Events Manager for Connect Work Chicago and is on the Board of Directors of Out of Work, Inc. currently holding the position of Treasurer. She has been in transition since January 2009, having spent the last 25 years within the newspaper industry with an emphasis on project management, software implementation, customer service management and training and development.
When not actively pursuing her next career adventure, Linda is facilitating and administering a networking group in the northwest suburbs and finding new and unique networking opportunities that she can share with all her connections. Her passions are spinning, music, movies, television, theatre, books, and “California Dreamin.”
“You Cannot Discover New Oceans Unless You Have the Courage to Lose Sight of the Shore”
-Unknown
