Cicadas: They're edible.

Just one of the take-aways from our April 23 Lunch & Learn with insect taxonomist & systematist Maureen Turcatel from Chicago's Field Museum. Spring of 2024 will see an historic, loud and -- let's be honest -- kind of gross super emergence of the 13-year and 17-year periodical cicadas in Illinois. Billions of them -- actual billions. It is the first time the two broods emerged together in 221 years (or, if you're wondering, during Thomas Jefferson's presidency).

After the learning was the lunching ... and we're happy to report that cicadas were NOT on the menu (maybe next time, Maureen).

Magellan has supported dozens of nonprofits in Chicagoland over the years, is proud to contribute to the pressing needs of our community and contribute to our rich cultural landscape. We greatly value our partnership with The Field Museum.

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Joakim Noah and Eddy Curry never shared the court while they were Chicago Bulls, but they most definitely held court at Magellan during a Thursday, February 29 (Leap Day!) visit and Lunch & Learn. After an office tour, Joakim and Noah gave a little chalk talk, deftly monitored by Adrienne Scherenzel, VP of Community Engagement for the Chicago Bulls. Eddy Curry was a Chicago Bull from 2001 - 2005, while Joakim played for the Bulls from 2007 - 2016. Both spoke of their love for Chicago, recounted some of their most profound -- and silliest -- moments in pro ball, their favorite coaches, places to play, and most memorable moments as players.

And both are doing some pretty amazing things in their post-pro lives. Eddy Curry spends a lot of time working with pro basketball players on financial literacy, a subject he learned about the hard way, as an 18 year old who skipped college to go directly into the NBA draft.

Joakim Noah co-founded Noah's Arc Foundation with his mother, Swedish former model Cecilia Rodhe. Noah's Arc provides opportunities for kids to become more aware of their ability to make a positive impact on themselves and the community. The Bulls brought along the Championship trophies for some great photo-ops, and everyone left with a little swag, full bellies, and smiles on faces from a terrific afternoon.

An absolute pleasure to host some friends from Misericordia Heart of Mercy for a behind-the-scenes look at all that goes in to the training of a Chicago Bull!

The day started with lunch at the Advocate Center -- just across the street from the United Center -- with a great chalk talk by Basketball Operations Assistant Coach Martin Rancik. Misericordia residents enjoyed posing for pics with the Championship trophies before some fun Q&A with Bulls greats, former player & coach Randy Brown and former coach Jud Buechler.

Then it was down to the courts to watch a little practice in action, see the training facility, where the guys lift weights, and finally, have a seat in film room.

Misericordia is home to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. By serving society's most vulnerable citizens, Misericordia also serves the families who want the best for them, yet cannot provide it at home.

Our day with 15 residents and their fantastic staff members was indeed memorable. Thank you, Misericordia and Chicago Bulls for making this possible!

When Magellan's own David Twiford (Retired Force Master Chief, US Navy) told us about his involvement in the National Museum of the American Sailor and their SeaPerch Competition, we hopped on board!

The Navy Great Lakes Regional SeaPerch Competition brings together students and the Navy to learn and employ STEM concepts in a fun, engaging way. A goal of SeaPerch is that students walk away with real-world understandings of STEM concepts and how those concepts are used by engineers as well as Navy Sailors. And on Saturday, March 16, 2024 at Lake Forest Academy participants put the Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) they had built to the test. The results were impressive.

The National Museum of the American Sailor is open to the public and located outside the main gate of Naval Station Great Lakes.

During preparation and the competition itself, students learned engineering concepts, problem solving, teamwork, and technical applications -- and clearly had a lot of fun doing it. Magellan was delighted to support the Museum and these future engineers at SeaPerch.

The Chicago Blackhawks promised — and delivered — the #BestDayEver for their February 17 game against the Ottawa Senators. One hundred Magellan clients, staff & family members gathered at the United Center for a day where Tiny Hawks (kid fans) were royalty.

Pre-game festivities included balloon animals, a puppy meet-and-greet with adoptable pooches, and loads of games in the United Center concourse. Our guests then adjourned to a banquet that was complete with a chalk talk with legend Denis "Savoir Faire" Savard and Magellan's own resident hockey guru Josh Dunnington.

And the fun did not end there. The Blackhawks snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 3-2 win. Best day ever, indeed!

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It was a PACKED house during the Chicago Fire's 2024 Season Kickoff Luncheon, sponsored by Magellan and held at Swissotel Chicago on Tuesday, February 20. Our crew enjoyed EVERY SECOND of it!

Fire President of Business Operations David Baldwin promised a rousing season (we're holding you to it, Dave) during a keynote address, the crowd was introduced to the entire 2024 Fire first team and coaching staff, and all the while we were raising funds for the Club's P.L.A.Y.S. Program (Participate, Learn, Achieve, Youth, Soccer).

Among guests and staff at Magellan's tables were Wayne Arner, Phil Salter, Gabriella Pan, Abby Bruggeman, Betty Bogg, Antonio Marshall, Bob Arthur, Adam Pierce and Irshad Ahmed -- joined at table by Head Coach of the Chicago Fire, Frank Klopas. Also attending were Nicholas Burandt, Tim Parilla, Patrick Dahl, Kayla Roan, Alison Ashley, Joey Eshleman and Kasey Madden, whose table happily hosted Chicago Fire winger Xherdan Shaqiri.

Magellan is delighted to once again be sponsoring the Chicago Fire. Can't wait to see these guys on the pitch!

One of our favorite people! Alison Ruble is a superb leader and we are proud to count her among Magellan’s dear friends. Thank you, Alison, for helping make our partnership with USO Illinois seamless and mutually beneficial.

The USO offers programs to active duty, guard and reserve military and their dependents in Illinois, with a mission to strengthen the well-being of the people serving in our armed forces.

Through financial contributions, hands-on volunteering at the Great Lakes Naval Base, donations of marketing assets with our professional sports partners, support of a new USO recreation facility, and contributions of hundreds of tickets to games and special events over the years, Magellan has been actively involved with the USO and proud to support their efforts. No one has been more instrumental in solidifying and strengthening this partnership than Alison. Alison is leaving the USO, and Magellan wishes her the best of luck in future endeavors.

Presenting her with a token of our appreciation is our own David Twiford Ret Force Master Chief, USN).

Employee milestones continue! On January 31, Magellan celebrated two plus decades of dedicated commitment, hard work, and enough steel bundles organized to build a bridge to the moon by teammates Lorena Perales-Tatoris and Luis Camacho. Luis is the guru of the warehouse, knows the ins and outs of our inventory like the back of his hand, and is the go-to guy for any missing bundles of steel. Lorena began her career with us working on freight bills and manning the Magellan window at Noramco. She moved to the Traffic Department and to our main offices proving her versatility and indispensability.

We also recognized a VERY momentous 25th anniversary of Douglas Lila with a DOUG DAY AFTERNOON. Doug has worked in virtually every department and every role at Magellan Corporation, and has seen and helped us grow every step of the way.

There were toasts and a luncheon in our Deerfield offices, and a taco truck fed the guys at the warehouse. Our staff is the lifeblood of Magellan, and we never forget it!

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team,” Chicago Bulls Coach and so-called Zen Master Phil Jackson famously said. And on Thursday, January 11, 2024, the successes of the outstanding individual Chicago Bulls players, coaches, staff and a Championship team were celebrated with the first ever Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor Gala, proudly presented by Magellan Corporation.

The Class of 2024 included the incomparable Artis Gilmore, Phil Jackson, Bill Klein, Jerry Krause, Michael Jordan, Redd Kerr, Toni Kukoc, Bob Love, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Tex Winter, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker, and the 1995-96 Championship Team. Hosted at the United Center – where else? – the evening featured cocktails among incredible memorabilia, mingling with the awardees and other Bulls players and staff, followed by an incredible meal on the court – which has been transformed into a glamorous 5 star restaurant, a meal by James Beard Award winning chef Sarah Grueneberg, and a fascinating program featuring Bulls announcers, coaches and players.  

Magellan staff, clients and friends enjoyed an outstanding night celebrating these greats.

Former Blackhawk great Chris Chelios was signing hats, meeting fans, and offering insights into the game at the Magellan Customer Appreciation Banquet on December 17, 2023.

Our sponsorship of professional athletics offers Magellan unique opportunities to entertain and thank clients, suppliers and staff. Attended by more than 100 Magellan fantastic and much appreciated clients, their friends and family members and Magellan staff members, the day kicked off with a tasty spread behind-the-scenes at the United Center. In addition to camaraderie and a meal, guests were entertained when Chelios gave a little Chalk Talk, took time to mingle and snaps some pics with fans, before all adjourned to terrific seats to watch the game. The only glitch in the otherwise perfect Sunday afternoon was a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

Dr. Janet Voight of Chicago's Field Museum spread her passion and knowledge during a highly enjoyable and informative Lunch & Learn entitled, "The Deep Sea and Me." Janet has been a curator at the Field for more than 30 years, and was the only female curator when she first started. She has made significant contributions to deep-sea research, particularly in her study of octopuses. She's gone on with dives in the Human Occupied Vehicle ALVIN to depths of over 3200 meters and has participated in hundreds of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) dives, involving filming hundreds of octopods at nearly 3 kilometers depth off Costa Rica as they brooded eggs. And she was utterly fascinating!

Were grateful for the layers of cultural opportunities our partnership with The Field offers Magellan; it truly is a jewel of Chicago!

Is everything bigger in Texas? On September 27, 2023, the fun was!

Magellan clients and friends enjoyed a fantastic dinner with the star women athletes and front office of the Houston Dash soccer team.

A perfect complement to the evening was a stirring presentation by our friend Gretchen Evans. Thank you to Jessica O'Neill, Dora Villalobos and the whole Dash team for helping create such a winning evening!