This Week: United Way Celebrates More than $3B Invested in St. Louis Region, Through Economic Impact, WashU Helps Grow St. Louis, and More
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L to R: Roman Wuller, Michelle Tucker, Mike Dierberg, Nina Leigh Krueger, SiSi Beltrán Martí
United Way Celebrates More than $3B Invested in St. Louis Region
The United Way of Greater St. Louis — a member of the Greater St. Louis, Inc. Investor Council — provides transformational funding and support to more than 160 local nonprofits across both Missouri and Illinois. Thanks in large part to the participation and collaboration of more than 1,000 regional companies, the organization’s successful 2024 campaign pushed its lifetime impact over the $3 billion mark, fueling its work to build strong and equitable communities.
“We are grateful to have so many people committed to strengthening the stability of our community through their support of United Way’s community campaign,” said Michelle D. Tucker, President and CEO. “The power of collective impact fuels our ability to empower over 1 million of our neighbors annually. Working together, we can continue to build a strong foundation for our region, now and for generations to come.”
$7B Deal Helps St. Louis’ Emerson Reach “Key Milestone”
In a $7 billion deal, St. Louis-headquartered Emerson Electric Co., an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council, plans to fully buy out subsidiary Aspen Technology Inc. The move is a “key milestone” for the company, CEO Lal Karsanbhai said, that will nearly complete the company’s transformation into an industrial technology business focused on automation.
FDA Approved, St. Louis Tech Could Help Millions Globally
A St. Louis-created medical technology has received federal approval. MediBeacon announced this week that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its Transdermal GFR System for the assessment of kidney function in patients with normal or impaired renal function, a technology that could help more than 800 million people with chronic kidney disease globally.
Through Economic Impact, WashU Helps Grow St. Louis
In 2024, Washington University, an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council, made a $9.3 billion impact on the St. Louis region. The metro’s second-largest employer, WashU employed more than 22,000, spent $3.9 billion on salaries, construction, and purchasing, and generated another $5.4 billion in economic activity.
“St. Louis is not just our address — it’s our home,” said Lisa Weingarth, Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Executive Director of the In St. Louis, For St. Louis initiative. “Everyone here has a stake in building the health and prosperity of this community.”
Plans for the vacant AT&T Tower in Downtown St. Louis could transform one of the area’s largest empty buildings into a veritable virtual city — and help spur more Downtown revitalization. The Goldman Group of Boston, which owns the 1.4-million-square-foot tower, envisions it as 600 apartments with a high-tech parking system.
MO Funding Supports Pharmaceutical R&D at UMSL, APIIC
$9.55 million in funding from the Missouri Department of Economic Development will help fund a partnership between the API Innovation Center and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, a GSL Investor Council member. The investment will advance critical pharmaceutical research taking place in a new lab on UMSL’s campus and help reshore advanced pharmaceutical ingredient production in the U.S.
The crown jewel of St. Louis has transformed dramatically over the last few decades, but Forest Park’s stewards have big plans to continue to enhance the 1,300-acre oasis for new generations. A public-private partnership between the City of St. Louis and nonprofit Forest Park Forever, Forest Park attracts more than 15.5 million visitors each year, garnering attention as a top city park in the nation.
"In a time when our region is doing a lot of introspection and likes to talk about the things that we can do better or that are wrong, I just think Forest Park is a quintessential St. Louis success story,” said John Kemper, President and CEO of Commerce Bancshares Inc. and Chairman of the Forest Park Board of Directors. “It really is an example of what can be achieved with trust and dedication and a thoughtful public-private partnership. I think it can be a model for a lot of the things that we’re working on in this region."
St. Louis small business Petite Keep, which hand-assembles keepsake trunks in Missouri, appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank this month — and came away with a $400,000 investment deal.
Thanks to the trust and camaraderie found within St. Louis’ venture capital ecosystem, a Silicon Valley startup — NextSense, which develops Tone Buds earbuds — is finding support and funding here.
