GSL and the City of St. Louis Announce Bold Action to Address Railway Exchange Building, GSL Endorses Mike Kehoe for Missouri Governor, Wesley Bell for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, and More
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GSL and the City of St. Louis Announce Bold Action to Address Railway Exchange Building
Restoring the core of St. Louis, particularly Downtown, is a key strategic priority called out in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan. To accelerate efforts to revitalize Downtown, the public-private partnership formed in May between Greater St. Louis, Inc. and the City of St. Louis — pledging to deliver a realistic and ambitious plan on two major vacant Downtown properties within 120 days — this week announced bold action on the Railway Exchange Building in Downtown St. Louis.
“Bold action is necessary on these problem properties, and we are working in partnership with the City to address these challenges head-on and quickly,” said Kurt Weigle, GSL’s Chief Downtown Officer.
The City has secured the Railway Exchange's main building and the adjacent parking garage by having a very strong visible presence to deter and prevent crime before it occurs. And it has notified the owners of the Railway Exchange of its intent to acquire the property and put them on notice that if a deal cannot be reached, the City can file a petition for eminent domain.
“The steps taken by the City, coupled with our ongoing work on potential options for Railway Exchange and Millennium, make clear that we are not waiting for the 120-day deadline to come upon us to get to work,” added Weigle.
SINC Thermal Invests $4 Million in St. Charles County Expansion
SINC Thermal, a leading manufacturer of industrial melting furnaces and ovens, announced this week it has relocated its sales, administrative, and manufacturing operations to a 15,000-square-foot facility in O’Fallon, Missouri, investing $4 million in new equipment and creating 25 new jobs. The consolidated facility allows the company, founded in the St. Louis metro, to bring its operations under one roof in St. Charles County and further strengthens the metro’s manufacturing sector.
‘On a Tear’: Influx of Funding Advances Manufacturing Innovation
Thanks to $400 million in federal funding, silicon wafer manufacturer MEMC will be able to add 100 people to its 350-person workforce — and advance manufacturing innovation in St. Charles County. “We have great tech jobs and we should be proud St. Louisans and proud Missourians because of that,” said Scott Drachnik, CEO of the Economic Development Council of St. Charles County. “People don’t realize we have so many high-tech jobs in the Midwest. We’re on a tear.” Drachnik added that MEMC’s latest funding adds to other major investments recently made in the area through Boeing, General Motors, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
GSL Endorses Mike Kehoe for Missouri Governor, Wesley Bell for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District
To succeed in our mission of driving inclusive economic growth in the St. Louis metro, we must have partners in Jefferson City and Washington, D.C., who agree that growth is the top priority.
In the extraordinarily important Aug. 6 Missouri primary contests for Governor and the First Congressional District, GSL is putting a stake in the ground and publicly supporting two candidates who share our belief that economic growth must be the top priority for the metro. Those candidates are Mike Kehoe for Governor and Wesley Bell for Congress.
To be clear, these are two very different candidates. Kehoe is a conservative Republican. Bell is a progressive Democrat. We know we won’t agree on every issue – and we don’t expect to. However, we are confident we can find common ground on issues relating to jobs and economic development, and work together to put Missouri and St. Louis on the right track.
Our CEO Jason Hall recently explained GSL’s support for Kehoe and Bell in opinion columns published in the St. Louis Business Journal. Please take a moment to read why GSL is supporting these two candidates, and please make sure to make a plan to vote this Aug. 6 and in this November’s general election.
National news magazine Newsweek recentlyshowcased Gateway South, a transformational, 95-acre multi-phase redevelopment planned for Downtown St. Louis. "Gateway South embodies our objectives by revitalizing an industrial legacy area, creating jobs for marginalized communities, and driving economic growth,” said Neal Richardson, Chairman, President & CEO of the St. Louis Development Corporation. “It's a significant opportunity for St. Louis to become a premier manufacturing hub."
Winning STL: Bob O’Loughlin Knows Potential When He Sees It
Bob O’Loughlin, Chairman and CEO of Lodging Hospitality Management, an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council, joined St. Louis Post-Dispatch Publisher Ian Caso for the latest edition of Winning STL, discussing his commitment to and investment in St. Louis. LHM owns and operates 18 hotels, 14 restaurants, 7 attractions, and more, including St. Louis Union Station.
“I looked at St. Louis and said, whoa, there’s potential here. It’s just a matter of getting behind that potential and promoting it and taking pride in it,” said O’Loughlin. “I think everybody who lives here should work as a region… We need to come together and say, ‘We’re St. Louis.’”
The St. Louis region is at a “pivot point” said Ron Kruszewski, Chairman and CEO of Stifel Financial Corp., an investor-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council, and investing some of the Rams settlement funds in Downtown projects is “a requirement” to succeed in retaining and attracting businesses.
“If you have this money and then you decide not to invest in the development of downtown, then as a person who comes down here for my 27 years I’ve been in St. Louis, that’s a message," Kruszewski said. Stifel has had its headquarters in downtown St. Louis since 1890.
With restoring the core of St. Louis, particularly Downtown, a top strategic priority called out in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan, Greater St. Louis, Inc. is leading an effort to use some of the funds from the Rams settlement to invest in critical infrastructure projects in North St. Louis City and Downtown.
The largest gathering of entrepreneurs and small business owners in the St. Louis region, STL Startup Week 2024 — Nov. 11-15, 2024 — is searching for speakers to explore this year’s theme, “Venture Boldly.” Applications are due Aug. 9.
With three successful cafes opened in four years, Latte Lounge owner and entrepreneur Nyshaun Harvey is bringing coffee and community to the St. Louis metro. And that’s only the beginning.
