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COMMERCE IN
BRIEF
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March of
Dimes Honors Community Builders
The March of Dimes’ Building the Community Awards honored companies
and individuals who have had a significant impact on improving the
quality of life in the St. Louis community. The award recipients
are:
Richard
Baron |
- Lifetime
Achievement Award: Richard D. Baron of McCormack Baron
and Associates
- Residential
Real Estate Company of the Year: Gundaker Realtors
- Commercial
Real Estate Company of the Year: Colliers Turley Martin
and Tucker
- Commercial
Real Estate Company of the Year: Garrett Balke of Balke
Brown Associates
- Homebuilder
Company of the Year: TR Hughes
- General
Contractor Company of the Year: ARCO Construction
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Richard Baron’s
Lifetime Achievement Award represents more than 30 years of service
to the St. Louis Community and the area real estate industry. Baron
began his real estate career in 1973 with partner, Terry McCormack.
The firm they founded now employs 350 people nationwide and manages
more than 10,000 residential units, including about 2,000 in St.
Louis.
The neighborhood approach is the hallmark of McCormack Baron and
Associates. He has been involved in the building of 127 new apartments
on Murphy Park north of downtown. The complex will include 400 apartments
that are scheduled for completion by 2003. Baron helped transform
the neighborhood’s Jefferson School as part of this project. With
help from the University of Missouri’s School of Education, Baron
had computers installed and provided training for the elementary
school’s teachers. In addition, he persuaded the state of Missouri
to locate an office in the neighborhood as part of its welfare-to-work
program.
The March of Dimes sponsors this annual awards program as part of
its mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth
defects and infant mortality.
Golf Tournament and Dinner Support National Marine Corps Scholarship
Foundation
For the past 20 years, supporters of the Marine Corps Scholarship
Foundation have eagerly looked forward to the first Monday in August
at Norwood Hills Country Club. It marks the date of what Dennis
Jones calls, “one of the most organized and well-run golf tournaments
in the country.” This year Jones, former CEO of Jones Pharma, is
honorary chair for an added event on August 4, the Saturday before
the golf scramble.
Jones and Niall Gannon of Salomon Smith Barney, assisted by key
event organizers Dan Werner and Gary Gianino of Systems & Electronics
Inc., subsidiary of Engineered Support Systems, Inc., are heading
a committee to host a gala dinner at The Boeing Company to honor
the tournament’s co-founder and driving force. The expected 500
attendees will be contributing to a $250,000 endowment to the Marine
Corps Scholarship Foundation in the name of Tom Walter, former Marine
and senior vice president/investments, Stifel Nicolaus & Company
Inc.
General James L. Jones, Commandant USMC is among the VIPs and dignitaries
expected to attend. Also planning to attend is Ruth Rockmore, widow
of Brigadier General Martin F. Rockmore, founder of the National
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.
When Walter chaired the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Golf
Tournament in St. Louis 20 years ago, it was the only such tourney
benefiting the foundation. Through this effort and a few other events,
Walter has helped raise $2 million for the foundation over the years.
In addition, Walter has shared his expertise at organizing golf
tournaments with committees in other cities. Today, 18 cities host
golf events to benefit the foundation, which provides financial
assistance to the children of active duty Marines and Marines killed
in duty who are pursuing higher education at universities, colleges
or vocational schools.
“It is appropriate for honoring Tom’s 20 years to raise $250,000
for the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation national program. Each
student receiving scholarship funds from this endowment will know
it is from Tom’s efforts,” says Jones, also a former Marine. “The
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has one of the lowest administrative
costs among charities. At the national level, it remains efficient
with three paid employees, and in St. Louis all funds are raised
through efforts of volunteers.”
He also explains Walter uses support of major sponsors to fund the
golf tournament’s expenses. This means nearly all of the players’
fees go to the scholarship fund. For the new endowment, the committee
is well on the way to reaching its goal. Gannon adds that they anticipate
corporate commitments of about $25,000.
Jones Pharma, now a subsidiary of King Pharmaceuticals, continues
as a sponsor of the golf tournament. Major sponsors for the endowment
dinner include Salomon Smith Barney, the law firm of Greensfelder,
Hemker & Gale PC, Dennis and Judith Jones, and The Boeing Company.
Patrick J. Finneran Jr., vice president and general manager, U.S.
Navy and Marine Corps Programs, Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile
Systems says, “Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems focuses
on balancing the needs of our four key stakeholder groups—our customers,
our employees, our communities and our shareholders. We do this,
in part, by supporting community organizations that in turn help
our customers. This year, because it is the 20th anniversary of
the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation in St. Louis, we are taking
the extra step of offering our facilities to accommodate what we
think will be a larger-than-usual crowd.”
Area Community College Simplifies Its Name and Updates Logo
In an effort to shorten what college officials termed a “tongue-twister
of a name,” St. Charles County Community College is dropping the
word “county” from its name and is now simply St. Charles Community
College (SCC). In conjunction with this change the college also
adopted a new logo.
“In many respects the name has been changed by popular demand,”
says college president John McGuire. “By this modification, we are
just catching up with what our county citizens are already calling
us.
In 1986, St. Charles County voters approved formation of a taxing
district to provide 25 percent of the operating funds for a community
college. At that time including “county” as part of the name was
important to ensure all local citizens understood they were included
in the new college district.
Costco Enters St. Louis Area Market
Above:
On hand at the May opening of Costco’s first warehouse in the
region, were (left center) Thomas Brown, mayor of St. Peters and
(right center) Ron Babish, local warehouse manager. The new 148,000-square-foot
facility is located in St. Peters.
Costco Wholesale Corporation opened its first warehouse in the St.
Louis metropolitan area in early May. The 148,000-square-foot facility,
built by Elan Construction, is located off I-70 in St. Peters.
John Gaherty, senior vice president, Costco Midwest Region, explains
the St. Peters area fits with the company’s growth strategy, which
is targeting the Midwest.
“We tend to do well in population areas with educated, high-income
shoppers,” Gaherty says. “Costco looks at drive time more than distance.
So we tend to pull in more members in a suburban location near a
freeway.”
As one of the leaders in the membership warehouse shopping industry,
Costco is known for both its name brand and private label merchandise.
The concept is popular with both consumers and small business owners.
After paying a nominal annual fee to join, Costco members can shop
at warehouse prices for varied merchandise that includes department
store clothing brands, gift items, jewelry, office supplies, an
optical shop with an in-house optometrist, one-hour photo service,
pharmacy, tire center, gasoline station, and a grocery store with
fresh bakery, fresh meats, produce and deli.
According to Ron Babish, St. Peters warehouse manager, the new Costco
employs approximately 200 people. The St. Peters location is the
second in Missouri, the 259th in the U.S. and the 359th worldwide.
Costco’s first Missouri location is in Kansas City.
Gaherty adds the St. Peters opening was one of the best for Costco
in terms of building local relationships. “We’ve been very well
received and local officials from the mayor to police department
have been helping us in many ways.”
Now the eighth largest retailer in the U.S., Costco Wholesale’s
home office is in Issaquah, Wash. Other Midwestern locations opening
this year include Chicago. Gaherty expects Costco to build more
warehouse facilities in the St. Louis area.
AAIM Management Association Opens New Facility
Above: AAIM Management Association’s new business
solutions center at 3700 S. Lindbergh provides flexible room configurations
for member training and meetings as well as a high-tech infrastructure
for education and research.
AAIM Management Association, a leading business education, research
and management consulting service, has celebrated the opening of
its new business solutions center in Sunset Hills. The move nearly
tripled AAIM’s square footage from 11,500 to 33,000 square feet,
providing member companies with space for off-site training and
meetings.
Previously located in Brentwood, AAIM purchased the vacated General
Motors Company training facility on South Lindbergh Boulevard. Korte
Construction company refurbished the building, creating a new auditorium,
conference rooms, training classrooms, a library and research center,
and offices.
Evans & Dixon Moves to New Downtown Corporate Headquarters
A recent decision by Evans & Dixon, L.L.C. will keep the largest
insurance defense firm in the St. Louis metropolitan area downtown,
and bump the occupancy rate at the Millennium Center above 95 percent.
In July, the firm moved into 33,000 square feet on three floors
in the recently renovated downtown office building at 515 Olive.
Last year, under the new ownership and management of Jones Lang
LaSalle, the Millennium Center underwent a major renovation, including
lobby and floor upgrades as well as HVAC updates, a new sprinkler
system, asbestos abatement and fiber optic wiring.
Founded in 1945 to represent the insurance industry and self-insured
employers, Evans & Dixon practices workers’ compensation and civil
litigation defense in the states of Missouri, Illinois and Kansas.
The firm currently has 59 attorneys and a total of 132 employees.
Evans & Dixon will continue to maintain a Kansas City operation
and a satellite office in Leawood, Kan. The downtown St. Louis move
consolidates the firm’s St. Louis operation into one office.
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Awarded Treasury Relations
Office
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis will coordinate the provision
of financial services on behalf of the Federal Reserve System to
the largest user of those services—the U.S. Treasury Department.
The Financial Service Policy Committee, the Federal Reserve’s decision-making
body for financial services, recently awarded the new “Treasury
Relations and Support Office” to the St. Louis Fed. LeGrande Rives,
the Bank’s first vice president, will add “Treasury Relationship
Manager” to his duties.
Rives notes that while the net gain in jobs is small (eight new
positions), the gain in responsibility for the St. Louis Fed is
“huge.” He adds that acquiring the new responsibilities increases
the St. Louis Fed’s visibility within the Federal Reserve System
and the Treasury Department.
“Treasury payments for the Federal Reserve System services we’ll
oversee are about $250 million per year,” Rives says. “We’ll work
with a number of Treasury entities, such as the Bureau of Public
Debt, which is responsible for marketable Treasury securities and
savings bonds, and the Financial Management Service, which is responsible
for debt collection programs, government check and direct deposit/direct
payment processing, deposit reporting systems, tax collection and
direct investments.”
With branches in Little Rock, Louisville and Memphis, the Federal
Reserve Bank of St. Louis serves the Eighth Federal Reserve District,
which includes all of Arkansas, eastern Missouri, southern Indiana,
southern Illinois, western Kentucky, western Tennessee and northern
Mississippi. Besides serving as a bank for depository institutions
and the U.S. government, each Reserve Bank monitors economic conditions
in the District, participates in formulating monetary policy and
supervises state-chartered member banks and bank holding companies
to foster safety and soundness in the District’s financial institutions
and protect consumers’ credit rights. |
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