Jon Ridler
One of Arlington Heights’ three candidates for mayor who’s had close ties with four local chambers of commerce — including Mount Prospect’s — could soon face legal action over claims that information is being held from members of the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
Attorney Lawrence Stein who is representing the Mount Prospect business organization, said last week that Jon Ridler, one of Arlington Heights’ candidates for mayor in the April 1 election, and the owner of a for-profit organization that manages a small number of chambers in the area, is prohibiting the Mount Prospect Chamber from retrieving records and documents that include information such as the identity of dues-paying members, when they joined the organization, and payment balances. Stein also charges that Ridler and the company he owns, Chamber Co-Op, have not permitted the chamber access to its website resulting in forced creation of a new site, which will launch soon.
Stein claims that Ridler insists that he is entitled to a $50,000 state grant that was awarded to the chamber early in 2024. That money, which originated from the federal government, is related to COVID assistance.
Ridler denies all claims and provided the Journal & Topics Newspapers with a 2024 signed contract between the Co-Op and Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce that spells out the agreed upon finances and more.
According to the agreement, which started Jan. 1, 2024 and ended Dec. 31, 2024, the Mount Prospect chamber would pay the Co-Op $25,000 for services and the Co-Op would be entitled to any and all revenue from all yearly membership dues, all community and business investor level packages, all registration fees for programs, all corporate and program sponsorship and registration fees for multi-chamber events, all marketing and communication revenue, and all grants or additional funding provided to chambers to the extent provided for and/or allowable under funding criteria.
The contract also states that the Co-Op has operational control of the chamber website, database system along with any and all social media, marketing and communication systems and uses.
In the event that the chamber terminates the agreement early with the Co-Op, the contract said all ownership rights of materials, databases and information will remain the sole property of the Co-Op, but subject to any option to purchase or right of first refusal.
According to Stein, the chamber “legally disbanded” from the Co-Op approximately six months ago after the Co-Op sent the Mount Prospect Chamber Board of Directors a written notice claiming the chamber allegedly defaulted on its contract with the Co-Op by not abiding by the language in the pact.
According to Ridler, he has had no communication recently with Stein or the chamber’s board of directors.
In 2024, the Mount Prospect Chamber disbanded from the Co-Op that also manages chambers in Palatine and Rolling Meadows.
In 2021, Mount Prospect’s chamber joined the Palatine and Rolling Meadows chambers to combine resources.
On behalf of the Co-Op, Ridler on Dec. 31, 2024 emailed all Mount Prospect chamber members criticizing the leaders of the business organization.
The Mount Prospect Chamber closed its office at the onset of the pandemic due to limited resources and income. That’s when a private association management company — Chamber Co-Op — was hired to handle the operations of the chamber.
“Chamber Co-Op, Inc. has been successful in rebooting the MPCC (Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce) out of closure, debt, mismanagement, lack of business best practices and organizational failure since 2021,” Ridler wrote. “In the first half of 2024, I reported to the MPCC board of directors that the production of our efforts exceeded the MPCC 2019 statistics (which was not explained), which were the best the MPCC had seen since 2015. Soon after however, the MPCC Board of Directors failed to fulfill the contractual funding agreement, which resulted in me making staffing and operational changes. The past six months of organizational failure has been the direct result. When several attempts to receive board agendas and minutes related to this decision went unanswered and several board meetings were canceled, I had no resources, board leadership, or options for you.”
According to Ridler’s letter to chamber members, he fulfilled his contractual obligations as best as he could and now the contract has expired as of Dec. 31, 2024.
“My mission was to help rebuild and create a sustainable model for your business community,” Ridler wrote to members. “I was successful in doing this, however, some leaders on the board and at (Mount Prospect) village hall have thwarted these efforts and have left you back where you were in 2020. The Rolling Meadows and Palatine chamber’s continue to thrive under the collaboration with the Chamber Co-Op and the Arlington Heights Chamber.”
Ridler went on to say that there has been no communication on how the MPCC board will continue on in 2025, but Stein said the chamber is proceeding forward and plans to have a successful year.
“This has been out of my control and is greatly unfortunate,” Ridler concluded in the email.
Stein said his initial reaction to reading Ridler’s email was of “disappointment in their (Co-Op) actions.”
“It is not illegal, but certainly unprofessional,” Stein told the Journal & Topics this week. “It seemed obvious to me that the Co-Op was trying to create a new chamber to compete with my client, which is preposterous. His (Ridler) greed at thinking he is entitled to a small fortune is astonishing,” Stein emphasized, noting that the $50,000 grant can only be given to a not-for-profit organization such as the chamber, and not to a for-profit organization like the Co-Op.
“They (Co-Op) are operating as if the contract is still enforced even though they claim it was breached by Mount Prospect,” Stein said.
According to Stein, a new website is close to being fully designed and operational without “interference” from the Co-Op.
“That is illegal and untenable,” Stein said about the Co-Op’s alleged actions. “I would expect when a formal demand is made to the Co-Op’s counsel that they will cease and desist from refraining from cooperating.”
Stein calls the current leadership of the Mount Prospect chamber “active, insightful, participatory and not apathetic.”
“They are actively planning for the future success of the chamber and it is libelous and slanderous to suggest the leaders of Mount Prospect are incompetent and will fail and that he is the only one in the world or in Mount Prospect or within the vicinity that has the ability to competently run a proper chamber of commerce for the benefit of businesses in the community and community at-large.”
Stein said he and the chamber board were not completely surprised that Ridler wrote an email to membership.
“We knew something like this would happen, but hoped it would not and we are disappointed they took this action,” Stein said. “It is counter-productive and not for the betterment of the people of Illinois, but for the betterment of his ego and greed.”
If a lawsuit were to be filed by the chamber board against the Co-Op, it would seek a declaratory judgment asking for the courts to rule that the chamber owes nothing to the Co-Op going forward.
Ridler emphasized he was living up to his end of the agreed upon contract and individuals representing the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce have yet to request any materials or additional information, adding he has not refused to provide that information as well.
The post Mount Prospect Chamber, Co-Op Part Ways first appeared on Journal & Topics Media Group.
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