ACCOUNTING TODAY REVEALS
BEST ACCOUNTING FIRMS TO WORK FOR
BKD LLP, Brown Smith Wallace and RSM McGladrey have been chosen for Accounting Today’s 2008 Best Accounting Firms to Work For list. BKD ranked No. 3 and RSM McGladrey ranked No. 12 among large firms with 250 or more employees. Brown Smith Wallace claimed the No. 34 spot for midsized firms with 25 to 249 employees.
The publication created the list to identify, recognize and honor the 60 best places of employment in the accounting profession. Companies are evaluated based on a two-part survey that assesses their policies, practices, demographics, and employee engagement and satisfaction. The complete rankings are available at
www.bestaccountingfirmstoworkfor.com.
SAINT LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER
REPS PARTICIPATE IN NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE STUDY
Representatives from the Saint Louis Science Center joined a climbing expedition to Mount Everest to participate in a medical study that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The study, titled “Arterial Blood Gases and Oxygen Content in Climbers on Mount Everest,” examines oxygen levels in the blood of climbers in an expedition led by doctors from the University College London.
The Science Center’s Doug King, president and CEO, and Brad Nuccio, senior vice president, climbed along with several Science Center members to the base camp of Mount Everest in 2007 to participate in the study. The purpose of the study was to establish that high-altitude climbers have incredibly low levels of oxygen in their blood, which at sea level would only be seen in patients close to death.
The Caudwell Xtreme Everest team of climbing doctors measured oxygen levels by taking blood from leg arteries close to the summit of Mount Everest at 8,400 meters above sea level. The samples were then carried back down the mountain by Pasang Tenzing Sherpa to be analyzed within two hours at a science laboratory set up at the team’s camp at 6,400 meters on Everest.
The study recorded the lowest-ever levels of oxygen found in humans from climbers near the top of Mount Everest. The findings could eventually help critical care doctors re-evaluate treatment strategies in long-term patients with similarly low levels of blood oxygen due to illnesses like acute respiratory distress syndrome, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, septic shock, “blue baby” syndrome and others.
CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM ST. LOUIS EXHIBITION NAMED ONE OF THE NATION'S 2008
BEST IN ART MAGAZINE
The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis earned a mention in Artforum magazine when it featured the best exhibitions from around the world. Bob Nickas, an art critic and curator, selected the Contemporary’s John Armleder and Olivier Mosset exhibition as one of the best in 2008.
About the exhibition, Nickas wrote, “Who could have predicted that geometric abstraction would lead to silver Christmas trees, pour paintings with glitter, and sculptures based on antitank barriers—and Toblerone chocolates? Two great masters of the perverse, in an exhibition instigated by Anthony Huberman, made it seem like that’s exactly how it should be. That’s why they call it abstraction.”
BRYAN CAVE’S HOFFMAN NAMED
IT DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Constance Hoffman, chief information officer for Bryan Cave LLP, has earned the 2008 IT Director of the Year Award from Law Technology News. Hoffman’s ability to solve real legal and business problems with innovative technology solutions earned her the recognition.
“These outstanding individuals and teams are leaders within their organizations who continue to demonstrate the many benefits that technology can bring to serving clients,” stated Stephen Lincoln, vice president and national group publisher for Incisive Media, publisher of Law Technology News. “We’re delighted to be able to recognize their achievements through the Law Technology News Awards.”
FIVE LOCAL COMPANIES NAMED “BEST PLACES TO WORK” BY FORTUNE
FORTUNE magazine named five companies with a presence in St. Louis on its 100 Best Companies to Work For list for 2009: Build-A-Bear Workshop, Burns & McDonnell, Edward Jones, QuikTrip and Scottrade
The driving factor for companies making this year’s list was their track record at creating jobs, according to the magazine. Of the 100 companies on the 2009 list, 73 are currently hiring. FORTUNE worked with the Great Place to Work® Institute, a global research and consulting firm, to compile the list based on an extensive employee survey.
FOUR ST. LOUIS COMPANIES RANK
ON FORTUNE’S “MOST ADMIRED”
FORTUNE magazine has included Anheuser-Busch, Emerson Electric, Energizer Holdings and Graybar Electric on its 2009 World’s Most Admired Companies ranking.
Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 in the beverages category, and Graybar claimed the top spot among diversified wholesalers for the third consecutive year. Emerson Electric ranked No. 2 in the electronics industry, while Energizer Holdings ranked
No. 5 in the household products industry.
The list also names Centene, Express Scripts and Furniture Brands International as contenders for future Most Admired lists.
ST. LOUIS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL RANKED AMONG BEST PEDIATRIC HOSPITALS
St. Louis Children’s Hospital ranked No. 5 among the top pediatric hospitals in the United States, according to Parents magazine’s ranking of the 10 best children’s hospitals. The fifth-placed ranking is the highest overall for the hospital since the survey began in 2001. St. Louis Children’s is the only hospital in Missouri, Illinois and the surrounding eight-state region to make the list.
The magazine noted that St. Louis Children’s Hospital has “performed the most pediatric lung transplants in the U.S. and is now giving extra attention to kids with another lung problem—asthma.”
Additionally, four of the hospital’s specialty services achieved top-five status in individual reports conducted by the magazine. Newborn medicine and orthopedics each ranked No. 3, pulmonary medicine and emergency medicine ranked No. 4, and cardiac services ranked No. 6.
Parents sent a comprehensive 250-question survey to children’s hospitals that are full members of the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions about their survival rates, number of complex procedures performed, research studies, staff qualifications, safeguards to prevent medical errors, and more. The magazine ultimately evaluated responses from more than 75 hospitals.
BOOK BY UMSL SCHOLAR SELECTED AMONG BEST IN 2008
Alfred Kazin: A Biography, by Richard M. Cook, chairman of the department of English at the University of Missouri-
St. Louis, was picked for a Best Books of 2008 list published by the Washington Post.
Released in January by Yale University Press, Cook’s book chronicles the life of Kazin from his impoverished childhood
growing up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, N.Y., to his 50-plus years as a prolific writer and one of this nation’s most prominent literary critics.
“I was certainly pleased the book was chosen for the list,” said Cook. “It was a long-time coming—much research, much re-writing, much frustration. So it’s gratifying to get the recognition.”
The book has earned other honors as well. Choice magazine named it a 2008 Outstanding Academic Title, and the Association of American University Presses honored it as a 2008 Best Book of the Year Selection.
Cook teaches courses in American literature, literary criticism, biography and autobiography at UMSL. He is currently preparing an edition of Kazin’s journals to be published by Yale University Press.
MASTERCARD WORLDWIDE EARNS PLACE ON INFOWORLD 100
MasterCard Worldwide has earned a 2008 InfoWorld 100 Award from InfoWorld Media Group for using technology in an innovative way to meet business and technical objectives. Every year, InfoWorld’s editorial staff names 100 companies that have best used technology to enhance their business.
“This year’s recipients of InfoWorld’s highest honor are shining examples of IT projects undertaken by tech leaders committed to pushing their organizations forward,” according to InfoWorld writer Jason Snyder.
MasterCard earned the honor thanks to a company project led by George Spies, group executive of global debit operations for MasterCard. Through Spies, the company brought previously outsourced debit capabilities in-house and created an integrated processing solutions platform to provide processing services to financial institutions.
BANK TECHNOLOGY NEWS RECOGNIZES MASTERCARD’S KELLY
Bank Technology News has named Joan Kelly, group executive of systems delivery for MasterCard Worldwide, to The Innovators 2008, an annual ranking of the 25 most advanced people, companies and technologies within the financial services community. Kelly was among 25 honorees featured in the publication’s November 2008 issue for defining the future of financial services through innovation.
Kelly earned the recognition for serving as chief architect in the introduction of the MasterCard global transaction network and for advancing its data and processing infrastructure. An 18-year veteran of MasterCard, Kelly is the most senior female technologist at the company.
This year, Bank Technology News considered 200 technologists and companies to compile the final ranking of The Innovators.
PBS VISITS TRI-CITY PORT DISTRICT TO FILM SEGMENT FOR
“NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT” SPECIAL ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
PBS’ “Nightly Business Report” aired a three-part series that featured the Tri-City Regional Port District. The series, titled “The Mississippi,” examined the river’s economic impact on the United States, focusing on hydroelectric power in Minnesota, shipping near St. Louis, and the environmental impact of the river on fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tri-City Port hosted the crew from PBS’s “Nightly Business Report” as they spent a day touring the 1,200-acre facility and capturing footage of daily activities around the port and barge traffic heading north. They also interviewed representatives of the port and key tenants. Specific stops on the tour included U.S. Steel’s Granite City Work’s dockside operation and the Abengoa ethanol plant.
Diane Eastabrook, Chicago Bureau Chief for PBS, was on hand to interview Carl LaFoy, the project development manager for Abengoa; Sharon Owen, general manger of U.S. Steel’s Granite City Works; Paul Wellhausen, president of Lewis and Clark Marine; and Bob Wydra, the Port’s executive director.
“We were more than happy to accommodate the needs of PBS to capture what we do here at the Port for their special,” noted Wydra. “With all of the exciting new developments underway and planned here at the Port, it was a wonderful time for the crew to visit. We’re thrilled to have had the opportunity to showcase the important role the Port plays in facilitating the transportation of goods up and down the Mississippi and across the nation via the extensive rail and highway network serving our facility.”
WORTH NAMES ARCHER A TOP 250 WEALTH ADVISOR
Barbara Archer, president and founder of Archer Wealth Management, has been recognized as a Top 250 Wealth Advisor by Worth magazine. The list represents the editors’ selection of the best wealth advisors in the country.
Top 250 list represents months of extensive research and rigorous analysis. Archer is only one of four financial advisors in the state of Missouri to receive this prestigious recognition.
“It’s such an exciting honor to be designated as a Top 250 Wealth Advisor by Worth Magazine,” said Archer. “It’s nice to be recognized for the hard work we do to exceed our clients’ expectations and to meet their long-term financial goals.”
MODERN HEALTHCARE RANKS TWO LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AMONG BEST PLACES TO WORK IN HEALTH CARE
Modern Healthcare magazine ranked
St. Luke’s Hospital and Advanced ICU Care No. 22 and No. 26, respectively, on the 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare list for 2008.
The list recognizes health care organizations that enable employees to perform at their optimum level to provide patients and customers with the best possible care and service. Modern Healthcare partnered with Best Companies Group to rank the companies based on two criteria: an analysis of company practices, benefits and demographics, and the opinions of company employees.
The complete list and related stories are available at www.modernhealthcare.com.
KSHE-95 AND TWO EMMIS COMMUNICATIONS EMPLOYEES EARN ACCOLADES FROM RADIO INDUSTRY MAGS
KSHE-95 radio station and Emmis Communications’ Rick Balis and John Beck have earned recognition from two radio industry magazines. Radio & Records named KSHE-95 its Real Rock Radio Station of the Year for 2008 as part of its R&R Industry Achievement Awards. Rick Balis, KSHE-95’s vice president of rock programming, was also named Rock Operations Manager/Program Director of the Year. KSHE-95 is owned and operated by Emmis Communications.
Radio Ink magazine has named John Beck, senior vice president and market manager for Emmis Communications
St. Louis, one of the 10 top large market managers in the United States for the third year in a row. Beck oversees four local stations that are each ranked near the top in their targeted audience groups.
“To be named as one of the top 10 large market managers for three years in a row since 2005 is really exciting,” stated Beck. “The real recognition, though, needs to go to our unbelievably talented team here who truly understand radio in St. Louis.”
Emmis’ local properties include KSHE-95, KIHT-FM 96.3, 105.7 the Point (KPNT-FM), and 97.1 FM Talk.
ARCTURIS NAMED ONE
OF THE TOP 100 GIANTS
OF INTERIOR DESIGN
Interior Design magazine, a national publication for interior design professionals, has ranked Arcturis No. 76 on its 2009 Top 100 Giants list of the country’s top interior design firms. The ranking is based on interior design fees for 2008.
Arcturis’ inclusion was based on its design work on more than 1.4 million square feet of office and commercial space in 2008, including major projects for Scottrade, Wachovia Securities, Edward Jones, Centene and the Edward Jones Dome.
UNITED VAN LINES AND MAYFLOWER TRANSIT NAMED AMONG TOP 100 MOTOR CARRIERS
United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit have been named on Inbound Logistics magazine’s Top 100 Motor Carriers. The magazine’s editors chose the winners from more than 300 motor carriers based on their ability to provide solutions that best meet the needs of logistics professionals.
MERCEDES-BENZ CLUB MAGAZINE FEATURES KEMP AUTO MUSEUM
The Kemp Auto Museum was featured in The Star, the national magazine for The Mercedes-Benz Club of America. The museum was hailed as a “wonderful Shangri-La of classic Schwabian steel” by John Kuhn Bleimaier, an international attorney and aficionado of all things Mercedes-Benz. Several of the collection’s rare automobiles received high marks, including the award-winning 1939 540K Cabriolet and 1935 500K Special Roadster.
The article also featured Rodger Van Ness, executive director of the museum’s collection and vice president of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America’s national board. Van Ness, a collector and Mercedes-Benz aficionado himself, just made a pilgrimage to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany this past August.
