This Week: GSL Looks to the Work Ahead, Explore St. Louis to Welcome New CEO, Landmark Conference, and Powell Hall Eyes Reopening
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“We Will Succeed by Working Together”: GSL Looks to the Work Ahead
In a recent message for the new year, Dustin Allison, Interim CEO of Greater St. Louis, Inc., acknowledged the momentum the region built together last year. The wins we notched, he said, set the stage for continued success. But our efforts are far from complete, and in 2025, GSL will focus on specific work to advance our mission to help grow the St. Louis region.
“GSL is about all of you and your commitment to this region. GSL is about the concept that we are 15 individual counties that will succeed by working together as one unified and focused region. GSL is about the idea that St. Louis is the best region in the country and deserves a business leadership organization that brings everyone to the table to drive inclusive growth.”
Explore St. Louis to Welcome New CEO, Landmark Conference
Explore St. Louis is hitting the ground running in 2025. St. Louis’ tourism agency announced this week that in February, it will welcome Discover Puerto Rico’s Brad Dean as its new president and CEO. And from 2026 - 2028, it will welcome back the Church of God in Christ's Holy Convocation, bringing 60,000 delegates from around the world to St. Louis annually. Bob Wallace, Explore’s Interim President, called the win “significant,” estimating $250 million in economic impact.
Last week, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed legislation supporting Washington University’s $95 million redevelopment of the former Goodwill Building in the Cortex Innovation District. The package of incentives will help C2N, which has developed blood-based diagnostic tools designed to advance research and patient care for Alzheimer's disease, not only stay in St. Louis, where it was founded, but expand, adding 170 jobs. With a recent $616 million investment to open a world class NeuroscienceResearch Building, WashU, in partnership with BioSTL, is leading a coalition to make St. Louis a leading global neuroscience research hub.
Nearly Complete and Fully Funded, Powell Hall Eyes Reopening
The home of the world-renowned St. Louis Symphony Orchestra — a GSL Investor Council member — will reopen this September, and thanks to the generosity of the St. Louis region, it’s also 97% funded. The Jack C. Taylor Music Center will house not only the performance hall, but also new education and rehearsal spaces.
GSL Joins WashU, BJC to Support Brickline Greenway’s Advancement
Great Rivers Greenway last week announced major support of Brickline Greenway from BJC Health System, Washington University in St. Louis, and GSL. Significant investments from BJC and WashU — both executive-level members of the GSL Chair’s Council — push the $245 million public-private partnership past the halfway-funded mark, providing critical match for future federal funding applications. GSL stepped up its commitment by forming a working group of CEOs to support capital campaign efforts, further ensuring success for the project in 2025.
Opinion: Collaboration is the Path Forward to Address Homelessness
Coordination across the St. Louis region is leading to more effective ways to address homelessness, according to an opinion piece in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch this week, co-written by Bill Etling, Senior Vice President, Nestlé Purina North America, an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council. Housing First STL, a plan to build a new regional system to address homelessness, is the result of metro-wide effort led by East-West Gateway Council of Governments in tandem with partners, including GSL, House Everyone STL, and service providers.
Schnuck Markets, Inc., an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council, is making technology a big part of its store experience. In addition to an Instacart partnership and electronic shelf labels, the grocer is now expanding a program piloting smart carts powered by AI, creating efficiencies, helping customers save money, and exemplifying everyday innovation in St. Louis and beyond.
A partnership between Anheuser-Busch, an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council, and Fenton-based supplement company 1st Phorm will fuel new beverage innovations, the two companies announced this week. The partnership “brings together two American manufacturers with proud St. Louis roots and complementary expertise,” said AB CEO Brendan Whitworth.
Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center St. Louis and Ranken Technical College have issued a general contracting services request for proposal. The deadline for proposal submission is 5 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2025.Access the RFP.
Sweet Spot
With a passion for showstopping painted cakes and from-scratch baked goods, Lia Holter of Made. by Lia is ushering in a new generation of investment in her native North County.
