Winning the Decade: Bruce Katz Talks with Jason Hall About Making Progress to 2030, Cardinals Projected to Generate More Than $310M in Economic Impact, And More
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Pictured: Bruce Katz previews the STL 2030 Progress website at the 2023 Inclusive Economic Growth Summit
Winning the Decade: Bruce Katz Talks with GSL CEO Jason Hall About Making Progress to 2030
In a new interview, Bruce Katz, architect of the STL 2030 Jobs Plan, talks to Greater St. Louis, Inc. CEO Jason Hall about the decision to create GSL, the mechanisms and leadership that brought it to life, and the remarkable results that emerge when a region works together.
“We have spent decades managing decline and our community is now ready to spur growth. Our aspirations are exceedingly high, forcing us out of our comfort zones,” Hall said. “The bottom line is that the St. Louis metropolis must grow in population and gross metropolitan product. But that growth must look different from the past decades. It must benefit more places and more people.
Cardinals Projected to Generate More Than $310M in Economic Impact
It’s baseball season, and the St. Louis Cardinals will hit home runs on and off the field this year. GSL and Explore St. Louis today released an analysis estimating the Cardinals will generate more than $310 million in economic impact for the St. Louis metro during the 2024 season. The team is helping to drive “energy, vibrancy, investment, and growth in Downtown St. Louis and across the metro.”
New Accelerator to Springboard Small Businesses to Schnucks’ Shelves
Schnucks Markets, Inc., an executive-level member of the GSL Chair's Council, announced this week the launch of a new accelerator program to help grow businesses owned by diverse founders. In partnership with Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council, Schnucks Springboard offers a 10-week program followed by monthly classes, as well as an in-store product trial, giving small businesses an opportunity to try out their products on the shelves of one of the region’s largest privately-owned companies.
“Good Healthcare Starts with a Job”: BJC and SSM Join Forces with Shared Laundry Facility
SSM Health and BJC HealthCare — both executive-level members of the GSL Chair’s Council and members of the St. Louis Anchor Action Network — have formed a joint venture to build and operate a regional laundry facility that will better meet the health systems’ needs, while bringing economic development and new jobs to under-resourced communities in the city of St. Louis.
“We often say ‘good healthcare starts with a job,’” said Tom Harvieux, BJC Vice President and Chief Supply Officer, “and creating economic development in the community and reinvesting with our purchasing and hiring dollars really make St. Louis and our larger community a better place to be.”
Investing in the Future: GSL Hosts St. Louis Community Foundation
This week, GSL welcomed the senior leadership team of the St. Louis Community Foundation, which shared their new strategic plan and how their priorities overlap with the STL 2030 Jobs Plan. “This meeting is the start of a new partnership with an important community stakeholder,” said Margaret Onken, GSL’s Chief Engagement Officer.
The crowds and fervor around St. Louis CITY SC are having a big economic impact for St. Louis’ midtown businesses. Taxable sales collected in the zip code surrounding CITYPARK totaled nearly $441 million in 2023 — over $73 million more than the year before.
Metro Leaders Advance Plan to Address Violent Crime in the Region
A coalition of government leaders from across the St. Louis metro have advanced a plan — called Save Lives Now — to reduce homicides in the region by 20% over the next three years. The effort to bring regional leaders together to address the homicide crisis stemmed from calls last year by the metro’s business leadership for a coordinated, collaborative regional action strategy.
“Reducing violent crime in the metro is a top priority and is critical to our efforts to get the region growing again,” said Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis, Inc. “The business community spearheaded the effort to take action on this crisis and we are pleased to see leaders from across the bi-state metro come together and work collaboratively on a comprehensive solution.”
Old Courthouse Restoration Project Gets Federal Attention and $17M
U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited St. Louis last week to discuss investments in Missouri — and award Gateway Arch National Park $17 million in funding from the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act. The federal dollars will contribute to the interior renovations of the Old Courthouse, intended to make the historic building more modern and accessible.
After 96 Years, St. Louis American Continues Its Mission
President and Publisher Donald Suggs — a GSL Board Member —catalogs the 96-year history of the St. Louis American in a new editorial for the historic Black newspaper. “In the spirit of our founders, we will remain steadfast in using our platforms to help foster equity and inclusion,” writes Suggs.
STLMade Agtech Startup Beats 200+ Other Firms to Win $750K
Impetus Ag — a St. Louis start-up founded in 2018 — has won a $750,000 investment as runner-up in an international contest staged by UPL, an agriculture and food investment firm. One of 237 applicants, Impetus exemplifies the innovative startups coming out of St. Louis, and attributes its win in part to the support it received from other St. Louis companies and organizations.
HSSU Entrepreneurship Center to Give Start-Ups a Boost
Harris-Stowe State University will open a new, $4.9 million entrepreneurship center just north of its campus in Midtown this summer. The Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship will serve both students and entrepreneurs and offer programming by the university's Minority Entrepreneurship Collaborative Center for Advancement.
By supporting first-time entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities, Cortex’s Square One programs, led by Ben Molina and Gabriela Ramirez-Arellano, is bringing inclusive economic growth to the St. Louis metro.
