Last Thursday more than 200 members of the Young Presidents' Organization Chicago and their families visited training camp at Halas Hall to spend a day with the Bears.
The event began with brunch and a fireside chat with former Bears teammates Matt Forte and Anthony Adams, who shared stories about their playing days and gave an update on what they've been doing since retiring from the NFL.
The back and forth between Forte and Adams, who played together in Chicago from 2008-11, was humorous. Adams told a story about how he delivered a hard hit on Forte during a practice after being provoked by guard Roberto Garza. Adams looked at Forte and said: "You were the beneficiary of my rage, and I had to apologize." Forte quickly shot back: "That never happened."
Turning serious, Forte praised Adams for helping to bring the shy running back out of his shell when he joined the Bears in 2008 as a second-round pick from Tulane.
"He brought the fun," Forte said.
The group then watched practice before heading inside the Walter Payton Center, where Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren addressed them and answered their questions. Coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles also stopped by to say hello and thank the YPO members for attending training camp and spending the day with the Bears.
The group then participated in skills and drills in the practice facility before concluding the day with a private tailgate party.
The YPO Chicago Chapter is one of the largest and most active in the world with annual revenues of its members in excess of $120 billion. It has a rich history of including the most prominent business leaders and decision makers in the Chicago business community.
"They are the future of our business community," Warren said. "This is an absolutely vibrant business community here in the state of Illinois and to have these young leaders, these men and women, is really powerful. They are our future."
"This is something that they've wanted to do and this is their day," added Bears senior advisor of business development Derrick Walker. "They're young professionals, business owners; all of them are CEOs, founders, owners of companies that have really made a name for themselves in the community."
