|
 |
|
|
BY DEBRA SOLOMON
BAKER
It is the great American success story. Twenty-five years ago, armed
with degrees from Washington University School of Law and Clark
University, Steve Roberts knew that he wanted to make a difference.
He was a young black male with a deep feeling of civic responsibility,
a strong entrepreneurial spirit, and a family who believed in him.
STEVE
ROBERTS,
founder, Roberts-Roberts & Associates |
|
It quickly became
clear that Roberts would be a trailblazer. As a member of the St.
Louis Board of Aldermen, he authored and sponsored legislation to
ensure minority and female participation in contracts awarded by
the city. Roberts entered the private sector when he and his brother,
Michael, founded Roberts-Roberts & Associates, a St. Louis-based
business consulting and construction management firm. It is now
regarded as one of the premier minority-owned businesses in the
country.
RR&A specializes in the areas of minority business development and
participation programs, public relations and marketing research,
labor relations, and real estate development. Clients have included
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Southwestern Bell, and the Missouri Department
of Transportation.
But, RR&A was just the beginning for these talented brothers. Today,
there is a vast network of companies that bear the Roberts family
name. They own television stations, more than 150 communications
towers, and even a highly successful all-you-can-eat restaurant,
to name just a few.
“Year to year, our business grows in different ways,” Roberts says.
“We are entrepreneurs in the purest sense of the word…we look for
opportunities everywhere.”
Roberts believes, for instance, that a wealth of untapped real estate
exists in St. Louis.
“The renovation of the loft district area was just the tip of the
iceberg,” he says. “There are huge possibilities in the traditional
ethnic neighborhoods around the city.”
Roberts envisions themed areas, perhaps a Chinatown, and even a
new Gaslight Square.
“In addition to the significant rewards that would be reaped, building
up some neighborhoods would just be a chance to do good things for
the city,” he adds.
An active board member in St. Louis, Roberts zealously accepts opportunities
to help better his community. His affiliations include St. Patrick’s
Center, AIDS Foundation, St. Louis Black Leadership Roundtable,
and Whitfield School.
“Our mom and dad always encouraged us to serve,” Roberts says. “It
was just part of the way we were raised.”
Debra Solomon Baker is a St. Louis-based free-lance writer.
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE INSIGHTS 
| WHAT
TECHNOLOGY WOULD BE HARD FOR YOU TO LIVE WITHOUT? |
 “While
it seems so basic, I would have to say electricity. Without
it, we would not have any of the modern conveniences that
allow us to live the relatively easy lives that we do.”
|
JUANITA
HINSHAW
senior vice-president and
chief financial officer
Graybar Electric Company
|
|
 “Our
SAP computer software. It’s a world-wide system and we, quite
simply, would not have a company without it.”
|
DAVID
HARVEY
president and chief executive officer
Sigma-Aldrich Corporation
|
|
 “Because
the need to communicate is so essential, the cell phone helps
make my busy life easier.”
|
RORBERT
WETZEL
president
TheBank of Edwardsville
|
|
 “Information
technology is the most significant. It is absolutely essential
that all critical decisions are fact-based (with a dab of
intuition) and these facts are best assimilated, massaged,
and verified using information technology.”
|
Don
W. Hubble
chairman, president and CEO
Angelica Corporation
|
|
For more information on Leadership Circle, please contact John Diefenbach,
associate vice president-membership, 314/444-1184 or jdief@stlrcga.org.
|
|
|
|
|
-
- - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - -
-
- - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - -
-
- - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - -
-
- - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - -
|
