83 Thomas Cole Age: 65 Occupation: Partner, Sidley Austin The firm’s preeminent dealmaker, Cole specializes in corporate governance and large-scale mergers and acquisitions, typically valued in the billions—such as January’s Suntory Holdings and Beam merger, estimated at $16 billion. Photo: Courtesy Of Sidley Austin
91 Joe Berrios Age: 62 Occupation: Assessor, Cook County As assessor and the Cook County Democratic Party chairman, Berrios has plenty of power, but 2014 may be the year his clout runs out: His name surfaced in a bribery case last October, and a judge recently empowered Cook County’s inspector general to probe corruption in the … Read more
92 Otis Moss III Age: 42 Occupation: Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ This hip-hop pastor’s Washington Heights megachurch has more than 8,000 members, and his Twitter account shows equal reach: 8,250 followers, who heed his views on marriage equality, voter ID laws (“a postmodern poll tax”), and, most recently, the Trayvon Martin case. Photo: Chuck … Read more
93 Elaine Nekritz Age: 56 Occupation: State representative, 57th District The Northbrook rep is considered the closest thing to a reform-minded, independent voice in the Democratic House—even while being Madigan’s assistant majority leader. Nekritz was one of the first to call for a pension overhaul, and legislation finally passed in 2013. Now head of the House … Read more
94 Mike Reed Age: 39 Occupation: Founder and owner, Constellation Think of this musician-impresario as Chicago’s unofficial creative commissioner, thanks to his role in developing the Pitchfork music festival, his experimental jazz collective People, Places & Things, and the impressive programming at his year-old music club, Constellation, now a hub for the city’s avant-garde. Photo: Chris … Read more
73 Christopher Kennedy Age: 50 Occupation: Chairman, Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises Mainly due to the deft quarterbacking of RFK’s eighth child, construction started in November for the first and westernmost tower at Wolf Point, a piece of land that has been in development for about as long as Kennedy has been alive. Photo: Antonio Perez/Chicago Magazine
99 Matt Matros Age: 34 Occupation: Founder and CEO, Protein Bar Last year, Matros became the Brendan Sodikoff of quinoa: The protein-peddling, healthy-fast-food entrepreneur opened four new Chicagoland locations, a second in Washington D.C., and bagged new investment from a private equity firm that will underwrite three outposts in Colorado. Photo: Courtesy Of Protein Bar
98 Tavi Gevinson Age: 17 Occupation: Founder and editor in chief, Rookie Gevinson’s power goes far beyond Rookie, the successful pop culture website for teenagers that she founded in 2011. Last year, the Oak Park and River Forest High School senior acted in a critically acclaimed movie (Enough Said) and forcefully extended her clout as an … Read more
100 Theo Epstein Age: 40 Occupation: President of baseball operations, Chicago Cubs The Cubs were horrible in 2013 (66 wins, 96 losses), and Epstein’s most significant move—hiring a manager to develop a team stocked with raw talent—was widely perceived as a bust. The new manager, Rick Renteria, missed the introductory news conference due to a bad … Read more
97 Gerould Kern Age: 64 Occupation: Senior vice president and editor, Chicago Tribune The year was not kind to newspapers. But Kern, who directs more journalists than anyone else in town (400), held the line on credibility for the city’s paper of record (owned by Tribune Co., Chicago’s parent). Though Tribune plans to spin off its … Read more
