Philip Fairweather
Chief Executive Officer
Philip Fairweather, currently the President & CEO and Founder of Entrepreneurs Academy 501-C3. is an Air Force Veteran with 20 plus years as an entrepreneur, entrepreneurial training instructor, consultant and federal economic development specialist. He is a patented inventor and has worked on projects throughout the United States, China and India.
He has served city, state and federal agencies along with community based for-profit and non-profit organizations. His grass roots community-based approach has given him a 360-degree view of social, academic and economic issues revolving around entrepreneurship, re-entry and community development. Mr. Fairweather’s background includes developing and implementing Teen Reach entrepreneurial programs across the State of Illinois, creating the Chicago Urban League’s first successful entrepreneurship program, Director of the Chicago Housing Choice Voucher program (section 8) and developing the Chicago Housing Authorities award winning Entrepreneurs Academy program. He is an advocate and voice for social and economic change in underserved communities and has won National awards for his efforts.
As an Academic, he has served as an MBA Professor at Dominican University and is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society with an Executive MBA from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Most recently he was the Director of Operations for a Transitional Living facility for the Illinois Department of Corrections. Further accomplishments include:
Counselled over 5,500 businesses and entrepreneurs
Trained and helped launch over 800 small businesses
Over 25 years working with start ups
2-time national award winner for best practices in entrepreneurship training in underserved communities from the National Organization for Housing and Redevelopment Organizations (NAHRO)
Program Development, Director of a 256,000 square foot business incubator housing over 50 businesses for the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Incubated and launched 143 businesses in a 3-year period
Certified Kauffman Foundation Entrepreneurial training Instructor and facilitator
Generated contracting revenues of $178M in 3 years spread over 143 Resident owned Businesses of the Chicago Housing Authority
Created and filled 4,978 employment opportunities in 3 years
Successful Grant applications in the amount of $546K from the City of Chicago
Successful Grant applications in the amount of $3.2M from The Illinois Department of Human Services
Successful Grant application in the amount of $654K per year from ICJIA
Managed a staff of 100 plus
Established first 3D printing lab on the Westside of Chicago available to entrepreneurs and artists free of charge
Co-Author of the first accredited maker literacy curriculum in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
Subject Matter Expert for Googles broadcast on the State of the Black Tech Ecosystem
His completion of the International Executive MBA program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is further demonstration of his commitment to provide leading edge services and expertise to those he serves. His background, commitment and execution allows him to utilize and apply cutting edge strategies, techniques, technological innovations and business processes, coupled with real world experience in some of the most challenging entrepreneurial environments in the world.
