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James Borkman
Senior Counsel & Director of Procurement
Professional Background
James Borkman is a multifaceted professional known for his extensive experience in legal, administrative, and procurement roles, particularly within the government sector in Chicago. Currently, he serves as the Senior Counsel and Director of Procurement at the Public Building Commission of Chicago, where his leadership and expertise play a critical role in overseeing procurement processes that impact public infrastructure projects across the city. James brings a rich background in law and public policy, with past positions that highlight his commitment to public service and legal excellence.
Before his current role, James demonstrated his legal acumen as the Deputy Chief Counsel and Assistant Policy Director at the Office of the City Clerk, City of Chicago. His responsibilities included advising on legal matters and assisting in policy development, significantly enhancing the office's operational efficiency and service delivery to Chicago residents. His robust understanding of municipal law and policy was further developed during his tenure as Assistant Counsel to the Speaker at the Illinois House of Representatives, where he provided legal support and advice to legislative leaders.
In addition to his governmental experience, James has held various legal positions in private practice. He began his career as a Law Clerk at Chilton Yambert & Porter LLP, where he honed his research and legal drafting skills before advancing to the role of Attorney. His comprehensive understanding of the law was deepened through his work in different legal capacities, including co-founding Chicago In White, where he served as General Counsel, advising on legal strategies and compliance.
Education and Achievements
James Borkman's educational journey reflects his commitment to both philosophy and law. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of California, Irvine, which laid the foundation for his critical thinking and analytical skills. His passion for philosophy continued as he pursued a Master of Arts in Philosophy at California State University, Long Beach—an experience that enriched his understanding of ethical considerations in law.
Further complementing his educational background, James studied Business Administration at Santa Barbara City College. This added dimension to his skill set enables him to approach legal and procurement issues with a strong understanding of business principles, enhancing his decision-making and strategic planning abilities.
James’s legal education culminated with a Doctor of Jurisprudence in Law from The John Marshall Law School, where he developed a comprehensive understanding of various legal disciplines, preparing him for a successful career in public law.
Throughout his career, James has continually sought to make a positive impact, demonstrated through his diverse roles and his contributions to public policy and legal infrastructure. His achievements in these areas underscore his dedication to advancing the effectiveness of governmental processes and enhancing community service.
Skills and Expertise
James Borkman's multifaceted career has equipped him with a wide array of skills, making him a valuable asset in the realms of legal counsel, procurement, and policy development. His ability to navigate complex legal frameworks and provide sound legal advice has been crucial in his roles within government agencies.
Moreover, James's experience in procurement allows him to manage and oversee the acquisition of goods and services for public projects efficiently. His collaborative approach to working with various stakeholders shows his commitment to fostering relationships while ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory standards.
In addition to his professional skills, James has cultivated strong leadership and communication abilities that prove essential in his collaborative roles. Whether advising on legal matters or guiding procurement strategies, his expertise allows him to advocate effectively for the needs of his organization and the communities it serves.
Community Involvement
James Borkman values community engagement and service, which is evident in his varied roles and internships, such as his early work as an intern at the Chicago Office of Tourism & Culture and his legal internship at the Department of Buildings within the City of Chicago. He understands the importance of public service and seeks opportunities to contribute positively to his community, making him not just a professional but also a dedicated advocate for the citizens of Chicago.
James's professional journey exemplifies a rich blend of legal expertise, a commitment to public policy, and a strong dedication to community service. As he continues to lead in his current position at the Public Building Commission of Chicago, his impact on public infrastructure and legal services will undoubtedly further enhance the quality of life for Chicago residents.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.