Airport Transformation Advances St. Louis | Community Colleges Grow Workforce | More News
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Transforming the Airport Will Help Shape the Region
Plans to transform St. Louis Lambert International Airport are moving forward, and a new, state-of-the-art consolidated terminal could be completed in five years. St. Louis Lambert International Airport is one of the metro’s biggest and most critical economic assets, and combined with investments by the Boeing Company, an executive-level GSL investor, it could add nearly $5 billion in annual economic impact and support nearly 30,000 new jobs in the metro by 2032. GSL Chair’s Council Member HOK is leading the design of the project..
The Bottom Line: St. Louis Comptroller Donna Barringer, who also serves on the St. Louis Airport Commission, outlined the importance of an updated, modern airport for the region: “If we increase the amount of conferences and tourists that come here, we get new flights. We get more conferences and tourists, we get more people downtown. We get restaurants filled. We get hotels filled.”
In 2021, passage of the $350 million Prop R — a GSL policy priority — made possible new construction and renovations throughout the St. Louis Community College system, and now, the region is benefitting. Enrollment has climbed back to pre-pandemic levels, and STLCC joins other community colleges in the area to focus on workforce development, training young talent to fill industry needs.
The Bottom Line: STLCC Chancellor Jeff Pittman sees enrollment growth as part of a beneficial broader trend: “If they see a viable career path, they’re more apt to pursue it and they’re more apt to stay. Keeping our young people and our talent in St. Louis is what we all need to work on. That seems like a win-win-win.”
Pennington Named One of the Most Powerful Women in Finance
American Banker has ranked Edward Jones Managing Partner Penny Pennington as this year’s #4 most powerful woman in finance. Pennington, a founding GSL board member, leads a workforce of 55,000 from Edward Jones’ headquarters in the St. Louis region. >> American Banker
REALTORS Tackle Home Ownership Gap
Closing the racial home ownership gap is a key factor in building inclusive economic growth for the St. Louis region — and a North Star target for GSL. The 9,000-member St. Louis REALTORS association hopes to help do just that with a new, multi-part plan released this week. >> St. Louis Magazine
Nov. 6: Get a Big Picture Look at the Local Economy
The St. Louis Federal Reserve’s Charles S. Gascon will keynote this year’s Multi-Chamber Economic Outlook Breakfast, an annual event, underwritten by GSL, that brings together chambers of commerce from around the bi-state region. KSDK’s Michelle Li returns to moderate the event, which includes a panel featuring Martha Garcia Kampen, President and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis, and Jeff Wade, Executive Director of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of St. Louis. Registration is open to the community.
The Bottom Line: “We know that diverse business communities are critical drivers of innovation, investment, and job creation in our metro,” said Kate Loar, Chief Engagement Officer for Greater St. Louis, Inc., an underwriting partner for the event. “It’s critical that we acknowledge the economic impact they have on our region and support the chambers and small businesses the create this vital ecosystem.”
