This month's St. Louis Commerce Magazine takes an in-depth look at entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in and around St. Louis, with a cover story on one of the nation’s and our region’s newest sports and entertainment entrepreneurs; namely, Dave Checketts. Several years ago St. Louis was named America’s Best Sports City because of the storied franchises of the Cardinals, Rams and the Blues. We now have the good fortune of enjoying the leadership and the entrepreneurial energy of a gentleman who has already made his mark in several communities and now has chosen St. Louis to plant his flag. Jim Baer’s cover story chronicles Checketts’ storied career—becoming president and general manager of the Utah Jazz at the age of 28; then being named president of the New York Knicks; and going on to become president and CEO of Madison Square Garden, which owns both the Knicks and the New York Rangers. Now Checketts is working to transform the Blues. He explains why he is a firm believer in the future of downtown St. Louis and the role the Blues and the Scottrade Center will play in the continuing revitalization of the City’s core. Continuing on the theme of entrepreneurship, Shera Dalin's article on the venture capital environment in the St. Louis region highlights the progress that has been made and outlines a “to do list” for the future. In 2005, the St. Louis area attracted $115 million in venture investments; since 2000, the total has reached nearly $1 billion. For perspectives on venture capital, Dalin interviews Scott Zajac, senior managing director of Advantage Capital; Marcia Mellitz, president and CEO of the Center for Emerging Technologies; Gil Bickel, chairman of St. Louis Arch Angels; and Kelly Gillespie, executive director of the Missouri Biotechnology Association. A parallel story by Dalin is on the strong roles that universities are playing, both individually and together, in entrepreneurial leadership in the St. Louis region—with insights from Kevin Schulte, director of the Smurfit-Stone Center for Entrepreneurship at Saint Louis University; Kristin Jarden, director of the Entrepreneurship Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; and Ken Harrington, director of the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. St. Louis is a region rich in colorful history and its history of entrepreneurship is no exception. Bill Beggs Jr. provides an interesting time capsule on entrepreneurship from the region’s 18th-century origins as a fur-trading outpost to the present day. An entity that is contributing to the entrepreneurial environment, both with its mission of financing higher education and its spin off benefits for the growth of science and technology, is the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA). Linda Jarrett profiles the organization’s ongoing efforts to stimulate math and science talent. With a spirit of entrepreneurship, Kevin Willmann established his own restaurant after working for such St. Louis favorites as the Blue Water Grill, Mosaic and Lucas Park Grill. Willmann selected the revitalizing downtown of Edwardsville to open Erato, a charming new restaurant and wine bar. Erato is featured in this month’s Taste of the Region. And finally, this month’s Spotlight is on Bob Witterschein, who has helped entrepreneurs throughout his 26-year-long banking career. As the CEO for Southwest Bank, read why Christine Imbs coins Witterschein as the “accidental banker.” We hope you enjoy reading this issue of St. Louis Commerce Magazine. As always, please send your comments and suggestions to us at dfleming@stlrcga.org. RICHARD C.D. FLEMING President and Chief Executive Officer St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association

July 2007 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dave Checketts Scott Zajac Pierre Laclède 300-foot mural along the Riverfront Trail in North St. Louis - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stlrcga.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - U City search light Kelly Ryan Tim Foley, Erato Suttle Mindlin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -