Skokie Chamber of Commerce gives up its office to resolve six-figure dispute

The Skokie Chamber of Commerce reportedly transferred ownership of its former headquarters to its previous executive director this fall after he claimed the chamber owed him more than $150,000. 

The Skokie Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors announced “the difficult decision” to hand over the office condominium located at 5002 Oakton St. to its former Executive Director Howard Meyer in an Oct. 21 email to the chamber’s more than 500 members. 

The email states that Meyer, who stepped down from the role in January after leading the nonprofit for 20 years, earlier this year was “seeking, among other things, over $150,000 for unused vacation days that he had allegedly rolled over during his tenure.”

The decision to transfer ownership of the one-floor office condo to Meyer will “resolve” his claims against the chamber as the agreement “provides a full release from both parties and allows the Chamber to move forward as an organization,” the email says. 

Meyer confirmed in an email to The Record that the settlement between him and the Skokie Chamber of Commerce is now “complete,” but he declined to provide comment.

The executive committee for the Skokie Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors also issued a “no comment” on the resolution of Meyer’s claims.

Meyer first became CEO of the chamber in 2004. Former Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen recognized Feb. 18 as “Howard Meyer Recognition Day” earlier this year to celebrate Meyer’s longstanding leadership at the chamber and time served on a number of village commissions.

But the Skokie Chamber of Commerce’s executive board “stepped in to find the Chamber facing financial challenges” after Meyer resigned from the role, the chamber’s Oct. 21 email says. 

The chamber has apparently spent the past months resolving Meyer’s claims and addressing its debts. The nonprofit is now in “strong financial standing, with all remaining debts resolved or forgiven,” according to the email from the board of directors. 

The dispute apparently never reached litigation. An employee for the Skokie Chamber of Commerce confirmed that Meyer’s claims were settled outside of court, and the chamber moved to its new headquarters office located in Westfield Old Orchard near the end of September. 

The chamber’s former office on Oakton Street was vacated; on a recent afternoon, the storefront’s windows were papered over from the inside, letters to its sign were removed and posters showed it listed for sale. 

Mike Levin, a real estate broker within At Properties commercial division, said his firm was hired by the Oakton Street property’s owner earlier this year to find a buyer. 

The office building’s owner signed a listing agreement, but then accepted an offer from an interested party before the property ever hit the public market, Levin said. Attorneys for the owner and potential buyer are currently in the process of finalizing the deal, he said. 

“With this matter now behind us, we can focus our energy on the future,” the October email from the Skokie Chamber of Commerce says. “The search has begun for a new Executive Director to lead the Chamber into its next chapter.”

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