Platinum Clubs
of America
Every three years, Club Leaders Forum conducts a nationwide survey ranking private clubs across the country to determine “the best of the best.”
On June 2, 2009, outgoing Club president Nina Owen brought some 450 members attending the Club’s annual meeting to their feet when she disclosed that Club Leaders Forum ranked the Union League Club of Chicago as the number one private city club in the United States in 2009.
The Union League Club of Chicago earned high marks for its many distinctive elements: first class dining and cuisine; four-star level guest accommodations; a vibrant athletic facility; a world- class art collection, a full-time staff dedicated to non-partisan public affairs issues and initiatives and sponsorship of three internal non-profit foundations—the Union League Boys and Girls Clubs that serve 10,000 inner- city young people every day in its four clubs and operates a summer camp; the Civic & Arts Foundation that awards scholarships and prizes to visual and performing art students and the Engineers Foundation that provides scholarships to promising young engineers.
In addition, Club Leaders Forum reported that the survey results ranked the Union League Club of Chicago number one among all categories of private clubs in Illinois.
The survey was conducted by John Sibbald Associates Inc., which contacted 3,000 club general managers, presidents, directors and owners for their feedback. These individuals were asked to rank the best clubs in five categories on the following criteria: quality of membership, tradition and culture, amenities, governance, and quality of management and staff. The survey began in 1996, reporting results in 1997. Since the inception, the Club has steadily climbed the ranks, from number seven in 1997, number three in 2000, number two in 2003, and to number one in 2009.
The Club was bestowed another honor that evening, with the announcement that outgoing President Nina Owen was named one of the Top 21 Club Presidents in 2008 by BoardRoom Magazine. The award, which is in its first year, attracted more than 300 nominations from private clubs around the world.
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