2024 COO Forum Year in Review

29.12.24 09:14 PM - By Chuck Orzechowski

Celebrating 20 years of serving Operations Executives!

2024 was a year of firsts and twentieths for COO Forum. We celebrated 20 years of serving Operations Executives and the broader operations community. From our humble beginning in Silicon Valley to our reach across many of the world's time zones, we continue to honor our mission: provide Operations Executives the best peer-based, professional development experience in the world.


Take a look below to read more about our firsts and the many accomplishments of our members.




COO Forum by the Numbers:

  • 330 hours of chapter meetings
  • 16 hours of monthly Executive Sessions
  • 18 hours of monthly Presenter Series sessions
  • 12 hours of workshops
  • 2024 State of Operations Report
  • Over 40 new members
  • Launched our first learning Cohort: Executive Change Leadership
  • Held our first all-member conference in Indianapolis



We are also extremely proud of what our members accomplished in 2024:

Member Accomplishments:


  • Selected into Leadership Greater Chicago’s 40th Class of the Signature Fellows Program
  • Recognized by Black Leaders Worldwide™ as a 2024 Woman to Watch

  • Elected president of the Illinois Environmental Council 
  • Nominated for the 2024 Inspirational Women Forum and Leadership Awards by L.A. Times B2B Publishing

  • Named as one of seven EdLoC members leading the charge in policy reform

  • Newly-Appointed to a board of directors 

  • Named Top Nonprofit Executive in the Social Advocacy category at the Orange County Inspirational Women Forum and Leadership Awards

  • Recognized in The Software Report’s The Top 50 Women Leaders in SaaS 

  • Featured as an Ambassador for Women in Construction at New York Build Expo

  • Selected as Executive In Residence at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

  • Named Leader of Influence in Los Angeles Business Journal

  • Moderated Mastering Difficult Dialogues for Effective Leadership at the Airport Minority Advisory Council's She Soars - Women in Aviation Summit

  • Presented at the IndustryWeek Operation's Leadership Conference

  • Delivered Powerhouse Perspective: Empowering Leaders for Business Breakthroughs podcast

  • Appeared on leadership podcasts 

  • Earned advanced degrees




Member Company Accomplishments:



  • Recognized in Energage's Top Workplaces USA List for 2024

  • Named one of Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces for the 4th year in a row

  • Ranked #14 on USA TODAY's list of Top Workplaces for companies with 500-999 employees

  • Placed in the top 5 of Best Companies Group's Best Places to Work in Technology list

  • Awarded Ad Age's #1 Best Places to Work for 2024

  • Named one of the 2024 World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere Institute for the 17th year in a row

  • Won the 2024 QSR Media Awards Brand Collaboration of the Year

  • Named Automotive Software Supplier of the Year

  • Received the Best Overall Connected Healthcare Solution in the 8th annual MedTech Breakthrough Awards 

  • Recognized as one of the Best Workplaces in Technology by Great Place To Work US and Fortune Magazine
  • Named a Top Employer of Gen Z for four consecutive years
  • Recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere for 10 consecutive years

  • Received the Recharge Igniter Award for 2024
  • Named a Gold winner in the Achievement in Web Design category in The Stevie® Awards

  • Placed #22 for the Top 49ers list from Alaska Business Magazine
  • Ranked 3rd in Austin Business Journal's Fastest Growing Companies 2024
  • Named among Highest-Scoring Businesses on Inc. Magazine’s Annual List of Best Workplaces for 2024
  • Landed a spot on USA TODAY’s 2024 Top Workplaces list
  • Recognized with a Silver Award in the category of Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year - Technology Industries at The Stevie® Awards
  • Ranked #15 on Charlotte’s Fast 50 list for 2024
  • Rated Best Cell Phone Service in Watauga County for 2024

  • Received the prestigious 2023 GA Chapter Corporate Champion by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
  • Named Top National Auto Insurer on CRASH NETWORK’s 2024 Annual Insurer Report Card for the fifth year
  • Received the Community Impact Award by Twin Cities Business for the Mental Health Collaboration Hub
  • Won 6 Muse Awards
  • Recognized in the 2025 Legal 500 UK Rankings
  • Placed #28 on Business North Carolina's N.C. Mid-Market Fast 40 list

  • Nominated for Best After-School Program for the 2024 Reader’s Choice Awards hosted by Parenting OC Magazine

  • Honored with the Supplier Champion Award at the 19th annual Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Supplier Diversity Achievement Awards

  • Named Best Places to Work by North Bay Business Journal two years in a row

  • Received Industrials Deal of the Year in the Deals Over $100 Million category by The M&A Advisor's 15th Annual International M&A Awards

  • Awarded a Top Workplaces 2024 honor by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

  • Ranked #1 Best Place to work in South Carolina for 2024

  • Named a Top Workplace by the Washington Post

  • Nominated in the financial services category in 2024 Best of Bloomingdale

  • Awarded the Silver Medal at the EuroTier Innovation Awards

  • Became a corporate member of Women in Manufacturing

  • Selected for Kansas City Business Journal's Fast 50: Fastest-Growing Businesses in the Kansas City Area

  • Featured in the latest issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review

  • Named a Top Rated IT & Engineering Staffing Firm for the first half of 2024 by Great Recruiters

  • Recognized in the 2024 Spencer Radio Group People’s Choice Awards

  • Named a Global Leader in the content and language industry by Slator

  • Awarded the UKG Aspire 2024 Innovation Award 

  • Recognized with three awards at the 2024 Golden Trumpet Awards ceremony

  • Received two prestigious 2024 MarCom Awards

  • Named one of Computerworld’s Best Places to Work in IT for 2025

  • Nominated for four Children’s & Family Emmy Awards across Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and Donkey Hodie

  • Ranked in the Inc. 5000 (multiple companies)

  • Named a 2024 Top Workplaces winner from Chicago Tribune

  • Opened new offices, won major deals, completed mergers and acquisitions



While all of these accomplishments are a source of great pride at the COO Forum, we are equally proud of our members' dedication to making their communities a better place. 

Member Community Service:

  • Held company-wide blood drives

  • Donated for hurricane relief

  • Assembled care kits for a local domestic violence shelter

  • Used Volunteer Time Off to ring the bell for the Salvation Army

  • Raised Denim for Dollars donations for Feed Our Children

  • Donated over $1 million to local schools through the Communication 4 Education program

  • Participated in the Move for Mental Health Walk

  • Restocked local schools' supply closets

  • Helped pack 39,312 meals that will feed 108 children for a year

  • Built a playground in West Englewood for Brightpoint

  • Sorted and distributed over 3,000 pounds of meat sticks to support those in Metro Detroit

  • Brought books to life for Think Together students

  • Joined forces with Rise Against Hunger to pack over 10,000 meals for those in need worldwide

  • Funded 100,000 meals for children around the world

  • Participated in a sorting event at Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina

  • Volunteered for gardening, cleaning and painting at Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte

  • Packed 100 Mother's Day bags for those at Horizons for Homeless Children

  • Participated in the annual United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania's Big Book Drop for 30,000 children

  • Supported the Native Village of Eyak to provide funds to the Cordova School District

  • Participated in the American Cancer Society's Walk and Roll event

  • Donated dozens of bags and hundreds of clothing items to benefit the IBEW Local 701 Women’s Committee 2024 Clothing Drive and IBEW Local 134 Helping Hand Fundraiser

  • Participated in numerous American Red Cross relief efforts

  • Packed over 20,000 meals for those in need around the world

  • Good Neighbor Campaign raised $166,212 for local nonprofit organizations

  • Boxed meals for Feed My Starving Children

  • Restored veteran headstones at a local cemetery

  • Volunteered to feed over 800 families for Thanksgiving in Washington County

  • Chef for the Day at Ronald McDonald House Charities

  • Participated in the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services’ 29th Annual 5K - Race Judicata

  • Led the 2024 Autism Hero Walk at the Detroit Zoo

  • Volunteered with Nourish Up in Charlotte

  • Collected coats and winter gear to benefit the Coats for Kids Drive

  • Sponsored two local families this holiday season for Adopt-a-Family




Looking Forward to 2025 

As we close out 2024, we are excited to kick off our 21st year in 2025. What can you expect from COO Forum in the new year?

First, we will continue to deliver on our mission of supporting Operations Executives through our monthly chapter meetings, Executive Sessions, national presenters and workshops.

Second, we are adding more learning programs for members through our diversity of partners such as The Change Architects, Double Gemini and The Breakthrough Co.

And finally, we are looking forward to innovating and learning alongside our members. Watch out for special opportunities to capitalize on unique meet-ups, author panels and more.

Here's to 2025!