Peter Wilt - President and CEO at Chicago House Athletic Club

Peter Wilt
President and CEO at Chicago House Athletic Club
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Oct 20, 2025

Peter Wilt has built more professional soccer teams than anyone in the Midwest — including the Chicago Fire, Chicago Red Stars, and now the Chicago House Athletic Club, where he serves as President and CEO.

In this episode of Ted Listens, Peter sits down with host Ted Novak, Managing Partner at Clique Studios, to talk about what it takes to start a professional sports franchise from scratch — and the surprising similarities between launching a team and launching a startup.

From community-driven growth and transparent leadership to the importance of purpose-driven branding, Peter shares decades of wisdom that apply far beyond the field. You’ll hear stories of early wins, hard lessons, and how Chicago House is creating a new model for inclusive, community-based athletics — including men’s, women’s, youth, and adaptive sports.

Whether you’re a sports fan, entrepreneur, or community builder, this conversation will inspire you to think bigger about what it means to lead, to build, and to belong.

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"We don’t need to appeal to everyone. We’re focused on the one million people in Chicago who believe inclusion and human rights belong in sports, and that’s more than enough to build something meaningful."
Peter Wilt
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Interview with Peter Wilt

Transcript

Not more than one industry makes up more than 13% of Chicago’s economy. I created this podcast to showcase the businesses in the Chicago community you may have never heard of, or never knew what they did.
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