Mount Prospect chamber’s suit against management firm pits mayoral hopefuls of neighboring towns
Jon Ridler
The Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce has terminated its relationship with an Arlington Heights-based chamber management firm and is now suing the organization.
The suit seeks to block the firm’s access to a $50,000 grant the chamber obtained last year from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, as well as other damages and legal costs.
The litigation pits Trisha Chokshi, the Mount Prospect chamber board chair and a candidate for Mount Prospect mayor, against Arlington Heights mayoral hopeful Jon Ridler, the founder and CEO of the management company.
The chamber board contracted Ridler’s Chamber Co-Op Inc. in 2021 to manage its operations. The firm also manages the Rolling Meadows and Palatine Area chambers.
In a statement responding to the suit, Ridler said the deal with the Mount Prospect chamber, renewed in January 2024, calls for Chamber Co-Op to assume all the chamber’s operations and expenses.
“The chamber was in debt and closed, which required my personal time and financial investment to relaunch the chamber,” added Ridler, who also serves as executive director of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce.
According to the court filing, the Mount Prospect chamber was awarded the state grant in May. A month later, Ridler’s firm served a notice of breach of commitment, claiming it was entitled to the grant as part of its compensation.
But the chamber insists that Illinois law requires the grant go to an “eligible chamber of commerce” operating as a not-for-profit corporation. Chamber Co-Op, according to the Mount Prospect chamber, is a for-profit entity.
“The (chamber) board takes its oversight responsibility over the use of taxpayer funds seriously,” Chokshi said in a statement. “The grant funds have always been safely in the chamber’s possession for the ultimate benefit of the people and businesses of Mount Prospect.”
Despite the conflict, Ridler said he continued to provide services to chamber members until the end of 2024.
Chokshi disputes that, saying Ridler denied requests to proceed with monthly networking events, village restaurant week and an annual chamber golf outing.
She also said Ridler’s firm seemed to be taking steps to compete with the chamber, soliciting feedback from members about forming a new Mount Prospect business association.
