Illinois board seeks ‘worker-friendly’ alternative investments

Illinois State Board of Investment, Chicago, is searching for venture-capital or private-equity funds with first-quartile performance and a focus on employee workplace issues, said William Atwood, executive director. The $10.3 billion board is seeking funds that are worker-friendly and foster workplace diversity, responsible contractor policies and health-care coverage. "We're soliciting the RFPs to test the market to find out if there are private-equity platforms sensitive to workplace issues," Mr. Atwood said. "Our experience is that is hard to identify them. We are trying to find out what's out there. "I don't envision us making any recommendation to the board until the second quarter," he added. Private equity consultant Stratford Advisory Group is assisting.