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The RCGA
works to retain and expand existing business as well as attract
new business to the region.
The RCGA focuses on stimulating sustainable growth and expanding
the region’s economic opportunity. As the RCGA economic development
arm, the Greater St. Louis Economic Development Council and the
economic development staff at the RCGA implement programs that will
help the RCGA and the region fulfill this vital goal.
Campaign for a Greater St. Louis
Created by the Greater St. Louis Economic Development Council and
the RCGA, the original Campaign for a Greater St. Louis raised $12
million in commitments from more than 200 investors to support programs
and initiatives to improve St. Louis’ regional business development.
The ultimate goal was to create 100,000 net new jobs by the end
of the year 2000; create strong “deal-making” capacities; and assume
marketing responsibilities for the area’s “products.” The RCGA’s
programs together with the efforts of our regional partners helped
to create more than 109,082 net new jobs putting the region over
its goal at the end of October 2000.
The first five years have been ones of progress and positive growth.
We now have the opportunity to build upon this success—to sustain
this momentum. The new $15 million, five-year campaign will continue
to pursue economic development in the traditional sense, to retain
and expand existing business as well as attract new business to
the region.
Greater St. Louis Economic Development Network
Product development and marketing is most effective when teamwork
is the standard. The Greater St. Louis Economic Development Network
is a collaborative group of more than 100 regional economic development
professionals representing state, county and local jurisdictions,
working toward the common goal of greater economic growth for metropolitan
St. Louis. Throughout the first five years of the Campaign for a
Greater St. Louis, great progress has occurred when a working partnership
of regional economic development professionals was developed.
Members of the Network agree to follow a code of ethics that commits
them to market the area as a region, putting the benefits of attracting
a business to greater St. Louis before their desire to bring them
to a specific community.
Business Development
The first priority is to nurture what is already thriving. The number
one mission of the RCGA’s economic development continues to be retaining
the region’s existing businesses and helping them expand. Existing
companies are vital to the region, because an estimated two-thirds
of the new jobs created in the region will result from the growth
of existing companies.
Recognizing that the lifeblood of a growing economy draws its success
from the creativity and full participation of the entire regional
business community, a new initiative called “Community Capitalism”
was implemented in 2000. Through the “Community Capitalism” initiative,
the RCGA is encouraging and supporting the expansion of women and
minority entrepreneurs and those in distressed areas.
Economic development must also continue to focus its efforts on
attracting new or relocated jobs into the St. Louis region. In these
cases, the RCGA acts as a “neutral civic broker” to assemble competitive
economic development packages for prospects on behalf of the entire
region.
Marketing Efforts
The RCGA works to market the St. Louis region nationally and internationally
to companies in a position to invest in the region. A focused marketing
program targets those industries and operations for which the St.
Louis region provides business-operating advantages. The RCGA focuses
its marketing efforts on several distinctive industry clusters including
plant and life science, high-performance manufacturing, information
technology, distribution and corporate headquarters. Through a variety
of marketing tactics, the RCGA is helping to generate excitement
and interest in operating a facility in the St. Louis region. Components
of the comprehensive marketing effort include research, direct mail,
telemarketing and national and local advertising. In a major recruitment
effort, Economic Development staff schedules an average of 17 annual
trips around the country to several target geographic regions meeting
one-on-one with prospects and consultants as well as hosting them
at various venues. As an example, the RCGA teams up with the St.
Louis Symphony in New York City to host a group of New York-based
prospects and consultants at Carnegie Hall. The RCGA also travels
to other cities such as Atlanta, to host prospects when the Cardinals
play in other national league cities and cities such as Dallas when
the Rams play the Cowboys.
Each year, the RCGA hosts the Gateway Site Selection Conference
in an effort to provide prospects and active consultants a low-pressure
look at the advantages of operating a business and living in the
St. Louis region. Participants meet in St. Louis for a three-day
blitz of the region including a helicopter tour, regional briefing
and Cardinals baseball game.
The RCGA also takes on a rigorous national media relations program
to increase St. Louis’ visibility to the national and international
press. In his article “Yes, There is a Pulse,” Tom Post told Forbes
readers worldwide that the St. Louis region’s entrepreneurial spirit
is strong and stimulating the new economy. Articles such as Post’s
have a critical impact on building a positive image of the region.
Not only does such attention strengthen our position within our
own community, it gives us the opportunity to send our message to
business leaders through a dynamic, targeted national and international
media relations program.
Just as the RCGA focuses its marketing efforts on distinct industry
clusters, it focuses its national media relations program primarily
on 20 business-related media outlets. The RCGA also cultivates editorial
opportunities with trade publications in the distinct industry clusters
and meet one-on-one with editors in Chicago and New York on an annual
basis to cultivate relationships and pitch story ideas. The St.
Louis region was recognized in several national publications in
2000 including:
- The
Wall Street Journal, which wrote a story focusing on the
RCGA’s new eight strategic initiatives
- Industry
Week, which ranked St. Louis 22nd out of 315 regions as
a world-class community for manufacturing
- USA
Today, which touted St. Louis as “becoming the Silicon
Valley of Biotechnology”
- The
Wall Street Journal, which wrote a feature story on Missouri
and St. Louis becoming a center for plant science
- CNBC
Power Lunch, which featured a segment on the growing cluster
of telecom entrepreneurs and high technology in St. Louis
- Entrepreneurs!
Living the American Dream, which broadcast live from Invest
Midwest
- Crain’s
Cleveland Business, which referenced the RCGA’s successful
regional economic development campaign as one of the reasons
Cleveland is being pushed out of the spotlight
- Sports
Illustrated, ranked St. Louis as the “Best Baseball
Town in America”
- The
Sporting News, ranked St. Louis the “Best Sports
City in North America”
- Business
Week, story on affordable cities entitled “The Living
is Easy—In St. Louis” n
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