SEATTLE PUBLICATION TOUTS ST. LOUIS BIOBELT St. Louis’ growing presence in the biotech industry is highlighted in the March 12 issue of the Puget Sound Business Journal in an article titled, “Regions Making Concentrated Efforts to Woo Biotech and Biomedical Companies.” Writer Brad Broberg discusses measures that states and regions are taking to boost their presence in biotech. Some regions are devoting their resources to biotech niches in order to achieve world-class status, according to Lee Cheatham, executive director of the Washington Technology Center. St. Louis is one example, Broberg writes, due to companies and institutions like chemical manufacturer Monsanto Corp. and Washington University, which ranked fifth in receiving funds from the National Institutes of Health in 2002. “They are trying to become the plant and life sciences capital of the world,” Broberg quotes Cheatham as saying. “And they’re beginning to pull it off.” ST. LOUIS AMONG MOST AFFORDABLE U.S. CITIES FOR BUSINESS The St. Louis region ranks among the least expensive cities in which to do business, according to a new study released by KPMG, a global firm that provides audit, tax and risk advisory services. Using 100 as a national average, the St. Louis region has a cost index of 102, and ranks eighth out of 24 major cities with a population of more than 1.5 million. The index is based on the after-tax cost of start-up and operation over a 10-year period, and it takes into consideration 27 cost components that vary by location, such as labor, taxes and utilities. San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the least expensive region in which to do business with a cost index of 93. San Jose, Calif., is the most expensive region with a cost index of 110.9. New York City is the second most expensive with a cost index of 109.8. HOK’S OBATA WINS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Gyo Obata, a founding partner of architectural firm Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, received a 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts on March 5 from the Japanese American National Museum. Obata was one of five individuals to receive the award, which recognizes those who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in the arts, education and international relations. In 1955, Obata formed HOK with George Hellmuth and George Kassabaum. Some of his landmark designs include Priory Chapel and the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis; the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.; and King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. NHL NAMES ST. LOUIS BLUES’ MARKETING CAMPAIGN “OUTSTANDING CLUB MARKETING CAMPAIGN” The National Hockey League has named the St. Louis Blues’ “retro” marketing campaign, created by St. Louis-based Schupp Company Inc., as the league’s “Outstanding Club Marketing Campaign” for the 2003-04 season. The honor marks the second time in the last three years that a Schupp campaign for the Blues has won the NHL’s top marketing award. The winning campaign features a humorous 1960s spoof, using graphics and language from that decade to promote affordable ticket prices. The approach was selected following the club’s decision to reduce ticket prices in many areas of Savvis Center at the start of the season. MCCARTHY RANKS AMONG TOP FIVE IN NATIONAL HEALTH CARE LIST Modern Healthcare, a weekly health care industry trade magazine, has named McCarthy one of the top five health care construction managers in the nation. The firm holds the fifth spot on the list, which is compiled according to dollar volume for 2003. McCarthy has constructed health care facilities for more than 60 years, and current projects include the new St. John’s Mercy Heart Hospital and renovation work at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center and St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis. SAVVIS’ MCCORMICK WINS INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AWARD Rob McCormick, chairman and CEO of SAVVIS Communications, has received an International Business Award at a ceremony in New York City on March 22. SAVVIS was also a finalist in the “Best New Product or Service” category for its fully managed voice services. McCormick won the “Best Executive” category for his role in developing SAVVIS’ Virtualized Managed Services delivery platform. St. Louis-based SAVVIS is a global provider of virtual private networks, hosting services, and voice and application services to businesses. The International Business Awards were created to honor the efforts, accomplishments and positive contributions of companies and business people worldwide. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, SLU MEDICAL LAW PROGRAM RECEIVE TOP RANKINGS The Washington University School of Medicine is ranked No. 2 among top research schools, and No. 1 in the nation in student selectivity, according to the U.S. News & World Report annual ranking of graduate and professional programs. Saint Louis University School of Law Center for Health Law Studies is ranked No. 1 in the country. Washington University School of Medicine is ranked No. 2 in the nation in student selectivity. LAWRENCE GROUP FEATURED IN RADIO WORLD The Lawrence Group, a St. Louis-based architectural and interior design firm, is featured in the Sept. 1, 2003, issue of Radio World, a broadcast industry newspaper, for its design of the Mel Johnson Media Center on the Northwestern College campus in St. Paul, Minn. The 40,000-square-foot broadcast facility is home to KTIS (FM-AM), Skylight Satellite and an Internet station. The style of the media center, which is constructed of concrete and steel with a cast limestone and brick skin, reflects the campus’ 19th century history. BOEING AEROSPACE SUPPORT WINS MALCOLM BALDRIGE AWARD St. Louis-based Boeing Aerospace Support received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for 2003 from President George W. Bush on March 9 in Washington, D.C. President George W. Bush speaks during the presentation of the 2003 Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award in Arlington, Va., March 9, 2003. The award in the highest honor for performance given by the president to U.S. organizations. The awards program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce, recognizes companies that excel in quality and performance and shares those performance strategies across manufacturing, service, education and health care industries. ABC NEWS RANKS ST. LOUIS IN TOP FIVE EDUCATION REGIONS In another strong ranking for the St. Louis region, Forbes.com reporter Betsy Schiffman, writing in a recent special report for ABCNEWS.com titled, “Location, Location, Education—The Best Places With the Best Education,” ranks the St. Louis region No. 4 in the nation for education. Schiffman notes, “The quality of local schools is just as important to home values as location. If there’s a mix of strong local public and private schools that are sending lots of graduates to Ivy League colleges, parents will spend top dollar to live there.”

May 2004 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sean Sovacool tries mastering the Senior Open. special regional airport section. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stlrcga.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.technologygateway.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Joshua Scheck glimpses inside the storm. George Tompras and Renee Bogdanos of Kreis’ Restaurant. In the Spotlight, HALE IRWIN.