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KORTE
CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Design and construction firm The Korte Company has reached another milestone this year as the company turns 50. In 1958, Ralph Korte founded the company with little more than an electric saw and a truck. Building projects for neighbors and friends, the
company’s humble start began to pay off in the following years as it took on larger
projects in the area, including a printing facility for The Wall Street Journal and a
factory and warehousing complex for
Nabisco Foods.
By 1990, The Korte Company had grown substantially, completing projects across the country. Growth continued into the next decade with projects for the Armed Services, United States Postal Service, Hard Rock Café, Hershey’s, The Walgreens Company
and NASA.
Currently, The Korte Company averages $270 million annually in construction
volume and has worked in 38 states. The company
specializes in design-build, construction management and construction services with offices in
St. Louis; Highland, Ill.; and Las Vegas.
CHESS CLUB AND SCHOLASTIC CENTER OF SAINT LOUIS WILL HOST 2009
U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP INVITATIONAL
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis has been selected by the United States Chess Federation to host the 2009 U.S. Championship in May.
Some of the top-rated U.S. players and top-rated women, along with other
qualifiers and wild card participants, will be invited to compete in the tournament. The event will consist of nine rounds held over a 10-day period. A total purse of $100,000 will be up for grabs with the winner taking
home $30,000.
“We are proud to bring the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship to St. Louis,” stated Tony Rich, executive director of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. “I am certain that the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis and the United States Chess Federation will make this an event unlike any other. The USCF has done an exemplary job of promoting chess nationally, and now we can bring that same national perspective to St. Louis.”
Located in St. Louis’ Central West End neighborhood, the center was opened in July 2008 by retired investment fund manager Rex Sinquefield. The three-level, 6,000-square-foot facility offers DGT chess boards, hand-made wooden chess tables, LCD-screen televisions, video installation art, overhead paging, an adjustable lighting system and other customized features.
ST. PATRICK CENTER OPENS SMALL BUSINESS INCUBATOR
On Oct. 7, the St. Patrick Center held a grand opening for its BEGIN New Venture Center, an innovative small business
incubator that marries traditional incubation objectives with attention to the
homeless and impoverished populations of
St. Louis. The center provides a comprehensive, supportive and entrepreneurial environment for start-up and early-stage companies that need support.
Located in the newly remodeled top floors of The Partnership Center at 800 N. Tucker Blvd., the state-of-the-art facilities include secured office space, conference rooms and common areas for networking and idea-
sharing, and access to the new 220-seat Catholic Charities Conference Center.
BEGIN is currently assisting local
companies and accepting applications from start-up and emerging business owners who want to grow their businesses and contribute to
making permanent, positive changes in
St. Louis. Current clients include Replenishing the Earth, a new green industry,
women-owned start-up that focuses on building deconstruction and recycling, and Guardian Painting, a minority-owned
business that specializes in high-end
commercial and residential painting.
SIMMONSCOOPER LAW FIRM DONATES $10.2 MILLION FOR CANCER INSTITUTE AT SIU
The partners at SimmonsCooper LLC law firm in East Alton, Ill., have donated a record $10.2 million to help fund the development of the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, in Springfield, Ill.
“It’s no secret that the legal profession gets a bad rap,” stated John Simmons, founding partner of SimmonsCooper. “Titles aside, our ultimate goal as trial attorneys is the same goal of the doctors and nurses who will soon begin work inside the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute—to prevent and alleviate the suffering of others. And as a firm rooted in helping mesothelioma and cancer victims, we are especially proud to be sponsoring this institute.”
The 63,000-square-foot institute will serve as a center of cancer care and research for downstate Illinois and as a new front door for the medical school campus in Springfield. It consolidates most of the school’s multidisciplinary cancer clinics, now located in several hospital buildings, along with research and outreach services. The building will house seven of SIU’s nine cancer care teams and approximately 55 SIU physician faculty and support staff members.
SIMMONSCOOPER HONORED FOR PRO BONO WORK
The Illinois State Bar Association has chosen SimmonsCooper LLC as the 2008 recipient of the John C. McAndrews Award, which honors members of the profession who have shown extraordinary commitment to providing free legal services to the poor.
Based in East Alton, Ill., SimmonsCooper has represented more than 100 St. Louis-area homeless military veterans and worked closely with local judges to ensure that downstate Illinois soldiers returning from Iraq have access to much-needed legal services. The firm also helped secure more than $13 million in compensation for workers who contracted cancer via exposure to thorium while making nuclear weapons in Madison, Ill.
“Our pro bono work is especially rewarding on a very personal level,” stated John Simmons, SimmonsCooper founding partner and U.S. Army veteran. “To be recognized by the ISBA with the John C. McAndrews Award is such an honor felt at every level of our firm, fueling our passion to help others improve the quality of their lives.”
Amy Garrett, with the help
of Karoline Carstens, led the formation of SimmonsCooper’s formal pro bono program.
RANDY BURKETT LIGHTING DESIGN CELEBRATES
20 YEARS
Randy Burkett Lighting Design Inc. is commemorating 20 years of professional practice. The St. Louis-based architectural lighting design firm was founded in 1988 by Randy Burkett. The firm’s lighting work has been honored numerous times with design awards for projects throughout the United States and abroad for distinction, design excellence and technical achievement.
Local past and current projects include The Gateway Arch, Lumiére Place and Four Seasons Hotel, the Renaissance Grand Hotel, the Old Post Office and Custom’s House, the St. Louis Science Center, the Penguin and Puffin Coast at the St. Louis Zoo, and the Chihuly Exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Garden.
LOCAL DIRECTOR WINS
MOST CREATIVE FILM AWARD
AT ST. LOUIS FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE
Chris Lawing, film director and president of Mercury Multimedia Inc., a local film and video production company, walked away with the Most Creative Film Award and Best Visual Effects Award at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase in July. More than 70 films made by filmmakers of all ages participated in this year’s showcase.
Lawing earned the honors for directing a music video titled “Movie of Your Life,” the silver screen debut for music artist Spencer Day. “Movie of Your Life” takes viewers on a musical journey with Day starring as the pianist at an old movie theater who sings his heart out to a moviegoer who catches his eye. Together, the romantic duo play out scenes of some of the most beloved films of all time, including “Citizen Kane,” “Casablanca” and “Singin’ in the Rain.”
“Creating the perfect movie going experience is something every director strives for, and winning the most creative film award is a major validation of that experience,” stated Lawing.
A filmmaker with 14 years of film and broadcast directing and editing experience, Lawing’s credits include serving as editor of Showtime’s ”BBGun” and as assistant editor of Pixar’s “Monsters Inc.” and Showtime’s “The Settlement.”
“Movie of Your Life” will go on to the
St. Louis International Film Festival on
Nov. 13-23.
WAL-MART GIVES ST. LOUIS FOR KIDS $318,000 GRANT
Wal-Mart Inc. Stores and Sam’s Club presented St. Louis for Kids a check for $318,000, the largest corporate donation in the organization’s eight-year history. St. Louis for Kids helps the region’s youth-serving organizations improve their programs and build capacity.
“The work St. Louis for Kids does in our communities is extremely valuable,” stated Carrie McKnight, Wal-Mart’s senior public affairs manager for Missouri. “Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club are excited to partner with this organization to help provide youth with numerous opportunities to participate in safe, quality non-school hour programs.”
St. Louis for Kids will use the donation to support faith- and community-based youth and family organizations with training, leadership development and business planning. The donation will also help fund the agency’s fourth edition of Happenings 4 Youth, a directory of 429 non-school-hour youth programs in the St. Louis area and
Southwestern Illinois.
AGC OF ST. LOUIS, MAYOR SLAY AND COUNTY EXECUTIVE DOOLEY RECOGNIZE ST. LOUIS CONSTRUCTION WORKERS AT ANNUAL BUILD ST. LOUIS DAY
Standing on the site of the old “Highlands” Amusement park, The Associated General Contractors of St. Louis celebrated the start of “Build St. Louis Week 2008” by recognizing the contributions of St. Louis construction workers in creating the schools, hospitals, businesses and entertainment centers that strengthen our economy and improve our quality of life. This year’s opening ceremony took place at the construction site of the Highlands Plaza Two.
MOUNT PLEASANT WINERY WINS GOLD AT MISSOURI WINE COMPETITION
The Missouri Wine and Grape Board awarded gold medals to Mount Pleasant Winery’s 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2006 Claret at the 2008 Missouri Wine Competition in Columbia, Mo. This year marks the first time the Missouri Wine and Grape Board has awarded a
Cabernet Sauvignon.
“We are thrilled to have received two of only 26 gold medals awarded at the competition,” stated Chuck Dressel, president of Mount Pleasant Winery. “The medals are a testament to Mount Pleasant Winery’s commitment to making wines of the highest quality.”
The Missouri Wine and Grape Board also honored three Mount Pleasant wines with bronze medals: the 2005 Norton, the 2007 Cuvee Blanc and the
Brut Imperial.
Ten judges from around the country tasted 228 of Missouri’s finest wines and awarded 10 Best of Class, 26 Gold, 47 Silver and 66 Bronze medals. The Missouri Wine and Grape Board is a publicly funded institution that directs the marketing and research efforts of the Missouri wine industry.
RANKEN JORDAN IS TOP TIER NATIONALLY IN EMPLOYEE RANKING
An employee opinion survey conducted by HR Solutions Inc. placed Ranken Jordan—A Pediatric Specialty Hospital in the 89th percentile among children’s hospitals nationally. Nearly 200 of Ranken Jordan’s 220 employees participated in the survey, which focuses on numerous job satisfaction dimensions.
Employees rated their overall job satisfaction at Ranken Jordan as 86 percent favorable, compared to 77 percent nationally. Ranken Jordan rated higher than the national average in every aspect of job satisfaction in the survey—from pay and benefits satisfaction to promotions/career advancement and productivity/efficiency.
“Very rarely does a first-time participant score above the median—most score in the lower third of the database,” stated Kevin Sheridan, CEO of HR Solutions. “Ranken Jordan scored much higher than I would have anticipated, and it’s a testament to the commitment of the highest people within the hospital to listening and responding to employees.”
HR Solutions, a Chicago-based human capital management consulting firm that specializes in employee surveys, compared Ranken Jordan’s scores against a database of nearly 500 healthcare organizations from around the country that have been surveyed over the past three years. Ranken Jordan staff feel extremely valued, as evidenced by 87 percent of employees responding favorably to the statement “Physicians at our organization appreciate the efforts of hospital employees.” The national average is just 48 percent favorable.
WIDGET REALM
LAUNCHES SALVATION ARMY DESKTOP WIDGET
The Salvation Army of St. Louis has launched a desktop widget and mobile service to better reach people during times of emergency. The Salvation Army Widget, produced by O’Fallon, Mo.-based Widget Realm Inc., provides news, calendars, locations and involvement opportunities in the community. Salvation Army Mobile enables any mobile phone to access all of the important information available in the desktop widget version.
“With all of the flooding and relief efforts going on around the Central US, it is very important to provide every tool possible for notification and volunteer enrollment. The Widget and Mobile launch will allow The Salvation Army to establish a higher level of connection with our community by developing channels that people can easily and quickly access,” stated William Becker, communications director for The Salvation Army of St. Louis.
The Salvation Army will provide a wider array of information via the widget, including updates on donation drives that are conducted throughout the year. The desktop widget is available at www.stl-salvationarmy.org, and the mobile service can be viewed at www.stl-salvationarmy.org/mobile.
TEACH FOR AMERICA WILL EXPAND MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHING CORPS
IN ST. LOUIS WITH $1 MILLION GRANT FROM MONSANTO
The Monsanto Fund has presented a
$1 million grant to Teach For America-St. Louis to increase the number of high-caliber math and science teachers in the region’s underserved public schools.
Over the next four years, the grant will support the recruitment, selection, training and professional development of Teach For America corps members to teach math and science in the St. Louis Public Schools, the Normandy and Wellston school districts, and city charter schools. These corps members are top recent college graduates who commit two years to teaching in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong advocates for educational equity.
“We are excited to partner with the Monsanto Fund to increase the number of committed and talented math and science teachers in our lowest-income communities, where they are most needed,” stated Dustin Odham, executive director of Teach For America-St. Louis. “By working alongside other dedicated teachers and community leaders, our corps members and alumni are making educational equity a reality in
St. Louis.”
Today, 37 St. Louis corps members hold math, science or engineering degrees, twice the number from just two years ago. Nationally, 1,300 corps members hold such degrees, compared to 800 in 2007.
SAINT LOUIS CRISIS NURSERY OPENS FIFTH CENTER
Saint Louis Crisis Nursery, an organization that provides 24-hour care for children of families facing a crisis or emergency, has opened a new center in Wentzville. Located at 700 Medical Dr., the Wentzville center is the third Crisis Nursery in St. Charles County and the fifth in the St. Louis area.
The nursery provides medical examinations, medication, activities, art and play therapy, and meals to the children in its care. Families may voluntarily bring their children to the nursery because of a parental illness or hospital stay, domestic violence, lack of utilities, overwhelming parental stress or any other emergency situation that requires a temporary parent-child separation.
“A lot of parents don’t have an extended support system, such as a family member or trusted friend they can call when they need someone to care for their children in an emergency,” stated DiAnne Mueller, executive director of Saint Louis Crisis Nursery. “Those situations can lead to neglect or even abuse. We want to avoid that by making the alternative care we provide at the Crisis Nursery as accessible as possible.”
Prior to opening the Wentzville location, Crisis Nursery had to turn away hundreds of children each year due to lack of space. The new nursery can accommodate up to 10 children each night.
EAST MEETS GATEWAY TO THE WEST
The St. Louis “Big Idea” Advances With Recent Visit by
Chinese Minister Xie Feng & U.S. Ambassador Alan Holmer
WHAT BEGAN IN FEBRUARY as the
St. Louis “Big Idea” to foster St. Louis-Chinese relations took another step
forward with a recent seminar and
luncheon, entitled, “China Business 2008: Expanding Opportunities for U.S. Companies,” presented by the RCGA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and BKD, LLP, October 2nd at the
Ritz Carlton Hotel.
The seminar featured a keynote address by Minister Xie Feng, Deputy Chief of Mission for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S.
In addition, Ambassador Alan Holmer, from the U.S. Department of Treasury Strategic Economic Dialogue, spoke at the seminar about Chinese-U.S. trade policy and
intellectual property protection. Expert panels described how to do business in China and identify resources in the St. Louis area to help businesses enter the Chinese markets.
The central themes to emerge from the event were cooperation, innovation and creativity as the keys to productive U.S.-Chinese relations. From a regional standpoint, there is
compelling logic to
St. Louis becoming the multi-state Midwestern Commercial Hub for China and other nations.
Feasibility studies on the prospects for establishing the freight and commercial hub for the Midwest began after Missouri and St. Louis area officials signed two memoranda of understanding with Chinese aviation and government officials in Beijing in late March during the six-day trade mission led by U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Claire McCaskill.
In his keynote address, Minister Xie Feng said that St. Louis has a long history of
positive relations with China. In 1979, just a few months after diplomatic relations between China and the U.S. were established, St. Louis took the lead by partnering with the Chinese city Nanjing. This was the first pair of sister city relationships between the two countries, and it
continues today. Missouri is also paired with China’s Hebei Province and this relationship also continues to make
significant progress.
Minister Xie Feng made several key statements about the importance of Missouri-Chinese partnerships and pointed out that China is the fourth largest export market of Missouri.
“The business relationship between China and Missouri is getting stronger and
stronger,” Minister Xie Feng said. “Statistics from the U.S.-China Business Council shows that Missouri’s exports to China increased from 76 million dollars in 2000 to 1,015
million dollars in 2007. This is a growth of more than 12 times, as compared to the 83 percent increase of Missouri’s exports, to the rest of the world,” he said.
Minister Xie Feng continued, “In addition, people-to-people contacts between China and Missouri are frequent. Educational exchanges are also growing.”
During the seminar, Ambassador Holmer recalled Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan’s recent mission to St. Louis on June 15th and 16th in connection with the proposal to
create an air cargo hub and commercial
center here to facilitate trade, investment and
economic development between China and the U.S. Ambassador Holmer noted that St. Louis was the only location that the Vice Premier visited before flying to Washington, D.C. for
discussions with U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson.
Ambassador Holmer also noted that the Vice Premier strongly endorsed the St. Louis “Big Idea,” and told the story of how the Vice Premier, during his speech in Washington, talked about St. Louis as a base to expand in the U.S.
Following briefings on the “St. Louis Big Idea” on his June visit, Vice Premier Wang Qishan addressed a luncheon of St. Louis business and governmental leaders on the proposal, noting, “I am the Midwest’s #1 salesman, and it’s time we turned our
attention to St. Louis and the State of Missouri, and use the base here in St. Louis, to expand our openness to the Midwest of the United States, to open up further and promote
economic links.”
Ambassador Holmer
concluded his remarks by
asking the audience to, “consider two alternative visions of the future of the U.S.-China relationship.
“The first is a vision that is dark and problematic. It’s a future of a superpower and a rising power on a
collision course, increasingly suspicious of the other’s intentions, scrambling in a zero-sum
competition for resources and influence—oblivious to the possibilities of mutual interest. It’s a future in which we see each other through caricatures. This future
portends a fragile relationship, which is
cracked easily by unavoidable misunderstanding and accident,” Ambassador
Holmer said.
He continued, “The second vision is one in which our ability to work together
matches the degree to which our
economies are already so deeply integrated. In this future, I see leadership in each nation
communicating well, growing in trust,
working through misunderstanding and
crises, and expanding—where possible—common interests, while recognizing distinct national goals.”
“It’s this second vision that we promote through the Strategic Economic Dialogue,” Ambassador Holmer concluded.
Minister Xie Feng agreed with the vision of cooperation between China and the U.S. “China, the largest developing country of the world, and the United States, the largest developed country, complement each other in many ways. We are not competitors, but stakeholders and constructive partners.”
On the continued success of Missouri-China relations he said, “The relationship between China and Missouri is promising.
Its momentum is encouraging. Its potential
is great.” |
STAGES ST. LOUIS LITTLE WOMEN |
By Linda Jarrett
Stages St. Louis presents its
holiday production of Little Women, The Musical, at the
historic Roberts Orpheum Theater this holiday season.
The play, based on Louisa May Alcott’s beloved book, which has been read by six generations, tells the story of the March
sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy as they grow up in Civil War America. Their father is off
fighting, and the mother and daughters are trying to make the best of Christmas.
The Orpheum Theater (formerly the American Theater), 416 N. 9th Street, was constructed in 1917 and is considered a Parisian-style architectural masterpiece. After undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation, the 1,400-seat theater continues to be a venue for
concerts, theatre, and dance.
Stages Executive Producer Jack Lane says, “The number one request from our patrons for years has been to do a
holiday show. We’ve always wanted to do one, but there was never enough time for Kirkwood Civic Center to be available.”
After attending the Kevin Kline Awards at the Orpheum Theater, Lane said he knew the time had come for a holiday production. “I’m a big theater architecture freak and saw that this is the real deal, a true legitimate theater, and I began visualizing how great it would be to do a holiday production in this theater.”
Lane, a New York native, says he remembers Christmases at Rockefeller Center, and he started picking St. Louisans’ brains about what they remembered and loved about St. Louis.
“They said, ‘We’d go downtown and see the Famous Barr windows, we’d see the lights,’” Lane says, “And I thought we needed to investigate to see if we could create this nostalgic holiday feeling that so many St. Louisans had. One way is to create a new performing
arts tradition.
Riding the wave of the downtown
renaissance, Lane and Stages Artistic Director Michael Hamilton are bringing their $800,000 production of Little Women, The Musical to the Orpheum, with hopes that this will be the beginning of a new downtown tradition.
The production will feature 29
performances from December 5th through the 28th, and star perennial Stages
favorites Kari Ely, Ben Nordstrom and Zoe Vonderhaar among others.
Stages has been performing musical
theater for 22 years at the Robert G. Reim Theater at the Kirkwood Civic Center. They are currently in the planning stages of building a Performing Arts Center in Chesterfield, Mo.
For ticket information, call the
Stages office at (314) 821-2407 or visit
www.stagesstl.com. |
CORRECTION
In the October 2008 issue of
St. Louis Commerce Magazine, Gary Forsee was identified as the Chancellor of the University of Missouri, his correct title is President of the University of
Missouri System.
Also in the “Higher Education = Economic Development” article there was an error in the copy about Logan College. A sentence indicated that “...Logan provides services to more than 5,000 patients annually.” The copy should have read that “...Logan provides
services to more than 5,000 NEW patients annually.” Thus, it makes sense that, “In FY2005-2006, Logan’s senior interns treated 64,000 patients.”
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