Compiled by Lauri Johnson
ISC CONTRACTING COMPLETES CONSTRUCTION OF FLAMINGO BOWL
Local developer, entrepreneur, and restaurateur Joe Edwards has opened his third bowling alley/martini lounge in St. Louis, and this time he's chosen the St. Louis loft district for his new venture, The Flamingo Bowl.
General contractor ISC Contracting carved out a space for the bowling alley on the ground floor of a historic warehouse building on Washington Avenue. The construction team dealt with some unique challenges since the 1896-model warehouse was not originally intended to house a bowling alley. Among the obstacles was a 30-inch thick load-bearing wall that divided the alley. Architects from Kiku Obata and Co. creatively used the wall to create two separate areas for bowlingÑone with four lanes and the other with eight. The contractor also had to create a ceiling that would buffer the lofts on the floors above from the rumblings of the bowling alley.
ISC Contracting specializes in the construction of corporate interiors, tenant finishes and other construction projects throughout the St. Louis area.
GRAY DESIGN GROUP RECEIVES BEST OF 2007 AWARDS OF MERIT
Gray Design Group has received two Awards of Merit from McGraw-Hill ConstructionÕs Best of 2007 Awards ceremony held in Chicago. The awards recognize the best construction and design projects in 2007 as determined by a jury of local, prominent industry professionals. Gray Design Group was honored for its work on the American Power Conversion Technology Learning Center and Dr. Judith Gurley Plastic Surgery, both located in St. Louis.
GEOTECHNOLOGY GROUP REACHES SAFETY MILESTONE
Construction materials testing group of Geotechnology Inc. recently reached 3,000 consecutive workdays with no lost-time accidents. Essentially, the group maintained an excellent safety record for more than 9.5 years while logging more than 57,000 man-days on construction sites throughout the Midwest and traveling nearly 4.8 million vehicle miles.
"This is truly a remarkable accomplishment," stated John Baker, P.E., senior vice president and manager of the Construction Materials Testing Group. "It's a testament to Geotechnology's commitment to job safety that this group of professionals provided high quality services while complying with safety guidelines for confined space entry, trench safety, the use of scaffolding, ladders and harnesses, sight and hearing protection, burn protection, severe heat and cold, and driving safety."
Geotechnology offers consulting services in applied earth and environmental sciences.
ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR CEO ANDY TAYLOR & DANFORTH PLANT SCIENCE CENTER AMONG HONOREES FOR PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL BRIDGE BUILDERS AWARD
Congratulations to Enterprise Rent-A-Car Chairman, President and CEO Andy Taylor and his colleagues at Enterprise, as well as their civic partners, the National Arbor Day Foundation; the U.S. Forest Service; the Institute for Renewable Fuels; and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, on being recipients on Thursday, April 10th in Washington of the prestigious Bridge Builders Award. This 10th annual event, presented by Partners for Livable Communities, a national leadership organization, has been sponsored since its inception by Anheuser-Busch.
Others receiving the 2008 Bridge Builder Awards, which will be presented at the
historic Willard Hotel at the April 10th Gala
in Washington, include former Governors Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey and Parris Glendening of Maryland; the Enterprise Foundation of Maryland, established by the late legendary urban planner and developer Jim Rouse; and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nœ–ez.
In addition, Bridge Builder Awards will be presented to: TPG Capital; Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.; Environmental Defense; the Natural Resources Defense Council; and to Bill Reilly, EPA Administrator in the George H.W. Bush Administration.
INVESTMENTS IN MADISION & ST. CLAIR COUNTIES APPROACH $9 BILLION
The Leadership Council's 2006-2007 Market Review and Investment Update shows that the development pipeline in Southwestern Illinois has reached a record high of nearly $9 billion. The total value of projects announced, under construction or completed during the reporting period that ended Sept. 30, 2007, represents an increase of more than 100 percent over the prior period.
Although significant increases were seen in all sectors, the industrial sector posted the largest annual percentage increase, rising from $2.3 billion to more than $6.2 billion. Announced industrial projects include the ConocoPhillips coker, the $1 billion dollar AirPark planned by Martin Aviation Group at Downtown St. Louis Airport in Cahokia, and the $350 million in planned investments at U.S. Steel's Granite City Works.
In the commercial sector, nearly $650 million is being spent on projects that are under construction and another $333 million in new investments has been announced. Projects totaling $400 million already have been completed.
Here are other highlights from the report:
Office/professional investments grew by nearly 200 percent since last year's report, surpassing $177 million.
Investments of $440 million in educational assets represent an increase of nearly
50 percent compared to the prior year.
The amount spent on tourism in our region has grown steadily from $586.49 million in 2002 to $671.53 million in 2006.
Transportation projects worth a total of $311 million were completed over the five-year period that ended Sept. 30, 2007.
The 2006-2007 Market Review and Investment Update is available online at www.siteselection-il.com.
OCULUS DEVELOPS NEW ARCHITECTURAL PROTOTYPE
FOR FUTURE KINDERCARE CENTERS NATIONWIDE
Oculus Inc. has been selected by Knowledge Learning Corporation of Portland, Ore., to develop a new branded prototype design model for future KinderCare early childhood education centers across the United States.
Oculus, an architecture and consulting services firm, will provide drawings, specifications and engineering criteria that will be used nationwide as the basis of design for permit and construction purposes.
Knowledge Learning Corporation is a national early childhood care and education company that operates centers under the names KinderCare, Mulberry, ChildrenÕs World and others.
UGANDA TO HOST WORLD AGRICULTURAL FORUMÕS FIRST AFRICAN CONGRESS
The St. Louis-based World Agricultural Forum will hold its first African Congress in the Republic of Uganda on Sept. 3-5, 2008, in Kampala. The Congress agenda, being developed by Africans, will bring together recognized leaders from the developed and developing worlds who will discuss, debate and propose ways in which agriculture can drive economic development in Africa.
"It was a high priority of the World Agricultural Forum to host an African Congress," said the Right Honorable James Bolger, ONZ, former prime minister of New Zealand and ambassador to the United States, and current chairman of the World Agricultural Forum Advisory Board. "The Congress will focus on action plans for advancing Africa's agricultural supply chain, agribusinesses, trade policies and related sectors so as to enable sustainable agriculture to increase economic opportunities for African farmers and their communities."
The World Agricultural Forum is a neutral, global organization providing all countries and sectors an equal voice for the discussion of agriculture policies and strategies.
RUTH SERGENIAN JOINS ST. LOUIS RCGA AS DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC POLICY & ANALYSIS
Ruth Sergenian joins the RCGA as Director of Economic Policy & Analysis bringing over 20 years of real estate market research, and economic and community development consulting experience. Prior to joining the RCGA she spent 8 years as an analyst and project manager with RegionWise, a regional research center at Saint Louis University's School of Education and Public Service.
She also worked with Development Strategies in St. Louis. Her work included conducting market studies, economic and fiscal impact analyses for housing and commercial developments, and neighborhood revitalization projects around the country. Clients included non-profit organizations, development companies, business organizations, and government agencies.
Prior to moving to St. Louis, Ruth was the Director of Commercial Real Estate Research at the National Association of Realtors in Washington D.C. During her tenure with the Realtors, she oversaw the publication of three editions of The National Real Estate Review. She held the position of Senior Associate with REIS Reports in New York, where she researched and wrote about commercial real estate markets around the nation for institutional clients. Ruth has also worked for real estate development firms in St. Louis and Lansing, Mich.
Volunteer efforts include holding officer positions in the St. Louis Chapter of the American Statistical Association from 2002 and being the chapter president in 2005. She is a member of the United Way Research Committee.
Ruth succeeds Brian Bezold, who served 7 years as RCGA's Chief Economist, before being recruited to a similar position at Ameren.
Ruth has a bachelor's degree in psychology from SUNY at Stony Brook and a Master's Degree in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan.
TWO SAINT LOUIS ZOO CONSERVATION PROGRAMS
NAMED INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS STORIES FOR 2007
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has selected two of the Saint Louis Zoo's conservation programs for its Top 10 Wildlife Conservation Success Stories of 2007. The zoo's conservation efforts with lemurs in Madagascar and with Grevy's zebra in Kenya and Ethiopia earned the recognition. Both programs are part of the zoo's WildCare Institute conservation initiative.
"We are thrilled to be recognized for our important conservation work," stated Saint Louis Zoo President Jeffrey Bonner. ÒThe Saint Louis Zoo's WildCare Institute focuses its efforts in 12 conservation programs around the world, and we are very proud that two of them were recognized in this year's ÔTop 10Õ list.Ó
The Saint Louis Zoo serves as the world headquarters for the Madagascar Fauna Group, an international consortium of zoos and other institutions that coordinated the release of captive-born black-and-white ruffed lemurs to the Betampona Natural Reserve in Eastern Madagascar. The released lemurs are being monitored and have fared well so far, with four offspring born from four reintroduced lemurs.
The zoo has also collaborated with African conservation organizations and other international zoos to spread awareness of Grevy's zebra around the world. Across their range in Kenya and Ethiopia, Grevy's zebras are threatened by poaching and competition from livestock, but efforts to raise awareness have been paying off and benefiting the wild populations.
WELLSTON
ENTERPRISE CENTER GRADUATES 3 ENTREPRENUERS
On Dec. 13, the St. Louis Enterprise Centers graduated three client companies from their incubator in Wellston, Mo., making room for other small businesses. The new graduates are BRK Electrical, GSM Development LLC and Trackers Communications LLC.
County Executive Charlie A. Dooley,
St. Louis County Economic Council President & CEO Denny Coleman, and Edward Jones Principal Emily Pitts spoke at the event and recognized the graduating business owners.
Under the guidance of the St. Louis County Economic Council, the Wellston St. Louis Enterprise Center is one of three centers that provide start-up companies with affordable office and warehouse space, shared support services, access to expert advice and mentors, and valuable networking opportunities.
ACADEMY OF SCIENCEÑST. LOUIS ANNOUNCES
OUTSTANDING SCIENTIST AWARDS
The Academy of Science-St. Louis has announced the winners of the 14th annual Outstanding St. Louis Scientist Awards and will honor them at a dinner on April 16, 2008.
Peter H. Raven Lifetime Award
William S. Knowles, Ph.D., 2001 winner of the Nobel Prize winner in chemistry and a Monsanto Distinguished Science Fellow
Corporate Science Leadership Award
Monsanto
Individual Science Leadership Award
Dr. Charles Kilo,
clinical professor
of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine
Fellows Award
Martin Israel, Ph.D., a professor of physics at Washington University
Trustees' Award
Paul Markovits, Ph.D., science and math
coordinator for the Pattonville
School District
Paul Young, Ph.D.,
clinical professor at Saint Louis University Medical School
James B. Eads Award
Dr. Sherman Silber,
a pioneer in microsurgery and infertility whose major clinical medical practice is at
St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis
Science Educator Award
John Rigden, Ph.D., honorary professor of physics at Washington University
Harold Messler, criminalistics manager of the St. Louis Crime Laboratory
Innovation Award
Sonya Bahar, Ph.D., director of the Center for Neurodynamics and assistant professor of biophysics at the University of Missouri-St. Louis
Tickets to the awards dinner are available through the Academy of Science-St. Louis office by calling 314-533-8291.
MERGED LAW FIRMS ANNOUNCE NEW NAME
Upon completion of the merger between Husch & Eppenberger LLC and Blackwell Sanders LLP, the official new name of the law firm will be Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP.
"The firm name was decided by the flip of a coin because we felt that in a true merger of equals this was the most fair way to determine the new name," stated Joseph P. Conran, co-chairman of the new firm.
The new firm now offers commercial litigation and business services with approximately 630 attorneys.
ST. LOUIS RANKS NO. 6 IN NATIONAL LITERACY STUDY
The city of St. Louis ranked No. 6 in literacy among the nation's largest cities, according to the 2007 America's Most Literate Cities study conducted by the Center for Public Policy and Social Research at Central Connecticut State University.
The study ranked the 69 largest cities (those with populations of 250,000 or greater) in the United States according to six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment and Internet resources.
St. Louis' overall score was boosted by second-place finishes in the library category and the periodical publishers category. In other categories, St. Louis finished No. 5 in booksellers, No. 50 in education, No. 5 in Internet resources and No. 6 in newspaper circulation.
The complete study is available at www.ccsu.edu/AMLC07/overview.htm.
DUNKIN' DONUTS
ENTERS
ST. LOUIS MARKET
Dunkin' Donuts has launched a national expansion campaign that will bring an
estimated 100 franchise locations to the
St. Louis area over the next several years. The company is actively seeking franchisees to own and operate a minimum of five new restaurants in St. Louis, with additional opportunities available in the surrounding counties in Missouri and Illinois.
"To fulfill our national expansion goals, Dunkin' Donuts is looking for developers with a strong organization and the ability
to manage multiple restaurants effectively and successfully in the St. Louis market," stated Lynette McKee, Dunkin' Donuts vice president of franchising and business development. "We also look for some prior restaurant operations and real estate development experience."
In an effort to keep the brand fresh and competitive, DunkinÕ Donuts offers franchisees a variety of designs and venues, including free-standing stores, sites within shopping centers and convenience stores, and other retail environments. DunkinÕ Donuts sells more donuts and bagels than any other quick-service restaurant and is the leading retailer of hot and iced coffee in America, according to the company.
WESTIN ST. LOUIS AWARDED AAA FOUR DIAMOND HONOR
The Westin St. Louis has been honored for the sixth consecutive year as an AAA Four Diamond Award winner. The Westin St. Louis is one of five 2008 AAA Four Diamond hotels in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Located adjacent to Busch Stadium and the future Ballpark Village, The Westin St. Louis includes 255 rooms plus The Clark Street Grill and Bar, meeting rooms, ballroom facilities and the Solera Spa.
ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE'S WILDWOOD CAMPUS IS "GOOD AS GOLD"
St. Louis Community College has announced that its environmentally friendly campus in Wildwood, Mo., is the largest community college facility in the United States to receive a U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The LEED rating system is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance "green" buildings. Gold is the second-highest obtainable rating.
Wildwood's sustainable features make the 75,000-square-foot facility 30 percent more energy- and water-efficient than a typical code-compliant building of the same size. The following special features contribute to the facility's efficiency:
— T-shaped windows that allow more natural light in, as well as light shelves to reflect light further into rooms. The lighting system automatically balances to accommodate variations in natural light.
— A sedum roof that overcomes the Òheat islandÓ effect from the building by reflecting heat from summer sunlight and insulating the building in winter.
— Parking lot plug-ins for electric cars.
— East-west solar orientation to fully capitalize on sunlight for heating, cooling and natural light.
— A one-quarter-acre retention pond landscaped with trees, bushes and native prairie grass.
— Four cisterns that can capture up to 80,000 gallons of rainwater to be used for irrigation and drought-resistant landscaping.
Design partners for the Wildwood campus are William B. Ittner Inc., architect; William Tao and Associates Inc., engineer; David Mason and Associates, civil engineer; KWAME Building Group Inc., project manager; and L.A. Schaefer Construction Inc., contractor.
YOUTH IN NEED HONORS THE NEWBERRYS
AT ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF YOUTH
Youth In Need has named Brenda and Maurice Newberry, owners of The Newberry Group Inc., as the honorees for the 2008 Celebration of Youth dinner and auction held at the Ameristar Casino Resort Spa in St. Charles. The Newberrys are long-time Youth In Need supporters and members of the organization's capital campaign committee.
"Youth In Need is extremely proud to be honoring Brenda and Maurice Newberry at its 2008 Celebration of Youth," stated Jim Braun, Youth In Need's president and CEO. "They are terrific examples of highly successful people whose efforts make the community stronger, especially for children and families. The Newberrys have developed their business into a premier information technology firm, and along the way have generously supported Youth In Need and many other helping organizations with their time, talent and financial resources."
Each year, Youth In Need serves more than 9,000 children, teens and families in Eastern Missouri with residential treatment, outreach, early-childhood, educational and counseling programs.
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION WILL HOLD
ST. LOUIS START! HEART WALK IN MAY
The American Heart Association will host this year's Start! Heart Walk on Saturday, May 3, 2008, at three locations in the St. Louis area to raise money for medical research and to promote physical activity and a heart-healthy lifestyle. The three-mile fun walk will be held at Forest Park in St. Louis; Frontier Park in St. Charles, Mo.; and GCS Stadium in Sauget, Ill.
Many area businesses are promoting employee health and wellness by organizing company walking teams, which have been the backbone of Heart Walk's fundraising success. The event will also feature exhibit booths where walkers can experience the passion of survivor stories, receive health screenings, learn health and diet tips, get kids moving through fun activities, and enjoy great entertainment. Participants of all ages are invited to join in the walk.
Funds raised from this event will help sponsor local medical research and educational programs. Currently in St. Louis, there are 11 research projects being funded that total $8.9 million dollars. For information on how to get your company involved, please call the American Heart Association at 314-692-5637 or visit www.heartwalk.kintera.org/stlouis.
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