Lufthansa Flight A "Game-Changer" For Companies in St. Louis, STLCC Begins Construction on Advanced Manufacturing Center, And More
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LUFTHANSA FLIGHT A “GAME-CHANGER” FOR COMPANIES IN ST. LOUIS
A year after Lufthansa’s first flight took off from St. Louis Lambert International Airport, the outcomes are not just obvious, but overwhelmingly positive. The Airport, a member of the Greater St. Louis, Inc. Chair’s Council, is seeing above-average demand for the nonstop flight, with 97.7% of seats full in the month of July. Companies like Bayer — an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council — have booked thousands of seats over the past year, while the flight was critical to the development of a new $400 million advanced manufacturing facility being built in St. Louis by GSL Chair’s Council Member ICL. The flight is also seeing significant support from St. Louis’ immigrant community, cutting travel times to Europe and connecting locations in Asia and Africa.
“I also think it’s the fact — and this has been proven over and over — if a nonstop market is put in and there’s demand, your demand is going to grow even above the numbers you think,” said Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, Director of St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON STLCC'S NEW ADVANCED MANUFACTURING CENTER
St. Louis Community College, a GSL Chair’s Council member, began construction this week on a $61 million Advanced Manufacturing Center at its Florissant Valley campus, set to open in December 2024. The new facility will prepare students for careers in engineering, technology, technical trades, and manufacturing — called out in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan as critical for regional growth.
A recent ribbon-cutting celebrated the completion of the $5.4 million Ground Engine Run-Up and Compass Calibration Pad Project at St. Louis Downtown Airport, which will improve production safety, boost airport business, increase global competitiveness, and generate more than 1,500 jobs in the bi-state area. Outside Chicago, the airport is the busiest general aviation airport in Illinois.
MIDAS PLANNING AN OVERHAUL OF ICONIC DOWNTOWN HOTEL
Midas Hospitality, a GSL Chair’s Council member, is planning a $46 million renovation of the 1920s-era Oyo Hotel — a redevelopment inspired by the civic commitment of leaders like executive-level members of the GSL Chair’s Council Bob O’Loughlin and the Taylor family, whose work has led to transformational developments changing the landscape of Downtown St. Louis.
“Midas’ commitment to Downtown is another positive confidence boost to ‘restore the core’ — a foundational strategy from the STL 2030 Jobs Plan to return our metro to growth and attract the next generation of talent,” said GSL CEO Jason Hall.
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE RECRUITS AFGHANS TO THE METRO
Through a tour of the U.S., the Afghan Support Program of the International Institute of St. Louis, a GSL Investor Council member, hopes to bring additional Afghan refugees to join the more than 1,000 who have settled here since 2021. “Afghans will definitely have a positive impact in St. Louis,” said Hamdullah Hamdard, a local Afghan business owner. “It will not only boost the economy, but it will also create a stronger community here.”
This year, Festival of Nations — the iconic annual event hosted in Tower Grove Park by the International Institute of St. Louis — is thinking big. A celebration of St. Louis’ multiculturalism, the event will showcase the traditions, flavors, sounds, and art of more than 75 nations and expects to welcome more than 150,000 people. Look for GSL CEO Jason Hall and International Institute CEO and President Arrey Obenson on the main stage Saturday at 1 p.m. to kick off the weekend.
Hear Arrey Obenson talk about the Festival of Nation’s role in attracting people — especially younger generations — to St. Louis. Listen In.
FOCUSED ON LOCAL BUSINESS DISTRICTS, GSL GOES TO WATERLOO
Greater St. Louis, Inc. visited Waterloo in Monroe County, Illinois, to meet with local business owners, elected officials, and community leaders — the latest in an effort to highlight all 15 counties in the St. Louis metro. “We are committed to regional growth and believe that the small businesses in the heart of Waterloo are an important part of the region’s future,” said Chris Herrmann, Executive Director of the Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
St. Louis CITY SC unveiled plans recently to build 11 mini soccer pitches over a 15-mile radius around St. Louis, broadening kids’ access to soccer in locations with limited programming. “Not only will the mini-pitches provide an opportunity for residents to play soccer together, but it will also unite the community through the power of sport,” said CITY SC CEO Carolyn Kindle, a GSL board member.
