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St.
Louis business has been tied to shoes since the 1950s and this
industry is still an important part of the region’s economy. While
most people think of manufacturing when they hear “booze and shoes,”
design represents a significant piece of the footwear industry.
One of the key players, Elan-Polo, a shoe importer and designer,
reported sales of $245 million to retailers in 1998. Founded by
German immigrant and self-made entrepreneur Paul Cahn in 1976,
and ranked 44th on the list of the largest privately held companies,
Elan-Polo is the subject of this month’s cover story.
Cahn, has a unique approach to hiring, analogous to baseball’s
farm system. Instead of signing superstar free agents, he brings
in college graduates and trains them. One such employee, Michael
Rich, who has been with the company six years, has certainly been
a credit to his employer. According to Maxine Clark, chief executive
of Build-A-Bear, Rich took the initiative to propose bear-sized
shoes to the innovative retailer. Gumption like this keeps St.
Louis entrepreneurs in the forefront.
This month’s profile subject, Ruby Harriman shows gumption, too.
She is the founder and CEO of a thriving, community-based education
center, specializing in computer technology and employment readiness
training for welfare recipients, the disadvantaged and the chronically
unemployed. Shortly after her husband died, this suddenly single
mom had to either find a job or start a business. She chose the
later.
The same spirit gave Nancy Hunot the confidence to leave Thompson
Coburn LLP’s IT department earlier this year to start WhoKnowsMinis.com,
a retail miniature dollhouse furniture site on the Internet. She
is one of three St. Louis-based entrepreneurs featured in Trends
on page 78, who have founded Internet companies based on a hobby
or life passion, taking risks ranging from leaving a stable job
to investing what little money they have in a chancy venture.
And lastly, this issue highlights a recently-launched public/private
partnership to address the region’s work force development needs
(p. 37), as well as the findings from an independent analysis
conducted by Paragon Decision Resources, Inc., assessing the region’s
labor force. While the report is positive overall, it does highlight
some areas of concern if St. Louis is to maintain a competitive
work force.
In fact, a number of the recommendations offered by Paragon are
already part of the goals incorporated in the region’s emerging
work force development plan.
Richard C.D. Fleming
President and Chief Executive Officer
St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association
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