Tech Innovation Hub 'Xchange Chicago' Opens Doors, Creating New Career Pathways for Hyde Park Residents

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Hyde Park · November 23, 2025

Hyde Park residents now have a transformative new career pathway as Xchange Chicago, an innovative tech workforce and training center, officially opened its doors last week just minutes from the neighborhood. The 28,000-square-foot facility, located in Greater Grand Crossing at 7247 S. Chicago Ave., represents a $20 million investment in South Side communities and aims to create thousands of technology jobs for local residents.

The collaborative initiative was founded by the Comer Science and Education Foundation, IT services provider SDI Presence, P33, and community stakeholders. Developers repurposed a former Food and Paper Supply Company building for the center, with support from a $5 million grant from the city's Department of Planning and Development. SDI Presence, a minority-owned IT services provider, signed a 10-year lease as the anchor tenant, while 211 Metro Chicago, operated by United Way of Metro Chicago, has also joined the hub. The facility seeks to train people in IT skills, place them in jobs, and revitalize communities with few resources on the South Side.

The program welcomes anyone 18 and older with "a passion for tech" and is actively recruiting talent from Hyde Park and surrounding South Side neighborhoods. Trainees participate in an 8-to-10-week paid apprenticeship before transitioning to part-time work with SDI's clients, with a guarantee of full-time employment after one year. In just 18 months, the program has already trained and placed 55 apprentices in full-time positions, generating more than $3.25 million in family-sustaining wages and benefits. The economic impact is substantial—program participants who previously earned