Cardinals, Battlehawks, CITY SC Fill City’s Core This Weekend, WashU: In St. Louis for St. Louis, And Refugees “Empowered” Through New Professional Skills Program
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“Optimistic About Downtown”: Cardinals, Battlehawks, CITY SC Fill City’s Core This Weekend
The St. Louis Cardinals are ready to play ball — and Downtown St. Louis is prepared to welcome 100,000 fans throughout this weekend, thanks to the Cardinals home-opener series, the Battlehawks home opener, a CITY SC match, and a sold-out concert. Business owners welcome the influx of people as a chance to showcase all that Downtown has to offer.
“We have always been optimistic about Downtown,” said David Etling, general manager of Hi-Point Drive-In, which sees 60% more business on event days. “We think Downtown is thriving just with everything going on.”
Washington University in St. Louis — an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council — has opened the new WashU Community Engagement Office in the Delmar DivINe to support its community-focused work, alongside a new website to serve as a hub for engagement and partnership. “I’ve said many times that WashU must not only be in St. Louis — it must be for St. Louis as well,” said Chancellor Andrew Martin.
Refugees “Empowered” Through New Professional Skills Program
A new, tuition-free program will help refugees develop language and professional skills to succeed in healthcare and other high-demand industries. Offered through WashU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, the 26-week "Empower: Career Success for Refugees" initiative was developed to compliment offerings and programs from other immigrant service providers and will help connect talent to opportunity.
Fashion Fund Brings Big Names — and Awareness — to Local Industry
In honor of its 10th anniversary, the Saint Louis Fashion Fund celebrated this week with a series of high-profile events that brought big names in fashion to St. Louis. The organization, which champions the local fashion industry as an economic driver for the region, hosted its "Conversation with Michael Kors," later honoring the American fashion designer with its Saint Louis Fashion Fund Award.
A day later, the Fashion Fund and the City of St. Louis honored native Karlie Kloss — an international fashion model and entrepreneur — with her own street sign at 16th and Washington Avenue. Alongside local media coverage, Vogue celebrated with Kloss’ very own guide to St. Louis.
Paric Holdings, one of the region’s largest privately held companies and an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council, has named Kyle Lopez as its new CEO. Lopez succeeds Joe McKee, who will transition to the role of chairman.
Greater St. Louis, Inc. this week led a delegation of investors and regional leaders to Jefferson City, where the group met with members of the Missouri legislature as part of GSL’s annual Day at the Missouri Capitol — an opportunity to personally connect with legislators and advocate for public policy priorities.
GSL, SLDC Launch New Incentives to Attract Retail Businesses to Downtown
New pop-up shops with local vendors. Families enjoying dinner in new outdoor seating outside local restaurants. A major national retail chain opening their first store. These are the types of things Downtown residents, workers, and visitors will see as a result of the new incentives Greater St. Louis, Inc. and the St. Louis Development Corporation have partnered on to attract retail businesses to Downtown St. Louis.
“Downtown St. Louis is a dynamic market, but it needs more retail activity,” said Kurt Weigle, Chief Downtown Officer for Greater St. Louis, Inc. “The incentives on which we are partnering with SLDC are designed to attract high-quality businesses of all sizes to the heart of the St. Louis metro.”
The best chef in the Midwest just might be in St. Louis, according to the James Beard Foundation. Rob Connoley of Bulrush is a finalist for “Best Chef: Midwest” — his first James Beard Award nomination — an honor that will be announced this summer.
STL TechWeek returns next week for the second year, expanding its programming to 50 events at 30 venues. Regional tech council TechSTL, which organizes the week, anticipates thousands more attendees to explore trends, topics, and innovations in tech.
