30 Years of EFBC: From a Bold Idea to a Thriving Community 

This month, we’re celebrating a milestone that’s three decades in the making. What began as a simple idea—supporting the unique needs of family and entrepreneurial businesses—has grown into a resilient, values-driven community of leaders, learners, and legacy builders.   

In 1993, entrepreneur James P. Liautaud approached the University of Illinois at Chicago with a vision: to create a council where family businesses could access resources, education, and—most importantly—each other.

The first members joined in 1994, and the Family Business Council was born. 

For years, we operated as a nonprofit fund within UIC’s College of Business Administration. But as membership grew and regulations tightened, a turning point came. In 2011, with the support of 135 members and our Board of Directors, we became an independent nonprofit: the Chicago Family Business Council. 

Then in 2012, we found a new home at DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business, and the next chapter began.

In 2019, we reintroduced ourselves to the world with a new name—the Entrepreneur and Family Business Council (EFBC)—along with a refreshed brand, a new logo, and an expanded mission. We weren’t just focused on family businesses anymore. We recognized that entrepreneurial leaders across industries shared common challenges, and that our model of peer connection and shared experience could serve them too. 

Through all the changes, EFBC’s core values—trust, confidentiality, openness, and growth—have never wavered. Neither has our belief in the power of community.

From just a handful of Forums, we’ve grown to 13 active Forum groups meeting throughout Chicagoland. Our events calendar has grown too, offering more and more educational programs each year, along with workshops, roundtables, and student engagement. Our Strategic Partners continue to provide invaluable expertise, and our members give back through committee service, mentoring, and shared experiences.

This month’s 30th Anniversary Gala at the Adler Planetarium is not just a celebration of our past—it’s a recognition of all the people who shaped this journey: our founders, our university partners, our volunteer leaders, and every member who has shown up to a Forum, shared a challenge, and supported someone else through theirs.

We’ve come a long way since 1994. And as we reflect on the last 30 years, we do so with gratitude—and excitement—for what’s still ahead.

Happy Anniversary, EFBC. Here’s to the legacy we’ve built together.