Lori Healey, who is leaving her post as CEO of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, said Monday she will join the development firm Clayco as president of its new Chicago regional business unit.
Healey has led the agency that runs McCormick Place and Navy Pier, commonly called McPier, since 2015. It marked the latest in several changes at the top of key business groups since Mayor Lori Lightfoot took office this year.
A longtime key aide to former Mayor Richard M. Daley, Healey is joining a firm that has grown substantially in Chicago and has started a joint venture with Farpoint Development to build projects that can benefit from a federal Enterprise Zone tax benefit. One Farpoint deal in line for such a benefit is the former Michael Reese Hospital site at 29th Street and the lakefront. The property is just south of McCormick Place.
Clayco is involved in several local projects, including a terminal expansion at O’Hare Airport.
Healey came under criticism during the spring legislative session when she proposed to expand a restaurant tax to fund a new exhibit hall at McCormick Place. The proposal died when state legislators and Gov. J.B. Pritzker opted for their own tax increases as part of the new budget.
