GSL’s 2024 Inclusive Growth Summit Underlines the Impact of Collaboration, GRG's Susan Trautman: “St. Louis will be well on the rise again”, and more
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“Together We Win”: GSL’s 2024 Inclusive Growth Summit Underlines the Impact of Collaboration
This week, Greater St. Louis, Inc. brought together leaders from across the 15-county bi-state St. Louis metro for the second Inclusive Economic Growth Summit, where they discussed how bold and innovative forms of collaboration are necessary to drive inclusive economic growth.
The Summit featured panel discussions with regional leaders and a fireside chat with national expert on inclusive growth Dr. Xavier de Souza Briggs, Brookings Metro Senior Fellow.
“Our work is all about bringing the business community together, ending the fragmentation and internal competition that has plagued our region for far too long, and working as one metro with a unified voice committed to growth,” said Jason Hall, Greater St. Louis, Inc. CEO. “More critically, we work to drive inclusive growth so that everyone in our metro has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of race, zip code, or any other factor.”
Click through below to experience the Summit through photos, quotes, and more.
Community Colleges Stepping Up to Meet Workforce Needs
Community colleges play a major role in the St. Louis metro’s educational landscape, offering affordable, accessible degree and training options for students of all ages and backgrounds. Schools like St. Louis Community College and Jefferson College — both GSL Investors — have recently ramped up investment in workforce development, designing infrastructure and curriculum that prepare students for work in high-growth industries.
A Collinsville, Illinois, school district is investing $21.5 million in the expansion of the Collinsville Area Vocational Center, a two-year, public vocational training center where students from 10 area schools receive hands-on technical skills training. School leaders cite increased demand as the impetus; the expansion will allow CAVC to grow programs and enrollment both.
Great Rivers Greenway’s Susan Trautman: “St. Louis will be well on the rise again”
As Susan Trautman, retiring CEO of GSL Investor Council Member Great Rivers Greenway, considers the legacy of the organization she will have helmed for 15 years, she’s hopeful about the legacy she leaves behind — and what the metro has to look forward to.
“I'm confident even by 2030 that St. Louis will be well on the rise again,” she told St. Louis Public Radio in a recent interview. “Not only our efforts but our partnership with Greater St. Louis Inc., the work we're doing with the mayor's office and with partners across the region, I think people really understand how important it is to make sure that the city thrives, and I'm confident that's going to happen, because so many people are in the boat, rowing the oar in the same direction.”
John Simmons is bullish on Alton, Illinois. The founder of AltonWorks, an economic development group that aims to make the town a “healthy, thriving, walkable city,” he has big plans to transform it from river town to national tourism destination. Among his projects: three distinct downtown districts, the Wedge Innovation Center, and a transformation of the Mississippi riverfront.
A partnership between the Regional Arts Commission, a GSL Investor Council member, and media nonprofit Continuity will support film and TV creators through $500,000 in grants. The St. Louis Film Project aims to grow the visual media industry in St. Louis. “St. Louis is a really good place for someone that is just starting out trying to get their feet wet and figure out what they want to do inside of the film and television and media space,” said TV producer Michael D. Francis.
Oct. 22: Local Chambers to Come Together to Connect, Collaborate at Economic Outlook Breakfast
Business owners and leaders will gather Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel for the 2024 St. Louis Area Chambers Economic Outlook Breakfast, an annual event that brings together chamber members from across the 15-county metro. This year’s event will feature Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer and Head of Strategic Advocacy, for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“Individual membership in a local chamber is more powerful and more impactful when the business community works together to help shape the trajectory of our economy,” said Margaret Onken, Chief Engagement Officer for GSL, an underwriting partner for the event.
The grandson of Charles Lindbergh has moved the Lindbergh Foundation, a nonprofit bearing his grandfather’s name, to a new home in St. Louis’ 39 North innovation district. The move comes as the nonprofit prepares for the centennial of Lindbergh’s storied flight from New York to Paris in the Spirit of St. Louis. "He stuck [in St. Louis] because he found this incredible camaraderie, and we've found that that spirit is alive, well and thriving in the innovation and exploration mindset of the business community there," said CEO Erik Lindbergh.
United Way of Greater St. Louis Community-Wide Campaign is Underway
For more than 100 years, United Way of Greater St. Louis — a GSL Investor Council member — has united businesses, individuals, and the local community behind a mission to help people live their best possible lives. The annual campaign helps more than 1 million people across the region and equips more than 160 nonprofits with consistent funding — efforts that reduce barriers to prosperity and complement GSL's inclusive economic growth efforts.
Jefferson Arms Redevelopment Expected to Open in 2025
The renovation of the historic Jefferson Arms is now 70% complete, developer Alterra Worldwide said, with an anticipated opening this coming spring. The renovated building will feature an A.C. Marriott Hotel with 225 rooms and 235 luxury residences, as well as retail offerings. The renovations are an example of the many proposals, projects, and developments planned to make Downtown St. Louis safe, vibrant, and beautiful.
