Hundreds of business leaders gathered this week for the 2025 Multi-Chamber Economic Outlook Breakfast. Representing 21 chambers of commerce from around the bi-state region, this year’s event offered participants a look at the regional and national economy while offering a space for networking and connection. The breakfast also served as the first public speaking opportunity for GSL’s new CEO, Ron Kitchens, who stressed the critical role local chambers of commerce play in our region as well as the need for everyone in the region to continue to work together collaboratively toward our shared goal of growth.
The keynote speaker, the St. Louis Federal Reserve’s Charles Gascon, offered a big picture economic outlook, from inflation to real estate to consumer spending. “As uncertainty abates by the second half of next year, we’ll see employment growth and business investment,” he predicted, acknowledging the tenacity and resilience he sees as he talks to business leaders.
Growing Economic Impact of Hispanic, Asian Communities Highlighted
Gascon’s address was followed by the unveiling of two reports about the economic impact of key communities in the region. Martha Garcia Kampen, President and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce St. Louis, introduced the Hispanic Economic Drivers 2025, and Jeff Wade, Executive Director, Asian American Chamber of Commerce St. Louis, presented the first ever socio-economic profile of the Asian-Pacific Islander Community in Metropolitan St. Louis. Both communities are growing and thriving and provide significant potential for the St. Louis region.
📌 Read the Reports
The Bottom Line: The work we’ve done here in St. Louis to build bridges and connect communities offers opportunity and hope for the future. Both Garcia Kampen and Wade emphasized the importance of building a community that welcomes and supports these populations, which run thousands of businesses and contribute billions of dollars to the region. Said Wade: “A welcoming St. Louis is a growing St. Louis.”
“We’re all here,” Garcia Kampen said to the room, “working cooperatively, collaboratively for the future of St. Louis. We have presented data, but the data is about people, and the people are our hope.”
