Downtown St. Louis Restaurant Week Returns, STL Metro's Work On Inclusive Economic Growth Attracts International Attention, And Purina Turns St. Louis Purple To Raise Awareness
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DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS RESTAURANT WEEK RETURNS
Signature event highlighting Downtown restaurant scene continues through this Sunday
After a 4-year hiatus, Downtown St. Louis Restaurant Weekhas returned. The celebration of the Downtown restaurant scene features breakfast, lunch, and dinner fare from nearly 40 Downtown establishments and runs through this Sunday, Oct. 22. Many of the participating restaurants are featuring specials and deals on food and drinks.
“The Downtown restaurant scene is seeing a real resurgence,” said Kurt Weigle, Chief Downtown Officer for GSL. “STLMade restaurants are popping up all over Downtown — with more to be announced soon — and we are excited to invite the whole St. Louis metro to enjoy Downtown's world-class dining.”
STL METRO’S WORK ON INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH ATTRACTS INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION
On the heels of the inaugural Inclusive Economic Growth Summit and the launch of STL 2030 Progress, the St. Louis metro continues to receive national and international attention for our work to drive inclusive economic growth, the North Star called out in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan.
BROOKINGS INSTITUTE SELECTS GSL FOR COMPETITIVE NATIONAL PROGRAM
Greater St. Louis, Inc. has been selected by Brookings Metro and the Center for Economic Inclusion as one of only a handful of organizations nationally to participate in the Regional Inclusive Growth Network, a collaborative learning and action network that seeks to catalyze local businesses and stakeholders to advance more racially equitable local economies and close regional wealth gaps. Over the next 18 months GSL and the other Network members will develop goals, capabilities, practices, and strategic investments that center economic and racial inclusion as key economic objectives.
U.K. LEADER VISITS ST. LOUIS TO LEARN ABOUT METRO INCLUSIVE GROWTH EFFORTS
Oliver Coppard, the Mayor of South Yorkshire, U.K., traveled to St. Louis to see firsthand the work being done here to advance inclusive economic growth and learn about the metro’s work to advance the geospatial, health technology, and advanced manufacturing sectors. South Yorkshire is home to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center in Sheffield, which helped inspire the development of the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center in North St. Louis City. As part of his visit, Mayor Coppard attended a reception with GSL investors and partners where he spoke about his desire for ongoing collaboration between South Yorkshire and St. Louis.
In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, GSL executive-level investor Purina is working to turn St. Louis purple. On Oct. 19, lights throughout the city, including at CITYPARK, St. Louis Union Station, The St. Louis Wheel, Civil Courts Building, Enterprise Center, Ballpark Village, Kiener Plaza and thousands of SMART City lights downtown, will change hue to shine a light on this important issue and Purina’s efforts to address it through the company’s Purple Leash Project, which was born out of Purina’s mission to bring and keep pets and people together. Greater St. Louis, Inc. joins the St. Louis Police and Fire Departments in support of the cause.
HARRIS-STOWE AWARDED $3.5 MILLION GRANT TO SUPPORT STEM EDUCATION
Harris-Stowe State University has been awarded a five-year, $3.5 million continuing grant from the National Science Foundation to support its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics efforts and further the work of HSSU’s Missouri St. Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program, making this the second largest funding award that the university has received to date. HSSU President Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith said she is proud of the work HSSU has done thus far and that, “We will continue to teach, train and mentor the next generation of STEM leaders at HSSU.”
UMSL RECEIVES $1.8 MILLION GRANT TO SUPPORT STUDENT PARENTS
In recent years, student parents have become an increasingly represented cohort on the University of Missouri–St. Louis campus, and the university is deepening its commitment to them through a new grant from the U.S. Department of Education. UMSL, a member of GSL’s Chair’s Council, will use the $1.8 million grant to support low-income, Pell Grant-eligible student parents on campus and to expand their access to high-quality child care. The bulk of the funding from the latest grant will go toward childcare subsidies for accredited, licensed centers near student parents’ homes or workplaces. “By providing child care … you can retain and graduate those individuals,” said Robin Kimberlin with UMSL student affairs. “The shift in their life that can happen is profound.”
WWT RACEWAY LOOKS TO BUILD ON SUCCESS OF NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE, OFFERING TICKET SPECIAL
Two consecutive sellouts of the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, have shown the high level of support and enthusiasm our metro has for the NASCAR Cup Series. The event is creating transformational change in the metro, adding $60 million in economic impact. As WWT Raceway, a GSL Chair’s Council investor, looks to boost attendance and demonstrate ongoing community support, they are asking partners to show their support for the race early by purchasing a block of tickets, priced at a special offer of $50 each. To purchase tickets or get more information, contact Taylor Strausbaugh at WWT Raceway at tstrausbaugh@wwtraceway.com.
APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR FOCUS ST. LOUIS LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS
FOCUS St. Louis — a GSL member-level investor that prepares a diverse base of leaders to work cooperatively for a thriving St. Louis region through experience-based leadership training, civic issue education, and public engagement initiatives — has opened its application process for its 2024 civic leadership programs. FOCUS St. Louis programs accepting applications are Emerging Leaders, Women In Leadership, and Leadership St. Louis.
Arts and culture are not only core components of what makes the St. Louis metro unique, they are also critical drivers of economic growth. On Monday, Oct. 23, the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, a GSL member-level investor, will be joined by two renowned national institutions — Americans for the Arts and WolfBrown — for CULTURA 2023, where they will present the latest, unreleased findings from two pivotal studies that examine how arts activities impact local economies. While in-person activities are sold out, digital access to presentations and performances is available.
The New York Times put the iconic St. Louis attraction City Museum in the spotlight this week. With a focus on City Museum’s acquisition of contemporary art and architectural works, The Times noted that “Since 2014, the museum has added about $3.4 million of contemporary art and Louis Sullivan-designed architectural pieces. It is adding more.”
MTC’S IDEA FUND ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FROM TECH STARTUPS THROUGH NOV. 15
The Missouri Technology Fund’s IDEA Fund is a state-sponsored venture capital program supporting Missouri's early-stage entrepreneurs. The IDEA Fund supports technology startups through matching equity or convertible debt investments for the purpose of technology and business development. Applications for the January 2024 Award Cycle are due by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.
STLMADE STARTUP INTRAMOTEV LANDS SPOT IN INTEL ACCELERATOR PROGRAM
Intramotev, a St. Louis-based startup and member-level investor in GSL, is one of only ten companies nationally accepted into Intel Ignite, the accelerator program of chipmaking giant Intel Corp. Founded in 2020, Intramotev has developed an autonomous, zero-emissions railcar, called the TugVolt, that it says can operate without the use of a locomotive, speeding up the process of delivering goods and strengthening the metro’s transportation and logistics sector, identified in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan as an industry growth cluster.
By creating portable greenhouses to upgrade how classrooms study agriculture, St. Louis-area startup MARSfarm is changing the way people across the globe learn about agriculture.
