Five months after 1871 CEO Howard Tullman announced plans to step down from the Chicago tech hub, a replacement still has not been found.
1871 had hoped to have a new CEO in place by early November, and Tullman said in August he expected to step down at the end of 2017. But that timeline has shifted, as the search continues to fill the high-profile position.
"The initial target for completion was year-end, but the goal is to find the best-qualified candidate so we are proceeding as quickly (and carefully) as possible," Tullman said in an email. "The national scope of the search has extended the timeframe somewhat due to candidate logistics."
Tullman, a serial entrepreneur who became 1871's CEO in 2013, said he will stay on at 1871 until the group finds a successor. He said the goal is to have a new CEO in place by March 1, "but no promises," Tullman added.
1871 launched in 2012 and has become a focal point of Chicago's growing tech and startup community. The space, located at the Merchandise Mart, has regularly hosted world leaders, notable tech figures and other high-profile business folks who want to get a peak at Chicago's startup scene. The co-working space, which currently has around 500 tenant companies, is doing more than $9 million in annual revenue, according to Crain's.
Tullman declined to say if any candidates had been offered the job, noting that they aren't commenting on any particulars of the search. But the "national scope" of the CEO search could indicate that 1871 is looking for a big name to fill the role.
