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Compiled by Lauri Johnson.
BUILD-A-BEAR OPENS NEW STORE AT GALLERIA
Build-A-Bear Workshop opened a new store based on the doll-making experience, called “friends 2B made,” at Saint Louis Galleria in September. The new store offers customers a chance to create their own fashionable dolls with sparkly eyes, manicured toes and hair that can be outfitted with hip fashions and accessories. Dolls are priced at $12 with accessories ranging from $2 to $5 and complete outfits costing $8 to $15. The new store line won first place in the Chain Store Age 2004 Retail Store of the Year Design Competition’s Exterior-In-Line Store Category.
The company opened its first friends 2B made store in November 2004 in Pittsburgh, Pa., and subsequently opened stores in Columbus, Ohio; New York City and Minneapolis.
BIOGENERATOR RECOGNIZES DANNA MCKITRICK
WITH SERVICE AWARDS
 (Left to right): Kara Turner Newmark, Interim Impact; Duke Leahey,
Life Science Alliances; Kenton Fedde, Life Science Alliances;
Cheryl Beebe-Snell, Danna McKitrick; Ruth Binger, Danna McKitrick;
(Maria DeBlaze, Interim Impact-not pictured). |
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BioGenerator, a BioBelt organization that identifies promising technologies and creates companies in the life-sciences industry, recognized three of their clients with Client Appreciation Awards for exceptional service: law firm Danna McKitrick PC, Life Science Alliances and Interim Impact. All three recipients were nominated for their positive impact on the biotech businesses that BioGenerator helps grow.
BioGenerator also honored Cheryl Beebe-Snell and Ruth Binger, two principals at Danna McKitrick, with awards for their dedication to the organization and to its client companies. A separate Appreciation Award was given to the attorneys by their clients for excellent service and counsel.
RIDEFINDERS CELEBRATES MILESTONE YEAR
Soaring gas prices have contributed to a milestone year at RideFinders, a ridesharing program for the St. Louis region. From October 2004 through September 2005, RideFinders boasted the highest combined number of carpools and vanpools in its 12-year history with 4,000 carpoolers commuting in 1,700 carpools and more than 1,000 vanpoolers riding in 100 vanpools. The service also tallied its second-highest combined car and vanpool ridership total, which exceeded 2,300,000 passenger trips over the course of the year.
On average, each commuter who chooses to share a ride saves in excess of $1,000 per year on gas and vehicle maintenance costs and helps eliminate 40 million driving miles and 800 tons of air pollution from the air, according to RideFinders.
The total number of employers participating in RideFinders also reached an all-time high of 620 during the past year. The organization is continuously working to establish rideshare programs with additional local employers. For more information on RideFinders, call 800/VIP-RIDE or visit www.ridefinders.org.
BURNS & MCDONNELL LAUNCHES NEW
BUSINESS UNIT
Burns & McDonnell is creating a new business entity that will offer engineering, architectural and construction management services to the public health industry. The business is expected to grow rapidly and to employ more than 100 people before the end of 2007, according to Greg Graves, CEO of Burns & McDonnell.
Plans call for the new group to design and build laboratories, clean rooms, hospitals, research facilities, retirement communities and pharmaceutical process plants. The firm chose to expand into public health after an 18-month development process during which it considered more than 100 ideas for growth.
| Greg Graves, CEO, Burns & McDonnell |
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“We are going to build on what we have already done, but take it to the next level,” states Graves. “Burns & McDonnell has succeeded and grown over the years because we have continually expanded our services while maintaining a high degree of excellence.”
CARING WORKPLACE
PROGRAM EARNS
INTERNATIONAL
SERVICE AWARD
St. Andrew’s At-Home Services’ Caring Workplace program has earned first place in the 2005 Excellence in Ageing Services Award competition from the International Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing. The program edged out entries from 26 other countries to win the award.
Entries were judged based on originality and creativity of the program or technique; proven benefits to the residents, clients or organization; and potential for application to the needs of other organizations or facilities.
Launched in 2001, the Caring Workplace program is designed to help businesses proactively address the issue of caregivers in the workplace. The program has provided 7,700 hours of client care to 2,000 St. Louis-area employees at Monsanto, Emerson Motors, Emerson Tool Company, UniGroup, SSM Information Center, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other area employers.
RAMS STAR SIGNS
ADVERTISING DEAL
WITH NATIONAL CITY
National City has signed a two-year partnership with Isaac Bruce, a wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams. Bruce will appear in National City outdoor ads and in-game ads at the Edward Jones Dome. He will also make appearances at a select number of National City events and support the bank’s “A Simple Act” campaign to fight breast cancer.
CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD FORMS STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH SUMMIT REALTY
Summit Realty Group and Cushman & Wakefield of Missouri Inc. have formed a strategic alliance to create a new full-service commercial real estate company called Gateway Commercial LLC. The independently owned and operated firm opened in September with 17 people on staff, including nine brokers.
“Through this alliance with Gateway Commercial, Cushman & Wakefield will expand and enhance its St. Louis business while attracting top-tier real estate professionals to the firm,” states Michael P. McKiernan, Cushman & Wakefield’s Midwest area leader.
Joining Gateway are Cushman & Wakefield brokers Chris Fox, Joe McGauley, Geoff Orf and Dennis DeSantis. John Ross, Phil Hulse, Pat Reilly, Chris Hulse and Peder Hulse will join from Summit. Fox will serve as managing director of the new company, which is located in Park Place at 100 South Brentwood Boulevard in Clayton.
CANNON DESIGN SELECTED AS CONSULTANT
ON OLYMPIC OVAL FOR 2010 GAMES
Cannon Design has been selected as prime consultant for the design of a new speed skating oval for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Richmond Olympic Oval will be part of a $155 million (Canadian) multipurpose sports, recreation and community facility on the shores of Fraser River in the city of Richmond. After the games, the oval will host winter and summer sports training, competitions and special events for the community. Cannon Design will lead a team of architectural and engineering specialists to design the 363,175-square-foot oval, which is slated for completion in 2007.
SCIENTISTS AT ORION GENOMICS AND WASH U COLLABORATE ON CANCER STUDIES
Orion Genomics and leading researchers at Washington University have embarked on several collaborations to develop tests that screen for early-stage cancer. Scientists will look for “second code” biomarkers that indicate the presence of the most common types of cancer, including lung, breast, cervical, prostate and ovarian cancers. They will also investigate how cancer responds to certain therapies.
Second code biomarkers, or DNA methylation patterns, provide information on the regulation of genes. The research will enable Orion Genomics to develop tests that detect trace amounts of methylated tumor DNA in easily accessed tissues such as blood serum, biopsies and cell scraps. The firm expects to market the tests within three years.
“We are pleased to add Washington University School of Medicine’s Siteman Cancer Center to our growing list of clinical collaborations,” states Nathan Lakey, CEO and president of Orion Genomics. “The medical expertise of our collaborators will accelerate the preclinical validation of our pipeline of new oncology diagnostic tests.”
SALE OF LUXURY HOME
BENEFITS YOUTH IN NEED
Real estate developer Fischer and Frichtel has built a luxury home for the 2005 Building a Future program and plans to donate the proceeds from its sale to Youth in Need. Located in the Spring Mill neighborhood in St. Charles, Mo., the house is a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath Portland model with high-end amenities and full landscaping. The house is offered for sale at $698,707 and is ready for immediate move-in. Youth in Need serves children and families with residential-treatment, community, early-childhood, educational, counseling and employment programs.
CH2M HILL SELECTED TO RESTORE SITES AT
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE
Engineering firm CH2M HILL has been chosen to perform the first performance-based environmental restoration program closure for the Air Force’s Air Combat Command at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. CH2M HILL has agreed to close 26 separate sites on the base by June 2007 as part of a $6 million task order. The firm’s St. Louis office will manage the work.
Most of the affected facilities and land areas are within an industrial complex that supports the airfield at the base. Approximately half of the sites have been determined to require no further action of any sort, while several of the sites will be closed by limiting future development and/or human access. Sites with more extensive contamination will be identified and quantified to determine the need for targeted remediation.
ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR HONORED BY DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s support of its military personnel has earned it a 2005 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award from the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense agency. Enterprise Rent-A-Car was one of only 15 employers selected from nearly 1,500 nominations.
The award recognizes employers for exceptional support above the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994. Employers are nominated by employees who are voluntarily serving in the National Guard and Reserve. Robert Landry, sales manager for Enterprise Fleet Services in Alpharetta, Ga., and an Army Reserve Major, nominated the company.
DATOTEL OPENS DATA CENTER DOWNTOWN
| David Brown, executive vice president, Datotel |
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Datotel, a new information technology collocation service, has opened a $7 million state-of-the-art facility in downtown St. Louis. Located in the Globe Building at 710 N. Tucker Blvd., Datotel provides other companies with off-site data storage and disaster recovery services. The data center has fail-safe power systems and a network operations center staffed around the clock, seven days a week.
The facility is ideal for midsized and growing businesses that prefer to invest their time and capital in other business areas, according to David Brown, Datotel’s executive vice president. It will also help businesses that cannot afford to build and operate the necessary information technology infrastructure required to support critical business processes.
Three more St. Louis-area companies—Fred Weber Inc.; Swink Fiehler and Co.; and Orius Telecom have signed on to use the new facility.
PRIDE OF ST. LOUIS
MOVES DOWNTOWN
| Jim LaMantia, executive director, PRIDE |
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PRIDE of St. Louis Inc., the region’s construction industry labor-management group, has relocated its headquarters in downtown St. Louis to support the economic revitalization of the city. The organization has moved from Clayton into the Shell Building at 1221 Locust Street.
“The entire region benefits from the rejuvenation of the city of St. Louis,” states Jim LaMantia, executive director of PRIDE. “The union construction industry, which has built virtually every landmark in this city, is now engaged in a number of projects that will define
St. Louis in the 21st century.”
LINDBERGH BOULEVARD TUNNEL WINS ENGINEERING AWARD
The Lindbergh Boulevard Tunnel project has won the Grand Conceptor Award in the 2005 Missouri American Council of Engineering Companies’ Engineering Excellence Awards competition. The $51.5 million tunnel opened in September 2004 as part of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport’s expansion program. The 1,418-foot-long cut-and-cover tunnel allows Lindbergh Boulevard to pass under Lambert’s new Runway 11-29 and two parallel taxiways.
| The Lindbergh Boulevard Tunnel project won the Grand Conceptor Award. |
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URS Corporation served as the prime consultant for the design of the project based on the program manager’s design criteria. The tunnel also has earned an American Council of Engineering Companies’ National Recognition Award, a 2005 Regional Excellence Award from St. Louis Construction News & Review, and the 2005 Marvin M. Black Excellence in Partnering Award from the Associated General Contractors of America.
NONPROFIT
PARENT EDUCATION
ORGANIZATIONS MERGE
Parents as Teachers National Center has merged with Meld, a Minneapolis-based national family service organization, to create the nation’s largest center for parent education and early childhood development information. The merger combines the research-based resources of the two organizations and provides expanded services for the thousands of families that they serve.
“The fusion of two leading nonprofits in our industry is unprecedented,” states Susan Stepleton, CEO of Parents as Teachers National Center. “This process has been fascinating as we discovered just how alike our two organizations are, and how combining forces will lead to long-term success for everyone involved.”
Over its 30-year history, Meld has developed programs to meet the unique needs of specific populations and currently offers services in 19 states plus the District of Columbia. Parents as Teachers National Center offers parent support and education services to all 50 states and nine countries. The merged companies will share St. Louis-based administrative support, training and resources.
LIFE SKILLS PRESENTS EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
| (Left to right): Doug Rubenstein, Board Chairman of Life Skills, presenting the Employer of the Year Award to Tony Hoffman, Director of Employment for Schnuck Markets Inc. |
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Life Skills supports people with disabilities to live and work with dignity in the community. This year at Life Skills’ Spirit of Giving Awards Ceremony, Wendy Buehler, president of Life Skills; and Douglas Rubenstein, board chairman, presented Schnuck Markets Inc. with the Employer of the Year Award. The organization also recognized several companies, corporate philanthropists, individuals, foundations, and volunteers for their achievements and dedication to the organization’s mission.
“Over the years Schnucks has demonstrated their commitment to a diverse workforce by hiring people with disabilities and have enriched their personal and professional lives,” says Buehler.
St. Louis-based Schnuck Markets Inc. is a family owned and operated grocery company, and employs approximately 16,500 associates in more than 100 stores in seven states. Schnucks leaders are committed to maintaining a diverse workforce. Schnucks management teams consistently demonstrate that they value and embrace diversity by hiring and training individuals with developmental or physical disabilities and successfully pairing them with appropriate job functions. “This commitment is more than a mission, it’s part of a shared vision for the future growth and development of all Schnucks associates,” says Craig Schnuck, chairman and chief operating officer of Schnuck Markets Inc.
Life Skills serves more than 1,400 people with disabilities each year supporting them to live more independently in their own homes or apartments, helping them to find and keep jobs and to make new friends and discover the region. Life Skills services reach
St. Louis City and County, St. Charles and Franklin County.
CONVENTION CENTER IN SW ILLINOIS EXPANDS AGAIN
| Expansion is underway for the Gateway Center in Collinsville, Ill. |
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Gateway Center convention center in Collinsville, Ill., is expanding for the third time since its debut in 1990. This time around, a $5.8 million expansion will add more than 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting and support space. The expansion is scheduled to be finished in July 2006.
Gateway Center received a $130,000 grant from the state of Illinois to incorporate moveable walls in the new meeting space and Internet access in the public areas for convention center users.
The convention center has contributed an estimated $42 million to the southwestern Illinois region and has attracted more than 1.8 million visitors since it opened, according to Cindy Warke, Gateway Center’s executive director. |
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