Compiled
by Lauri Johnson
METROLINK RIDERS CAN ENJOY EIGHT NEW ART EXHIBITS ON CROSS COUNTY
EXTENSION
Metro’s Arts in Transit, a community partnership program, is
installing eight new art exhibits along the Cross County extension
of MetroLink to create community-oriented transit environments
that are customer-friendly and aesthetically appealing. The
new artwork will be seen at Catlin Wall along Forest Park Parkway
and at the following MetroLink stations: Forest Park, Skinker,
University City/ Big Bend, Forsyth, Richmond Heights, Maplewood/Manchester
and Shrewsbury/Landsdowne. All eight exhibits are scheduled
to be finished by early 2007.
The eight artists commissioned to create the pieces are Ellen
Driscoll of Cambridge, Mass.; Andy Cross of St. Louis with Carl
Harris and Tai Tessmer of Artistic Concrete in St. Louis; Erwin
Redl of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Brower Hatcher of Providence, R.I.;
Lindsey Stouffer of St. Louis; Kristin Jones and Andrew Ginzel
of New York City; Janet Zweig of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Douglas
Hollis of San Francisco.
Photos of the artwork can be found at www.artsintransit.org/cross-county.html.
THE FETZER INSTITUTE AWARDS $75,000
GRANT TO KETC/CHANNEL 9
KETC/Channel 9 has received a $75,000 grant from The Fetzer
Institute to help fund a three-year project that will reach
out to the Bosnian community in St. Louis. The project, called
the St. Louis Campaign for Love and Forgiveness, is designed
to explore the concepts of love and forgiveness with segments
of the local Bosnian community. KETC will broadcast one documentary
each year about love and forgiving. St. Louis has the largest
Bosnian population outside of Europe.
KETC was one of six PBS stations in the country selected to
receive a grant from The Fetzer Institute, a Michigan-based
private foundation dedicated to fostering awareness of the power
of love and forgiveness through research, education and service
programs.
PSYCHEDELIC SKYLINE
Peter Max Paints a St. Louis for The Ages
By Bill Beggs Jr.
Since the turbulent Sixties, Peter Max has interpreted the world’s
people and places with a bold brightness and unique whimsy.
His version of the St. Louis skyline is a gateway to his vivid
vision of iconic architecture, celebrities and significant cultural
events.
When he first saw the Gateway Arch on a trip west decades ago,
Max just couldn’t let it quietly slip past. He had to stop the
car.
“I’ve drawn and painted many amazing structures in the United
States,” Max said in a recent interview. “The Arch is among
the five or 10 great symbols of America.”
Max has rendered the Statue of Liberty numerous times. He’s
also painted portraits of other artists, among them Andy Warhol
and Toulouse-Lautrec. His world leaders include the last six
U.S. Presidents, the Dalai Lama and Mikhail Gorbachev.
But, for many Baby-Boomers, “cosmic” imagery was their first
impression of Peter Max—his “Galaxy Lady,” “Cosmic Jumper” and
various interpretations of flowers, hearts and the word “love”
for a generation who implored “All You Need Is Love.”
Max knew the Beatles. “I never saw all four of them together,”
he said, chuckling. He counted John Lennon among his dearest
friends, although he got to know him through Yoko Ono, the avant
garde Japanese artist some fans still blame for breaking up
the band.
On a stroll through New York’s Central Park, Lennon told Max
he thought the “Yellow Submarine” film would look best in his
style. However, because Max wasn’t hip to all the traveling
it would involve, the task fell to Heinz Edelman, “The German
Peter Max.”
Max is one of the greatest influences on contemporary pop art,
among the likes of Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring.
His social conscience has led him to create art pro bono, including
an effort to raise $1 million for the Pentagon 9-11 memorial
fund and an initiative for Hurricane Katrina victims.
For one night only—Saturday, Jan. 13, from 6 to 9 p.m.—Peter
Max will be in St. Louis to meet collectors and showcase his
art, at Wentworth Gallery in the West County Westfield Shopping
Center. Max will reprise his “Colors of a Better World” exhibit:
Original paintings, drawings and limited-edition prints. The
event is free and open to the public. Commerce Magazine
thanks Mr. Max for his generous contribution of this month’s
cover.
AMERISTAR CASINO ST. CHARLES UNVEILS
NEW CONFERENCE CENTER
Ameristar Casino St. Charles is opening an upscale $14 million
conference and meeting center on the second floor of its existing
casino. The conference center is part of Ameristar’s $240 million
expansion project that includes a 400-room all-suite hotel and
a new 2,350-space parking garage. The facilities are slated
to open in late 2007.
Located on the second level of Ameristar’s existing casino,
the 55,000-square-foot conference center will offer two ballrooms,
five meeting rooms and an executive board room with high-end
finishes, rich wood panels and custom lighting. The center is
designed to provide a very distinctive amenity for groups that
want meeting space inside of a premium entertainment facility.
ST. LOUIS EXPANDS GLOBAL BUSINESS INITIATIVE
WITH WORLD TRADE CENTER MERGER
The World Trade Center Saint Louis and the St. Louis Center
for International Relations have merged, combining their resources
under the World Trade Center Saint Louis name. The new entity
hopes to more aggressively attract foreign companies to the
region and better serve enterprises that conduct business internationally.
The initiative is fueled by a new, broad-based strategy to welcome
international enterprises to St. Louis while consulting with
local businesses that want to expand into foreign markets.
“The merging of World Trade Center and Center for International
Relations brings together the international trade and outreach
resources our local governments offer that make global markets
available to the business community,” states St. Louis County
Executive Charlie A. Dooley.
World Trade Center Saint Louis provides enterprises in Missouri
and Southern Illinois with valuable services such as strategic
global market research, business introductions, trade resources
and educational seminars. The organization also conducts foreign
trade missions to major cities across the world and hosts more
than 40 trade-related events annually.
DIRECT IMPACT PARTICIPATES IN PRO BONO
CREATE-A-THON
St. Louis-based Direct Impact and other advertising agencies
throughout North America assisted nonprofit organizations with
marketing projects during National Create-A-Thon Week in September.
The event is designed to produce pro bono marketing and creative
projects for selected nonprofit organizations during a 24-hour
creative blitz. Staffers work throughout the day and night to
provide conceptual development, copy writing and design for
brochures, direct mail pieces, web development, strategic marketing
plans and other marketing tools.
This year, Create-A-Thon agencies served more than 150 nonprofit
organizations. Direct Impact provided nine agencies with 12
to 14 free marketing and advertising projects and services.
Local nonprofits included Circus Day Foundation, St. Anthony
of Padua Church, Magnificat Center, CORP, St. Joachim & Ann
Care Services, Unlimited Play, St. Louis Arc, Feed My People
and the James S. McConnell USO. Direct Impact has been involved
with Create-A-Thon Week since 2001.
WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY OPENS NEW HIGH-TECH
FACILITY
World Wide Technology Inc. has opened a 12,000-square-foot Integration
Technology Center near its corporate headquarters in St. Louis.
The high-tech facility features a raised-floor data center and
meets the highest industry standards for quality control and
inventory management.
“The new St. Louis facility complements our distribution and
integration centers across the United States,” states Robert
Olwig, vice president of business strategy for World Wide Technology.
“Our investment in this world class facility demonstrates our
on-going commitment to dramatically reducing the complexity
and inefficiencies associated with the delivery of technology
products.”
The facility can simultaneously accommodate servers, laptops,
desktops and network components with a total capacity to configure
more than 30,000 systems per week.
For additional information on the information technology
cluster, visit the St.
Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA) website.
LOGAN COLLEGE OF CHIROPRACTIC MEETS
THE CHALLENGE FOR $500,000 GRANT
Logan College of Chiropractic has received a $500,000 challenge
grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation of Tulsa, Okla.,
to help fund a new multipurpose learning facility and related
enhancements. The college raised more than $3.2 million since
June 2005 to earn the grant money, which is part of the Creating
Community Connections campaign. The campaign was launched to
raise capital funds for the state-of-the-art William D. Purser,
D.C. Center, a 47,000-square-foot multipurpose learning facility.
The $21.5 million project is scheduled to open in the spring
of 2007.
“There are times in the life of a learning community that stand
as a benchmark of institutional growth and development,” states
Dr. George A. Goodman, president of Logan College of Chiropractic.
“Meeting the Mabee Foundation challenge is a major achievement
that affirms our heritage, traditions, mission and the opportunity
to meet new healthcare challenges.”
MIDAMERICA AIRPORT SIGNS LEASE FOR NEW
AIR CARGO FACILITY
St. Louis-based Trade Zone Partners hopes to fulfill MidAmerica
St. Louis Airport’s unique potential as an international hub
for air cargo. The corporation has signed a long-term agreement
with St. Clair County Public Building Commission to lease 26,000
square feet of space for warehousing and international cargo
transfers.
“No one is importing goods or merchandise internationally, directly
by air, into the heartland of America, the St. Louis region,”
stated Tim Cantwell, director of MidAmerica. “Trade Zone Partners
represent the critical ingredient to connecting international
air with this central U.S. distribution point.”
Trade Zone Partners is an alliance of Sunset Transportation
Inc., a truckload brokerage firm that operates 22 service centers
throughout the United States, and local real estate developers
McEagle Properties LLC.
A new $300,000 building that will house the Customers Service’s
office at the airport is scheduled to open this month.
For additional information on MidAmerica St. Louis Airport,
visit Transportation Advantages at the St.
Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA) website.
FORMER MEDINAH TEMPLE DEDICATED AS CENTENE
CENTER FOR THE ARTS
The former Medinah Temple at the corner of Olive Street and
Grand Boulevard in Grand Center has been dedicated as the Centene
Center for Arts and Education. The facility houses many arts
organizations under one roof, allowing them to flourish by sharing
space, resources and ideas.
“We are fortunate to have the capability to cultivate the arts
in our community by providing this opportunity,” states James
F. Weidman, president of the Arts and Education Council. “The
St. Louis area should be proud of the efforts of Grand Center
and Owen Development in bringing this unique project to fruition.”
The center offers its tenants valuable collaborative space.
The Pulaski Performance Terrace and Atrium provides an indoor/outdoor
reception area, and the Dana Brown Rehearsal Hall offers a stage,
sound and lighting for rehearsals, small productions and social
events. A rehearsal hall, an education center, a box office,
a conference room and other support areas enhance the building’s
services.
For additional information on arts and entertainment,
visit the
St.
Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA) website.
AFB INTERNATIONAL EXPANDS PET FOOD PALATANT
BUSINESS
AFB International Inc., a producer of pet food palatability
products, has signed a final purchase agreement to acquire NutriScience
Technologies Inc.’s pet food palatant business, NuPetra LLP,
and product development capabilities, NuSci Laboratories LLC.
NutriScience Technologies develops and manufactures dairy feed
ingredients and animal feed supplements.
The new company will be called AFB International and will continue
to produce NuPetra’s brand, BioFlavor, under the new name. AFB
International will take advantage of is newly combined research
and product development capabilities to focus on a broader spectrum
of palatant-related scientific inquiry.
“A wider range of palatants and services will allow the new
company to offer customers a greater choice of solutions,” states
Jacquelyn A. Levin, CEO of AFB International. “Over time, we
will have the opportunity to optimize our product offerings,
keeping the best of each product class while constantly working
on improving them.”
For additional information on the BioBelt, please visit
the St.
Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA) website.
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY’S HILLTOP CAMPUS
NAMED FOR DANFORTH FAMILY
Washington University’s Hilltop Campus, home to six of the university’s
seven schools, has been renamed the Danforth Campus in honor
of the contributions made by Chancellor Emeritus William H.
“Bill” Danforth, the late Elizabeth (Ibby) Gray Danforth, the
Danforth family and the Danforth Foundation. The new name took
effect on Sept. 17th at an official dedication ceremony in Graham
Chapel.
“Bill Danforth has been one of the most respected leaders in
higher education,” stated Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. “To many
alumni, he will always be dearly remembered simply as ‘Chan
Dan,’ or as ‘Uncle Bill.’ To all members of the WUSTL community
over the past half-century, he will be remembered as the man
who, together with his late wife, Elizabeth, loved the University
and loved working hand-in-hand with faculty, staff, students
and alumni to increase its strength and the contributions that
only a university can make to modern society.”
Dr. Danforth started his career at the university in the medical
school and later became a professor of internal medicine. In
1965, he was named vice chancellor for medical affairs and president
of the Washington University Medical Center at age 39. In 1971,
he was named chancellor and served in that role for 24 years.
LOCAL TECH HIGH SCHOOLS OFFER DOMESTIC
SECURITY PROGRAM
Two technical high schools in St. Louis County are the first
in the nation to offer a comprehensive Domestic Preparedness
and Security program, according to the Special School District
of St. Louis County. The one-year program is offered to seniors
at North Technical and South Technical high schools.
“The events of Sept. 11th had a profound effect on our society.
It has even impacted what our students learn,” states Randy
Dillon, director of technical education for the Special School
District of St. Louis County. “The past five years have seen
tremendous growth for fields associated with emergency preparedness
and response. Those fields are only expected to continue growing,
but there is a huge shortage of qualified individuals to fill
those roles. Our new Domestic Preparedness and Security program
aims to help fill the void.”
The curriculum covers such topics as weapons of mass destruction,
domestic and international terrorism, the Patriot Act, the Homeland
Security Act, preparedness for natural disasters and emergency
responses. The program’s instructors come from a range of backgrounds,
including law enforcement and fire protection.
FOCUS ST. LOUIS FORMS DISASTER TASK
FORCE
FOCUS St. Louis has assembled the Regional Disaster Preparedness
Task Force in response to worldwide terrorist attacks, Hurricane
Katrina and other recent storms that left hundreds of thousands
in the region without power. The task force’s goal is to address
questions regarding the St. Louis region’s disaster and emergency
preparedness and to provide recommendations for improving the
region’s overall readiness.
Thirty-six community leaders from across the region are serving
on the task force, which is co-chaired by Barrett Toan, retired
CEO of Express Scripts Inc., and Richard Mark, senior vice president
at AmerenUE. The task force is expected to release a comprehensive
report in May 2007.
ST. LOUIS REGIONAL ENGINEERING ACADEMY
EARNS NATIONAL AWARD
The St. Louis Regional Engineering Academy has been selected
as one of the nation’s “best practice” programs in science,
technology, education and mathematics and was showcased during
the Bayer Best Practices in K-12 STEM Education Compendium on
Sept. 28 in Washington, D.C.
The engineering academy is a regional partnership consisting
of St. Louis Community College, area business and industry representatives,
area high schools, and local colleges and universities. Its
purpose is to enhance technical education in high schools, to
encourage students to explore engineering and technical career
fields, and to pursue academic prerequisites for college engineering
programs.
The academy serves more than 1,100 students in 20 area high
schools through the Project Lead the Way curriculum, which helps
students use technology and mathematics in problem solving,
understand technological systems and the scientific process,
and prepare for college engineering courses. The academy works
closely with the St. Louis Industry Council and industry leaders
such as Boeing, GKN Aerospace, Tyco-Mallinckrodt, AmerenUE and
others who are interested in developing the trained work force.
ADCRAFT DESIGNS GATEWAY ARCH REPLICA
FOR CONVENTION AND VISITORS COMMISSION EXHIBIT
The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission touted St. Louis
as a prime spot for hosting meetings and conventions at the
American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting &
Exposition held in Boston on Aug. 19 to 22. Drawing attention
to the Commission’s booth was a replica of the Gateway Arch
created by St. Louis-based Adcraft Inc.
Adcraft designed the new exhibit in response to the St. Louis
Convention & Visitors Commission’s desire for a more dynamic
and prominent booth to attract attention at the exposition.
The exhibit stands 16 feet and measures 22 feet from base to
base, maximizing its interior space. The design team also recreated
the appearance of the new Busch Stadium with twin 10-foot walls
positioned on opposite corners. One side simulates the curved
archways and iron signage of the new stadium, while the other
side holds a large-screen plasma television that plays video
clips of Anheuser-Busch, the St. Louis Cardinals, the St. Louis
Rams, Six Flags, the Saint Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Science
Center and Ted Drewes Frozen Custard.
“We were quite pleased with our booth traffic,” states Kathleen
(Kitty) Ratcliffe, president of the commission. “The Arch really
attracted attention. Once we were able to sit down with association
executives, the city sold itself so we look for increased business
from associations in the coming months and years.”
CONSTRUCTION STARTS ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER
OVERLOOK IN EAST ST. LOUIS
The Metro East Park and Recreation District has started construction
on the new $4.2 million Mississippi River Overlook Platform
at Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park in East St. Louis, Ill. The
overlook will be a 43-foot tall viewing platform that will provide
a spectacular view of the Gateway Arch and the St. Louis skyline,
as well as the Gateway Geyser, a fountain that will shoot water
600 feet straight into the air and reach the same height as
the Gateway Arch.
The platform will be a concrete structure made up of five tiered
observation decks set at eight-foot intervals. The project will
include road improvements that will widen the curved roadway
at Front Street and Trendley Avenue and create a visitor drop-off
point on Trendley Avenue.
The platform is the first phase of a comprehensive development
plan for an accessible public park for the citizens of East
St. Louis and the region. The site ultimately will feature an
amphitheater and stage, a cultural interpretive area, a natural
interpretive area and connections to the Eads Bridge, recreation
trails, MetroLink and the Casino Queen.
Welcome Home, “Mr. Ambassador”
FORMER HUNGARIAN AMBASSADOR KEYNOTES ST. LOUIS TRADE SEMINAR
By Bill Beggs Jr.
His friends may call him Bert, but officially he is The Hon.
George Herbert Walker III, former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic
of Hungary. Walker and his wife, Carol, returned to the States
last September upon concluding a three-year appointment to the
Eastern European country that was central to the dissolution
of the Soviet Bloc.
At 75, the first cousin of the first President Bush—to whom
he refers as “Forty-one” —was contemplating his next career
when we visited with him in early November. His first few steps
were cautious, but only because he was recuperating from a double
knee replacement.
Physicians are known to recommend performing the procedure one
joint at a time. Walker wanted to get it out of the way all
at once. Retirement is a word apparently not in his vocabulary.
“We’ll be starting a whole new life after the first of the year,”
Walker said. Meanwhile, he was looking forward to the Dec. 5th
seminar presented by the Hungarian Investment and Trade Development
Agency (ITD) and the RCGA. His Excellency András Simonyi, Hungarian
Ambassador to the United States, was to open the ambassadors’
keynote address: “Hungary and the American Midwest—New Opportunities,
Return on Investment.” Walker is set to wrap up the event at
The Chase Park Plaza Hotel: “Hungary: in the Center of Europe,
in the Center of Business”.
The first part of the title describes where Walker had been
working since Sept. 30, 2003. The part after the comma sums
up what he’s been doing the remainder of his career— or, more
accurately, careers.
With a bachelor’s from Yale in 1953 and law degree from Harvard
in ’56, you might think he’d have gone into law or politics.
Although he did spend most of his professional career in finance,
he did make a bid for the U.S. Senate, in 1992.
“I was beaten by Jim Talent in the primary,” Walker said, with
a wry smile. “But I was 62 in ’92, and decided it’s a young
man’s game.”
So, what next—retire early? Not a chance. After all, between
leaving the Air Force in 1958 to joining the Foreign Service,
Walker had helped build a financial powerhouse and, quite frankly,
wouldn’t have known how to slow down. From the time he joined
Stifel, Nicolaus in 1976 as executive vice president, Stifel
has evolved from a privately owned firm with a revenue of less
than $10 million to a public firm with revenues of more than
$200 million and more than 1,000 employees.
Walker is chairman emeritus of Stifel Financial Corp. and Stifel,
Nicolaus & Co. Inc. His involvement with organizations both
public and private are too numerous to list here. A glimpse:
He served as chairman of Downtown St. Louis Inc. (now Downtown
St. Louis Partnership), and was the first chairman of the Downtown
St. Louis Business District. In 1974, Walker joined Webster
University’s board of directors, serving as chairman from 1987-1992.
Improving the higher education system in Hungary was one of
his initiatives as ambassador. Walker called upon Richard Meyers
of Webster, and the leaders of two other prestigious St. Louis
universities to visit Hungary and make recommendations: Mark
Wrighton of Washington University and Lawrence Biondi, S.J.
of Saint Louis University.
Problems at Hungary’s colleges and universities were pervasive.
Cronyism that had crept in during decades of communist rule
had enervated higher education in the former Soviet satellite.
“These are institutions with wonderful reputations and great
histories, but their quality of education was declining,” Walker
said. Funded by the government, universities there needed to
increase enrollment. None had any private endowment. These were
challenges with which Walker and his ad hoc committee were well
familiar, so the situation began to turn around.
An ambassadorial appointment, however, is for only three years.
Despite the allure of another opportunity overseas, Walker said
he’s probably back stateside for good—as far as the Foreign
Service is concerned, at least.
But why was he only able to spend three years in Hungary? Walker
explained by sharing an anecdote about George Schultz, secretary
of state under President Reagan, who one day called the U.S.
ambassador to Czechoslovakia on the carpet.
“Schultz spun a globe and asked him, ‘Point out your country.’
The ambassador put his finger in Central Europe. Schultz pointed
to the United States and said, ‘No, this is your country’.”
How next to serve, and where? Once Bert Walker throws down his
walker, who knows?
CORRECTION:
In the November issue of Commerce, Wies Drywall & Construction
Co. was misidentified as T.J. Wies Contracting for two Construction
Roundup projects. Wies Drywall & Construction Co. should have
been shown as a subcontractor for St. Charles Community College-Phase
IV Expansion and for Mike Shannon’s Restaurant.
