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Compiled by
Lauri Johnson
SOLAE COMPANY PLANS TO RELOCATE HEADQUARTERS
TO CORTEX
Tony
Arnold, president and CEO, The Solae Company
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The Solae Company has broken ground for its new $40 million global
headquarters in the Center of Research Technology and Entrepreneurial
Expertise (CORTEX) by the second half of 2008. The soy ingredient
manufacturer currently employs 400 people in downtown St. Louis
near Tucker and Chouteau and in Hazelwood’s Lambert Point industrial
park. The company plans to anchor the midtown campus with a new
multimillion-dollar research center near Boyle Avenue and Forest
Park Parkway.
“Food manufacturers across the world are increasingly looking to
Solae for game-changing food science breakthroughs,” states Tony
Arnold, president and CEO of The Solae Company. “We’re excited to
anchor this new research community, and to renew our long-standing
commitment to the City of St. Louis.”
The Solae Company, a joint venture between DuPont and Bunge, now
has more than 50 percent of the world’s isolated soy protein food
ingredient market. The City of St. Louis and CORTEX have offered
The Solae Company a package of tax incentives, including New Market
Tax Credits and tax abatement, to build within the CORTEX life sciences
district.
CITY OF ST. CHARLES NAMES BEST EMPLOYERS
FOR 2006
Gateway Medical Research, Corbitt Manufacturing Co. and Modern Business
Interiors have been named 2006 Employers of the Year by St. Charles.
Gateway Medical Research won the top spot among employers in the
service category. Since moving to St. Charles in 1993, the generic
drug-testing firm has expanded its operations several times and
now has more than 100 full-time employees and a payroll of more
than $5 million.
Corbitt Manufacturing Co., a maker of aluminum castings, won the
manufacturing/ industrial category. Since relocating to St. Charles
from St. Louis in 2001, the company has grown consistently and now
employs 109 workers.
Modern Business Interiors took home the best employer award in the
retail category. The office furniture retailer started as a home
business nearly a decade ago and has since seen its sales grow by
1,100 percent.
Companies nominated for the awards are judged on their growth, training
and education programs, benefits packages, employee recognition
programs, and charitable and civic activities.
BOYS & GIRLS TOWN OF MISSOURI HONORS COMMUNITY
VOLUNTEERS
Boys & Girls Town of Missouri has announced this year’s honorees
for the Eastern region of the agency, which is based in St. Louis.
Dee Joyner, a board of trustee member, has been awarded the Harry
G. Neill Jr. Founders Award for demonstrating exceptional commitment
and service to the organization. Joyner is senior vice president
of organizational development at Commerce Bank and has been associated
with Boys & Girls Town since 1994.
Jim Hill, a partner with Ernst & Young LLP, has received the Chairman
Award for his dedication to the organization. He has served on Boys
& Girls Town’s board of directors since 2004.
The organization also recognized the Missouri Quarter Horse Association
and the Young Friends Committee of Boys & Girls Town with Star Volunteer
Awards for outstanding support.
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Dee
Joyner (left), senior vice president of organizational
development at Commerce Bank, accepts the Harry Neil
Award from outgoing Board President Alan Richter (right)
at the Boys & Girls Town of Missouri’s annual board
dinner. |
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CPR TRAINING PROGRAM NAMED INNOVATION OF
THE YEAR BY ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
A one-day effort to train faculty, staff and students in cardiopulmonary
resuscitation at the Forest Park campus has been named Innovation
of the Year by St. Louis Community College. The “Pump and Blow”
event was conducted Sept. 14, 2005, by the Forest Park offices of
student life and allied health-continuing education in conjunction
with the St. Louis Fire Department and the American Heart Association.
At the end of the day, 425 individuals completed the training.
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St.
Louis Community College’s Innovation of the Year is
the Pump and Blow Mass CPR Training program. Philishea
Ingram (left), manager of student life at Forest
Park, and Mary Fakes, district coordinator of emergency
nursing in allied health-continuing education, organized
the one-day event during which 425 individuals received
CPR training. |
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“Mass CPR represents one solution to the growing demand for CPR
education in the United States,” states Mary Fakes, a registered
nurse and district coordinator of emergency nursing in allied health-continuing
education. “Effective bystander CPR that is provided immediately
after cardiac arrest can double a victim’s chance of survival.”
St. Louis Community College’s League for Innovation established
the award to recognize an individual or group from each of the 20-member
college districts that have designed and implemented a significant
innovation.
WINGS OF HOPE CONSTRUCTS NEW MEDICAL AIR
TRANSPORT FACILITY IN CHESTERFIELD
Wings of Hope is building a new facility to house its worldwide
headquarters and the St. Louis Medical Air Transport program at
Spirit of St. Louis Airport. The organization is an all-volunteer
charity that specializes in using aviation to reach poor people
throughout the Midwest and in remote regions of the world.
The St. Louis Medical Air Transport is one of more than 145 aircraft
that Wings of Hope uses to provide charity air transportation for
stable individuals and related family members. The local transport
serves more than 10 million people living below the poverty line
in portions of at least 10 states.
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Wings
of Hope had its ground breaking ceremony, and the
invitees included: Mayor Francis Slay, County Executive
Charles Dooley, Mayor John Nations, President of the
Board of Alderman Jim Shrewsbury, Georgia Frontiere,
Mark Lamping, Chuck Drury, Fred Saigh Foundation,
Dana Brown Foundation, Mike Ross, Carm Natoli, Cletus
Mueth, Larry Lemke, Richard Hrabko, Joan Schmelig,
Butch Giessman, Dr. James Kimmey, Barbara Daecus,
and numerous other dignitaries. |
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CH2M HILL PARTICIPATES IN REBUILDING DAY 2006
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Volunteers
from engineering firm CH2M HILL participated in Rebuilding
Day 2006. |
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Volunteers from engineering firm CH2M HILL participated in Rebuilding
Day 2006, an event organized by Rebuilding Together-St. Louis. A
team of 18 volunteers from CH2M HILL joined businesses, religious
organizations and other volunteer groups in an effort to repair
100 houses in one day for fixed-income families in St. Louis.
Rebuilding Together-St. Louis is an affiliate of Rebuilding Together,
a national organization with 240 affiliates that work on community
projects in more than 800 cities and towns. As of 2004, Rebuilding
Together-St. Louis had repaired more than 600 homes with the help
of more than 2,500 volunteers.
SWISS CHOCOLATIER OPENS STORES IN CHESTERFIELD
AND DES PERES
Lindt & Sprüngli has introduced its gourmet Swiss chocolate to the
St. Louis area through two new retail stores in Chesterfield and
Des Peres, Mo. Each store offers customers free tastings, seasonal
promotions, and in-store events and demonstrations. Lindt’s world-renowned
collection of delectable chocolates include classic truffles, dark
chocolate bars and boxed sets that feature gourmet truffles and
Petit Desserts.
“We are thrilled to be expanding into two vibrant communities with
a true appreciation for fine chocolate and connoisseurship,” states
Thomas Linemayr, CEO and president of Lindt USA. “Lindt offers an
experience like no other where high-quality ingredients are uniquely
combined with 160 years of craftsmanship and expertise to produce
superior chocolate.”
The new stores are located at 291 Chesterfield Mall in Chesterfield
and at 80 West County Center in Des Peres. Lindt & Sprüngli employs
6,300 people worldwide and operates eight production facilities
in Europe and the United States.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY COUNCIL PRESENTS ECONOMIC
REPORT, HONORS LOCAL BUSINESSES AT ANNUAL MEETING
At its annual meeting, the St. Louis County Economic Council presented
a glowing report on the county’s economic environment and honored
several local professionals and businesses with awards.
“I am pleased to report that the news is very, very good. It is
fair to say that in St. Louis County, business is booming,” states
St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley. “There are innumerable
facts and figures that support our contention that St. Louis County
is as business-friendly as any county in the United States.”
The council’s report included the following highlights:
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St. Louis County is 5th among American suburban counties
in number of jobs.
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The county is 9th among American suburban counties in
annual payroll.
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More than $2 billion was invested in St. Louis County
in 2005.
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More than 25,000 jobs were attracted or retained in the
county.
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St. Louis County accounts for nearly a quarter of Missouri’s
sales tax revenue and one-third of the state’s household
income tax revenue.
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The number of new businesses started in St. Louis County
totaled 2,600, more than 1,000 above the next closest
county.
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The number of new businesses started in St. Louis County
totaled 2,600, more than 1,000 above the next closest
county.
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The council
also presented the following awards to local professionals and businesses
for their dedication to the county’s economic development:
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Outstanding Entrepreneur: Suzanne Magee Joyce, CEO of
TechGuard Security
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Dr. William D. Phillips Technology Advancement Award:
Robert J. Calcaterra, president and CEO of Nidus Center
for Scientific Advancement
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Business Expansion Award: Express Scripts
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Buzz Westfall Regional Cooperation Award: NorthPark Partners,
consisting of Clayco, McEagle and TRiSTAR
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Community Partnership Award: Pinnacle Entertainment
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HISTORIC
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WINS RENOVATION AWARD
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The
J. Milton Turner School Offices are 85 percent leased
and include the Central Institute for Human Performance,
a state-of-the-art training and sports medicine facility
located in the former school’s gymnasium, and the
headquarters of Stocker Construction, builder of the
offices. The building features professional loft and
studio style office space. |
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Owners of the J. Milton Turner School Offices received the Best
Adaptive Reuse for a Commercial Structure award by the City of Kirkwood’s
Landmarks Commission. Steve Beck, Scott Krejci and Clayton Skaggs
received the award at the 8th Annual Kirkwood’s Favorite Buildings
Awards ceremony for converting the former J. Milton Turner School
into a 44,000-square-foot office building with community space.
Located in the Meacham Park neighborhood in Kirkwood, the building
served as an elementary school until the mid-1970s and is on the
national register of historic places. During the renovation process,
the owners worked closely with neighborhood residents to preserve
the landmark building’s character.
The building features professional loft- and studio-style office
space with natural light, wide hallways (with lockers intact), new
data and telecommunications services, and a conference center. The
office building is 85 percent leased and includes a state-of-the-art
training and sports medicine facility located in the former gymnasium.
KETC RECEIVES SCIENCE EDUCATION GRANT FROM
THE MONSANTO FUND
KETC/Channel 9 has received a grant for $14,330 from the Monsanto
Fund to train early childhood educators in science literacy. Working
in partnership with Urban League Head Start, KETC’s education department
will create and implement workshops based on the station’s early
childhood services’ “view-read-do” instruction model and the PBS
children’s science series “It’s a Big Big World.” KETC will train
educators, parents and caregivers to use the curriculum to help
high-risk children understand and appreciate science and the role
that it plays in the world.
GERMAN INDUSTRIAL COMPANY OPENS OFFICE IN
CHESTERFIELD
Dreier Technology, a global industrial products company based in
Stuttgart, Germany, has announced that it will open offices in St.
Louis to serve the firm’s customers in North America. The company,
which tools precision measuring instruments for major manufacturers,
will relocate a customer service and training manager from Stuttgart
to offices in Chesterfield. Expanding the staff and moving to larger
facilities in St. Louis County are on the horizon for next year.
Horst Dreier, the company’s CEO, conducted site visits in St. Louis
to evaluate suitable locations for establishing the firm’s new North
American service center and training facilities. Dreier met with
executives from The Boeing Company, the St. Louis County Economic
Council, AAA Translation Inc., the RCGA, the State of Missouri and
the World Trade Center Saint Louis. Ultimately, the company chose
St. Louis over potential locations in Chicago, Detroit and Canada.
SKANDALARIS CENTER ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION COMPETITION
Four organizations took home over $100,000 in prize money as winners
of the inaugural Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition
presented by the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
at Washington University.
The $35,000 YouthBridge Award went to Boomerang Press, an ArtWorks
Enterprise that will sell products such as note cards and calendars
designed by at-risk teenage apprentices to artists. The Reap Training
Institute won the $30,000 Incarnate Word Award. The institute trains
domestic violence advocates with the knowledge and skills needed
to increase the economic empowerment of women who experience intimate
partner violence.
The $25,000 Skandalaris Center Award went to Meds & Food for Kids,
which produces and distributes an innovative, nutrient-rich peanut
butter paste for children dying of malnutrition in Haiti.
The competition also awarded a total of $15,000 to teams founded
or supported by Washington University students. The REAP Training
Institute and Meds & Food for Kids each received an additional $5,000,
and a third recipient, Panda Athletic Gym, also received $5,000.
Panda Athletic Gym teaches boxing to underprivileged, at-risk teenagers
and also provides mentoring and tutoring.
The competition is sponsored by Washington University and the YouthBridge
Association with support from the Incarnate Word Foundation.
ST. LOUISANS WALK FOR MARCH OF DIMES
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Nearly
6,000 St. Louis contributors raised funds for the
36th annual March of Dimes WalkAmerica fundraiser.
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Nearly 6,000 St. Louis contributors raised funds for the 36th annual
March of Dimes WalkAmerica fundraiser on April 29. An estimated
3,000 walkers turned out despite some rain for the WalkAmerica event
at sites in Forest Park, St. Charles and Washington, Mo.
Event chairwoman Diane Sullivan, president and chief operating officer
of Brown Shoe, spearheaded a corporate drive in which nearly one
hundred St. Louis corporations contributed to the million-dollar
drive for the March of Dimes. This year’s winning teams included
Citigroup, Express Scripts, AT&T, Centric Group, Brown Shoe, Tyco/Mallinckrodt,
KinderCare Learning Center, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Arcturis.
The March of Dimes will continue to raise money for WalkAmerica
through Dec. 31 in an effort to raise more than $1 million in the
St. Louis area. The funds will support the March of Dimes’ mission
to save babies by preventing birth defects, prematurity and infant
mortality.
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR NAMED PRINCIPAL
INVESTIGATOR FOR BOSTON SCIENTIFIC STUDY
GREG
EWALD
Washington University School of Medicine |
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Dr. Greg Ewald, director of the Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant
Program at Washington University School of Medicine, has been selected
as a national principal investigator for a large-scale clinical
study of a wireless home monitoring system for heart failure patients.
The study is being launched by Boston Scientific Corp., a worldwide
developer of medical devices.
Ewald will be principal investigator in a study called DECODE to
evaluate the benefits of the LATITUDE® Patient Management system
for predicting and preventing hospitalizations for heart failure.
The LATITUDE® system includes a wireless weight scale and a wireless
blood pressure cuff to monitor patient symptoms. It is the industry’s
only system that automatically alerts physicians of heart failure
conditions using a wireless weight scale. An abrupt change in weight
could indicate worsening heart failure.
“In the recent ACC/AHA guidelines for heart failure, close monitoring
of a patient’s weight and activities of daily living are a Class
I recommendation. There is ample evidence that this type of approach
can result in fewer hospitalizations for heart failure patients,”
states Ewald. “With the LATITUDE system we can monitor these and
other cardiac parameters wirelessly and from the patient’s home.
The potential for patient benefit is significant.”
ROGER FRITZ
1953-2006
St. Louis lost a talented and good friend on July 3rd with the passing
of Roger Fritz, following a courageous three-year struggle with
brain cancer. Roger was the founder and president of Leadership
By Design, a strategic planning and consulting firm based in St.
Louis. His clients included the RCGA, Civic Progress, St. Louis
2004, Metro, as well as both St. Louis-based Fortune 500 companies
and Fortune 500 companies throughout the world.
Roger and his firm helped clients work through the challenges of
restructuring, strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, going
public or selling. He served on the strategic planning team led
by then RCGA chair and chair-elect Dick Beumer and John Bachmann
in 1999-2000, which led to the restructuring of the RCGA and the
launching of such regional initiatives as Forward Metro St. Louis,
St. Louis’ industry cluster strategy, the region’s focus on center
city revitalization, the Regional Business Council, and the region’s
2000-2004 regional economic development effort. He served on Civic
Progress’ design team, leading to Civic Progress’ restructuring.
He worked with the late Al Kerth in the initial design for the 2004
effort.
Roger’s work was based on what he called the “Aspirational Model,”
through which he helped professionals and managers improve their
leadership effectiveness through their organizations. In a 2002
Commerce Magazine interview, he noted: “We use the Aspiring Model
in most of our work as a tool to help people see themselves more
clearly in terms of what they try to create, and to help people
come together with a collective will and heart about what they want
to create.”
Earlier this year, Roger joined Irene Underwood in co-authoring
a book on the subject entitled “Nothing to Fear, Nothing to Prove:
Living an Aspiring Life.”
Roger worked with many organizations and communities striving to
unify the bistate region. In the same 2002 interview, Roger concluded:
“Personally, I’d love to see a regional community that can do a
much better job of being able to work together within all sectors.
The potential that exists within the region is significantly underutilized,
but we have a social habit in which we divide and conquer instead
of collaborate, combine and leverage. I really hope that someday
we can get past that.”
For the region’s sake, we should all aspire to Roger’s hope. He
will be missed.
Construction Careers Center (CCC) graduates Kellie Young
and Alesha Lee pose with Rich Ledbetter, president of the CCCs Board
of Education and vice president of Castle Contracting Inc., following
the school’s June 27 graduation ceremony at Harris-Stowe State University.
The charter high school, sponsored by St. Louis Public Schools and
the Associated General Contractors of St. Louis, opened in 2001
as a way to help bolster the quality and availability of skilled
construction professionals and trades people in the St. Louis region.
The Class of 2006 includes budding architects, engineers, electricians,
painters, brick layers and operating engineers. |
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