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ISES Announces New Special Events Industry Awards
The International Special Events Society (ISES) awards, a new honor for professionals in the special events and hospitality industries, will be presented at a gala event on February 5, 2000, at St. Louis’ American Theatre. Winners in 16 ISES award categories will receive “Louies” as a symbol of excellence for event specialists, caterers, florists, rental companies and others in what will become an annual ISES Missouri Chapter-sponsored event.
“Call for Entries,” outlining the categories and requirements for submissions are due no later than January 15, 2000. ISES and non-ISES members alike may submit entries. For more information, call Craig Leitner, at 314/962-4000, ext. 226.
St. Louis Institutions Receive Prestigious IMLS Grants
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has awarded the Wild Canid Survival and Research Center, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the wolf and other wild canids, a grant for the second time in its 28-year history.
“Since 1978, IMLS General Operating Support has taken a substantial role in encouraging the best in museum practice,” says Beverly Sheppard, acting director of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. “The grants provide national recognition for museums that have the highest approval of their peers. It is a stamp of achievement that sparks vital public-private partnerships. Museums use these awards to do what they do best: educate, fascinate, inspire, illuminate, inform, enhance and enrich the lives of millions of visitors each year.”
Renowned naturalist Marlin Perkins founded the Wild Canid Center in 1971. Classified as a zoo for the IMLS competition, this captive breeding facility is dedicated to the preservation of wild canids throughout the world.
The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum also received a General Operating Support grant for its Early Childhood Initiative.
“The IMLS grant comes at a great time as The Magic House celebrates 20 years of hands-on learning and education. The grant will allow the museum to increase programming and important development information for children, birth to three, and their parents,” says Elizabeth Fitzgerald, executive director of The Magic House, which has received the celebrated award for the second time. A not-for-profit Magic House is one of the most visited children’s museums in the nation with more than 380,000 visitors each year.
More than $15 million was awarded to 189 institutions; 973 museums from around the country submitted applications for this competition. Grants are equal to 15 percent of the museum’s operating budget, up to a maximum of $112,500. Recipients use the grants to enhance educational services, strengthen collections care, raise funds from other resources and other on-going institutional activities.
Other local recipients of the 1999/2000 awards are the Saint Louis Art Museum and the St. Louis Science Center.
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Above: Grand Oak I is part of a multi-phase single family new construction development located in the area just north of Grand Center and west of Grand Avenue. The project was developed by PIC, Inc., an affiliate of Pyramid Construction, Inc. St. Louis Equity Fund’s investment in this area has created such a dramatic change in the neighborhood that new single family homes are being financed and purchased in the $80,000 range.
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St. Louis Equity Fund Passes $10 Million Milestone
The St. Louis Equity Fund announced its first-ever fund greater than $10 million, the largest annual investment in the organization’s history. With this year’s $10.5 million fund, the Equity Fund has invested more than $53 million in affordable housing projects in the St. Louis metropolitan area since the organization was started in 1988.
By rewarding corporate investment with federal and state tax credits, the St. Louis Equity Fund provides solutions to the area’s growing need for affordable housing. This year’s $10.5 million fund is expected to help build and renovate more than 260 homes throughout the state.
Fannie Mae, the nation’s largest source of financing for home mortgages, contributed a major boost to the 1999 fund with a $1 million investment. Since 1996, Fannie Mae has invested a total of $2.6 million in the St. Louis Equity Fund and a total of $22.1 million in financing to low-income housing projects throughout the city.
“We are proud to help build better, safer and more affordable housing for the residents of St. Louis,” says Clifton Berry, Fannie Mae St. Louis Partnership director. “It will be exciting to see St. Louis families benefit from this record-setting St. Louis Equity Fund.”
After 10 successful years providing affordable homes throughout the St. Louis region, Equity Fund Chairman Don Brandt, senior vice president? finance of Ameren Corporation, issued the $10 million challenge as the next step in increasing the organization’s efforts in future developments. With Fannie Mae’s increased investment, the Equity Fund will finance six projects in 1999.
Since 1988, the St. Louis Equity Fund has committed more than $53 million to develop affordable housing and revitalize local neighborhoods, providing more than 1,570 homes to date. In addition to housing development, the Equity Fund continues to expand its support for CAMCO, a company formed as a joint venture with Ecumenical Housing Product Corporation, which provides property management and support services to low income families.
Over the past 30 years, Fannie Mae has provided nearly $2.5 trillion of mortgage financing for more than 30 million families across the country.
Fru-Con Establishes Design-Build Group
St. Louis-based Fru-Con Construction Corp. has established a new design-build group within its process and consumer products business unit. Michael McCorkle, a Fru-Con employee from 1970 to 1990, has rejoined the company as manager of industrial design-build. Jan A. Jackson, has been appointed commercial manager of the new business unit.
“Fru-Con has been delivering high-quality design-build projects in the private sector for years,” says Greg Holthouse, senior vice president of Fru-Con Construction. “The purpose of this new business unit is to optimize utilization of Fru-Con’s design and construction services to help our clients reach their business objectives, which often involves meeting strict deadlines for launching a new product.”
Adds McCorkle, “We understand that owners seek faster delivery schedules in today’s competitive business climate. Utilizing design-build methods, the owner has significant input up front and then relies on the company’s design and construction team to bring in a quality project on time and on budget. The entire process builds a true project team focused on a common objective.”
Fru-Con is part of the new Site Consortium, which handles engineering, construction and start-up for a major $350 million design-build project in Cape Girardeau, Mo. for Procter & Gamble. Other Fru-Con design-build clients include Tower Automotive, Ralston Purina Co. and Monsanto Co.
In June, Fru-Con jumped from 19th to 54th in Engineering News-Record’s annual listing of the Top 100 Design-Build Firms in the United States.
Farnsworth & Polk Opens Naperville Office
The Farnsworth Wylie Group, a multi-discipline architecture, engineering and land surveying firm with offices throughout the west and Midwest, has opened an office in Naperville, Ill. This is the third office under the name of Farnsworth & Polk. The first office opened in St. Louis in 1964, followed by a Denver office in 1995.
Farnsworth & Polk specializes in engineering design projects for commercial, industrial, municipal, educational, transportation, water supply, sewer district, telecommunications, and sports and leisure facilities. The company has successfully completed more than 7,500 projects for a variety of clients across the country. With almost 40 years experience in structural and civil engineering and related disciplines, Robert E. Polk will manage the Naperville office.
The Farnsworth Wylie Group employs more than 280 people with offices in Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Colorado.
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Above: Marconi Award given to KFUO-FM “Classic 99.” KZJZ 1380 FM “The Jazz Voice” also received this top award from the National Association of Broadcasters.
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Jazz and Classical Radio Stations Receive Esteemed Marconi Awards
Two St. Louis radio stations recently received the top award at The National Association of Broadcasters. KZJZ 1380 AM and KFUO-FM, “Classic 99” won the Marconi awards and were named “Station of the Year.”
KZJZ 1380 AM, “The Jazz Voice,” is one of three commercial, straight-ahead jazz stations in the United States. St. Louis Magazine voted KZJZ the best new local radio station in 1998. Down Beat and Gavin magazines recognized the station for breaking new ground in the world of radio and jazz in its first year of operation.
KFUO-FM, “Classic 99,” which is owned by Kirkwood-based Lutheran Church?Missouri Synod. Of the approximately 100 U.S. radio stations that play classical music full time and another 300 stations (primarily National Public Radio affiliates) that play classical music as part of their regularly scheduled programming, “Classic 99” is the longest continuously operated FM station. The Marconi Radio Award is the station’s first since it went on the air in 1948.
“Winning the esteemed Marconi prize is a significant cultural plum for our city,” says David Strand, director of public relations for The Lutheran Church?Missouri Synod, “especially since the award is usually won in major market stations, such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.” With approximately 200,000 listeners, “Classic 99” is the only all-classical station in the St. Louis market.
Marconi Radio Awards are given each year in several categories, including adult contemporary, urban, rock, oldies, country and news/talk/sports.
Case Engineering Merges with Montreal Design Firm
Darrell Case, president of Case Engineering, has joined forces with Montreal-based retail design firm Michel Dubuc Concept Inc., to create a new engineering company, AEdifica Case. The new entity, with initial offices in St. Louis and Montreal, provides engineering services throughout North America. A staff of 15 engineers and CAD operators specialize in mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering.
Michel Dubuc Concept is an 80-person retail planning firm that has been involved in the design and implementation of award-winning stores for national retailers in the United States and Canada for the past 14 years.
Creativworks Lands Multiple Franchise Deal in Indianapolis
Creativworks, LLC, a franchised network of retail advertising and marketing agencies, signed a multiple-franchise Area Development Agreement in Indianapolis, Ind. The first of four franchised agencies opened this fall.
“Indianapolis is an outstanding franchise market for Creativworks. It’s one of the nation’s fastest growing cities and shares many of the characteristics that have helped support our prototype agency in St. Louis,” says Steve Leek, president and COO for Creativworks. “Indianapolis’ growth is very attractive to small- and mid-sized businesses—the heart of our concept.”
Creativworks recruits franchisees with a proven track record of success, or the demonstration of strong capabilities in the marketing and/or advertising field. Bill Olson, Creativworks’ newest franchisee, is a 22-year veteran of the industry. For the past several years, he has served as vice president and account supervisor for Bates USA, specializing in marketing and advertising for the resort, hospitality and travel industries. He also has worked as a creative director and creative services manager for several national and international corporations.
“Our goal is to help companies grow by offering professional advertising and marketing services that previously may have been unattainable or unaffordable,” Olson says. “Through extensive research and years of first-hand experience, we recognize a huge under-served market for our services in the Indianapolis area. We are extremely excited about the opportunity to offer this innovative alternative to the local business community.”
Creativworks franchised, full-service agencies provide a variety of creative services in a convenient, one-stop retail format unique to the advertising industry.
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Above: American Humanics Progress Report 1999
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“2000 Management Institute” Targets Future Non-Profit Professionals
American Humanics, a national alliance of colleges, universities and non-profit organizations, provides an annual educational experience to prepare college students for careers with youth and service agencies. “2000 Management Institute,” which allows more than 450 college students from across the nation to gain knowledge about non-profit organizations, takes place January 5 to 8 at the Marriott Pavilion Hotel. Students will have the opportunity to also meet nonprofit executives; participate in case studies and simulation exercises; build a personal professional network; learn about grant writing and non-profit career opportunities; get ideas for starting their own organizations; gain skills needed in the non-profit sector; learn how to deal with real-life problems.
More than 50 non-profit executives, staff and volunteers from across the nation will participate in the 2000 Management Institute, which also includes a non-profit career fair for St. Louis area high school students. The workshop helps to broaden local awareness of the challenging and gainful employment opportunities that are available in the non-profit sector.
In its first 50 years of preparing undergraduates for careers with youth and human service agencies, American Humanics produced thousands of graduates, including Dennis Spellmann, Ph.D., president of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. The American Humanic network includes more than 60 campus affiliates, including Lindenwood University and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.
Forum Studio Provides Architecture, Engineering Services To Fortune 500 Companies
Clayco Construction Co. has launched a new full-service independent architectural design and engineering firm called Forum Studio. The focus of the new entity is to provide Fortune 500 companies with turn-key service on complex commercial projects requiring a higher degree of creativity and technical expertise.
“The sciences of architecture and engineering should not be divided. Engineering and telecommunications systems are integral to building design, providing the technical framework that transforms architectural concepts into successful workplaces,” says Michael Benz, a principal/senior designer of Forum Studio.
“Our experience is that collaborative, integrated approach we espouse results in better quality, lower-cost buildings,” he continues. “Our willingness to provide a truly comprehensive array of design and technical services under one roof expedites project delivery and is optimally convenient for clients.
Forum Studio’s capabilities include site feasibility, architectural and engineering design, interior design, planning, government liaison and graphics/identity.
Clayco assembled an elite group of architects and engineers to form Forum Studio. The principals are Michael Benz, a former project architect with Mackey Mitchell Associates; Dave Junge, a former associate with Mitchell and Hugeback Architects for six years; and Paul Todd Merrill, P.E., who comes to Forum from Cannon Architects and Engineers.
While at Mackey Mitchell, Benz worked on Corporate Woods Office Park in Earth City; the renovation of the Commerce Bank building in Clayton; and the master plan of The Highlands at Forest Park, a regional office campus, in St. Louis. Previously, Benz was an architect with ISI, Inc. for seven years. With a focus of corporate interior architecture, Benz has won honors from the American Institute of Architects
While Forum Studio has Clayco as a major client, it functions as a separate, independent company. Forum Studio is based in a 15,000-square-foot suite in a new $4 million, 45,567-square-foot, three-story office building at Innerbelt Business Center in Overland. Benz says Forum plans to have 40 people on payroll by next fall.
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Grand Center Introduces New Logo and Tagline “Celebrate the Difference!”
Grand Center, the St. Louis region’s art and entertainment district, is stepping out with a new logo that celebrates the diversity of premier arts and entertainment in the growing cultural district.
The dynamic logo is designed specifically for the Grand Center arts and entertainment district and the cultural organizations that reside in and around the district. The logo contains 10 spotlights of differing lengths to reflect the diversity of arts in the 10 accessible blocks of the Grand Center neighborhood. Each spotlight “breaks out of the box” to represent the creativity to be found in Grand Center. The bold “G” in the circle indicates that Grand Center is an accessible destination. The lower case treatment of grand center interacts with the more contemporary design of the logo to indicate the rich mix of traditional and new forms of artistic expression in the district.
Now in its second decade, Grand Center is home to 26 different arts organizations, four galleries and four theaters, which hosted more than 1,350 events last year for more than 1.3 million people. As part of a brand identity campaign to increase public awareness about the increasing variety of art and entertainment available, the logo and tagline “Celebrate the Difference!” will appear on Bi-State buses and on screens in local cinema advertisements in Missouri and Illinois.
Vatterott’s New Professional Development Division Offers Skills Advancement
The new Professional Development Division at Vatterott Education Center offers skills advancement programs designed to create a work force that meets the needs of today’s employees. Programs include customized training to upgrade employee skills, post-graduate advanced computer training and computer programming courses via the Internet.
“We developed the Vatterott Professional Development Division in response to employers who noted increased productivity following advanced skills training,” says John Vatterott, Sr., president of Vatterott Education Center, a parent company of St. Louis-based Vatterott College. “This heightened productivity quickly made the employer more profitable.”
This fall, Vatterott Professional Development Division launched a 30-week advanced computer training program, called Degree Plus, for college graduates with bachelor’s degrees. “We developed the curriculum for our new Degree Plus program with extensive input from large area employers,” Vatterott adds. “It gives graduates the advanced computer skills necessary to take advantage of lucrative opportunities in the fast-growing information technology field.”
Vatterott Professional Development Division also creates and implements short-term training programs customized to the specific needs of employers to upgrade employee skills. Clients include Boeing, Ford Motor Company, Chrysler Motors, the Department of Defense and the National Park Service.
Vatterott Global Online, a program of Vatterott Professional Development Division, offers a 60-week diploma program in computer programming via the Internet. Online students experience real-time lectures synchronized with live classroom teaching or option to view lectures recorded on Multi-Media CDs at their own convenience. Instructors and students maintain close interaction through e-mail, bulletin boards, professional chatrooms and frequent online exercises and exams.
Founded in 1969 with a single technical school in St. Louis, the Vatterott College division now has 15 campuses in seven Midwestern states and total enrollment of more than 2,500 students.
NaviSys Expands with International Office in Hong Kong
NaviSys, a provider of software and service for the life insurance and financial services industries, has expanded its international efforts with the opening of an office—NaviSys Asia Pacific Ltd.—in Hong Kong.
“Globalization in the insurance industry has led NaviSys to support the needs of insurance and financial organizations in many countries,” says Chris Simonds, president and CEO of St. Louis-headquartered NaviSys. “The opening of our Hong Kong subsidiary will allow us to enhance our client services to the 18 existing client sites in this region.”
With eight offices in the United States, NaviSys has more than 250 clients in 22 countries. For clients in Central America, South America, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands, NaviSys operates an office in Mexico City. For client companies in Asia Pacific, NaviSys Hong Kong subsidiary will provide associates who are knowledgeable not only about insurance and software but also in the cultural aspects of business relationships.
NaviSys is a leading developer of individual life and health, group, annuity, financial, sales illustration and Internet software; a provider of advanced technology consulting and best-of-breed strategic alliances; a premier administrator for life insurance and annuities; and a provider of underwriting services.
Fontbonne/Florissant Community College Receive Grant For African American Dietetic Students
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded Fontbonne College and St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley (SLCC-FV) a Multicultural Scholars grant to provide tuition and assistance to four African American dietetics students. Students will complete two years at SLCC-FV and two years at Fontbonne. They will graduate as registered dieticians with bachelor’s degrees in dietetics from Fontbonne. The $80,000 grant with $20,000 matching funds will cover the full cost of tuition and assistance at both schools.
“In the St. Louis area, the minority population among practicing dietetics professionals is very low. So we decided to make a contribution to preparing minority professionals in dietetics,” says Janet Crites, associate professor and chair of human environmental sciences at Fontbonne College. Crites and Cheryl Houston, director of the dietetics program, will be the project directors over the five-year grant period.
The Multicultural Scholars program has the support of Gloria Water White, a community leader and chair of the Fortitude Foundation, a leadership and volunteer branch of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. “African Americans have the highest rate of health problems directly related to diet than any other group in America,” White says. “I am confident that the unhealthy eating habit of many in our culture can be reversed with champions among us who promote healthy eating and healthy living.”
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