Sponsors
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TEDxWilmette 2026 Sponsors
Platinum Sponsor
Optima Lumina
Located in the heart of Wilmette, Optima Lumina will bring a fresh, effortless condominium living experience to Chicago’s North Shore. Blending exceptional design with Optima’s signature focus on natural light, wellness, and connection, Optima Lumina offers a thoughtfully crafted environment that feels both elevated and warmly inviting. With sun‑filled spaces, beautiful greenery, and resort‑inspired amenities, Optima Lumina provides a serene retreat just steps from Wilmette’s shops, dining, parks, and lakefront. Combining sustainability with refined comfort, it sets a new standard for vibrant, modern living in one of the North Shore’s most beloved communities. Condominium sales are scheduled to begin late spring 2026.
Baker Demonstration School
Baker Demonstration School is an independent school located in Wilmette, serving students from preschool through 8th grade. Since 1918, Baker has ensured academic excellence through a dynamic, experience-based curriculum, encouraging students to develop curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and critical-thinking skills while fostering an authentic love of learning. Expanding over three acres, Baker’s campus features advanced facilities including an outdoor athletics field, maker spaces, science labs, a swimming pool, music and drama studios, and multiple playgrounds. Baker’s curriculum integrates academics, arts, physical education, and social-emotional learning to support the development of the whole child.
Gold Sponsors
Coco Harris, Third Coast Luxury
Coco Harris is a dynamic real estate agent with a proven track record of success. Coco combines creativity and an unwavering drive to exceed client expectations to achieve remarkable results in the ever-evolving real estate market. When partnering with Coco your real estate goals become her #1 priority. Whether working with first time or experienced buyers and sellers, she will adapt to each client’s needs. Coco offers an unparalleled level of service with deep market knowledge, staging assistance, one-of-a-kind marketing, process expertise and strong negotiation skills. Buying and selling a home shouldn’t be an intimidating experience. Coco will work hard to make it a fun one too!
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Meg & Katie Group, COMPASS
Meg + Katie Group is proud to sponsor TEDxWilmette for the seventh year! Meg McGuinness + Katie Hauser joined forces at Compass six years ago, bringing values of teamwork, market knowledge & positivity to the North Shore real estate market. Clients remark on their “fantastic communication skills,” “great energy & diligence,” “kindness, responsiveness, knowledge & humor!" Meg + Katie raised families in Wilmette and remain active members of this incredible community. They are in the top 1% of North Shore Realtors, and are recognized for volunteering with Family Promise, teaching Keys to Good Tenancy, a curriculum providing families facing homelessness with the skills to be good tenants.
Madison Street Search
Madison Street Search is a high-impact boutique recruiting firm laser-focused on Finance & Accounting recruitment. We don’t just fill roles – we build powerful teams. Our expertise spans Corporate Accounting, SEC Financial Reporting, FP&A, Audit, Tax, and M&A, with a proven track record of placing top-tier professionals from staff to executive levels.
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We partner with some of the most exciting companies in the market – from innovative, venture-backed startups to established Fortune 100 giants – to deliver candidates who drive growth, streamline operations, and elevate performance. What sets us apart? Deep industry knowledge, a curated approach, and a commitment to long-term partnerships.
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If you're serious about hiring the best talent or advancing your career, we're your competitive edge.
Silver Sponsors
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Central Station Coffee & Tea
Born out of a love for hospitality and community, Central Station Coffee & Tea is Wilmette’s premiere gathering spot where people come to work, visit and spend their time. We offer the finest selection of espresso, tea, pastries, and fare, as well as many collaborations with other local businesses and community groups. We welcome you to come visit and spend some time with us.
John Plunkett Interiors
John Plunkett Interiors is a luxury design firm offering both concierge interior design services for projects of all sizes and direct access to renowned home furnishing brands at competitive prices. Designed to make the decorating process seamless, convenient, and value-driven for busy professionals. It is rare to find so many possibilities under one roof.
In-Kind Sponsors
Chalet Nursery
Chalet is the North Shore's leading one-stop destination for inspired landscape design, classically fresh products, curated home decor, and customer service that creates lifelong connections.
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Season after season, from generation to generation, Chalet works with people to discover fresh, imaginative ways to design their outdoor space, create inviting, inspired homes, and grow a personal connection between design and nature.
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Clucker's Charcoal Chicken
Clucker's Charcoal Chicken is your favorite neighborhood scratch kitchen, making quality meals since 1985. Specializing in all-natural hormone and antibiotic-free chicken cooked over a live rotisserie fire. Carry-out, delivery, and catering are available from its Highwood location.
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FASTSigns Morton Grove
FASTSigns of Morton Grove, IL is a full-service digital printer designed to help customers with everything from printing one-off custom posters to glossy brochures, magazines, leaflet campaigns, business cards, letterheads, cartons, desktops and any other printed materials that are part of a marketing strategy. The Morton Grove custom sign experts believe in offering cutting-edge solutions that are scalable and sustainable.
Lois Bernstein Photo
From Bruce Springsteen to the Super Bowl, Lois Bernstein is an award-winning photojournalist specializing in events, sports, and family portraits. She formerly was a staff photographer with the Associated Press, Sacramento Bee and Virginian-Pilot. A three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, Lois's work has appeared in many international publications from Life Magazine to the New York Times.
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MailChimp
MailChimp is an email and marketing automation platform for growing businesses. We empower millions of customers around the world to start and grow their businesses with world-class marketing technology, award-winning customer support, and inspiring content. MailChimp puts data-backed recommendations at the heart of your marketing, so you can find and engage customers across email, social media, landing pages, and advertising--automatically and with the power of AI. In 2021, MailChimp was acquired by Intuit.
Polar Beverages
Crisp, refreshing Polar Seltzer is a premium seltzer with just water, all-natural fruit essences, and zillions of tiny bubbles. Naturally calorie-free with no sweeteners or sodium, and family-made since 1882, that's 140 years of making bubbles! Why be flat when you can sparkle? Visit our website or your local grocery store.
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WR Type
WR Type has been providing the Chicagoland area with graphic arts and services for over forty years. They offer a variety of services to meet all your printing needs. Visit our website www.wrimaging.com for more information.
Local Media Sponsor
The Record North Shore
The Record North Shore is a nonprofit, independent newsroom founded in 2020 that serves responsible, community-first journalism to Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Northfield, Skokie, Wilmette and Winnetka. Read the latest local news at therecordnorthshore.org and support more trusted reporting for all in our community by becoming a member at donorbox.org/therecordnorthshore.