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COMMERCE COMMENTS
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Monsanto is
one of the foundations of and supporters in making the St. Louis
region a world-class center for plant and life sciences research,
investment and business opportunity. This 100-year-old corporate
leader has invested substantially in building the technology infrastructure
for the BioBelt. Most recently Monsanto has been instrumental in
establishing the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the Nidus
Center business incubator.
Monsanto is a leading provider of agricultural products to farmers.
They make Roundup, the world’s best-selling herbicide, and other
crop protection chemicals. They produce leading seed brands, including
Dekalb and Asgrow, and offer seeds improved through biotechnology.
Their unique products help farmers improve productivity and reduce
the costs of farming.
Behind this life sciences trail blazer is their leader, Hendrik
Verfaillie, president and CEO since March 2000, when Pharmacia &
Upjohn acquired Monsanto. Belgian born, Verfaillie has been with
the company close to 26 years.
When Monsanto spins off from Pharmacia in July 2002, Monsanto will
once again be a Fortune 500 player with headquarters in St. Louis,
increasing the region’s total number of Fortune 500 companies to
nine.
This month’s profile is an opportunity to get to know Enterprise
Rent-A-Car’s Senior Vice President/North American Operations, Pam
Nicholson. Enterprise ranked number 22 on the 2001 Forbes Private
500. They are the largest rental car company in North America,
with fiscal revenue in 2001 of $6.3 billion. Nicholson has been
with the company for 20 years and in several key posts. She now
oversees more than 45,000 employees, 500,000 rental cars, 100,000
fleet services vehicles and 4,500 locations.
In other St. Louis Commerce Magazine news, Kevin Kipp’s Many
Rivers to Cross tackles tough transportation issues. The story
talks about the fact that Missouri hasn’t invested enough money
in its transportation, particularly with respect to highways, bridges
and transit. The RCGA and area business leaders have made Missouri’s
transportation infrastructure a priority for the 2002 legislative
session. Our future as a regional and national player in the global
economy depends on our investment in transportation infrastructure.
The entire 2002 Legislative program is outlined in RCGAction.
And lastly, don’t miss It Takes Money, which features venture
capital firms—Capital For Business, Prolog Ventures, Oakwood Medical
Investors, Auxyn, Key Principal Partners and RiverVest Venture Partners.
It also highlights InvestMidwest a venture capital forum for high
growth and technology companies. The third annual InvestMidwest
will take place May 20 and 21 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Clayton.
This outstanding showcase offers promising, high-growth businesses
the opportunity to impress local, regional and national venture
capital sources.
Richard C.D. Fleming
President and Chief Executive Officer
St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association
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