The St. Louis region and its companies make the national news.
Compiled by Lauri Johnson
CALLIER THOMPSON SHEA CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN LLC AND CONSOLIDATED CONSTRUCTION GROUP JOIN ABC TV’s “EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION”
Callier Thompson Shea Construction and Design LLC and Consolidated Construction Group Inc. joined ABC TV’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” for a build in the greater St. Louis area that would change the lives of two St. Louis families.
The two companies were selected to rebuild the home of Dawn and Emmanuel Martirez, who have twin boys with rare genetic conditions that require special care. During an aggressive one-week build, the crew rebuilt the Martirez’s home to give the family a modern, convenient environment in which to care for the twins and their older sister.
While in St. Louis, the “Extreme Makeover” team also surprised Sam Malek by rebuilding his coffee shop, More Than Coffee, in Manchester, Mo., to make it safer, more efficient and ADA compliant. Born in Cairo, Egypt, with cerebral palsy, Malek took out a second mortgage on his home in 2007 to purchase the drive-through coffee shop, where he helps challenged people by employing handicapped individuals and donating money to charitable organizations every month.
The program airs Sunday, November 9 from 7 to 8 p.m., Central Standard Time.
ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE NAMES ADVANTAGE CAPITAL PARTNERS
A TOP VC FIRM FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Advantage Capital Partners, a venture capital and small business finance firm, has ranked among the nation’s top venture capital firms by Entrepreneur magazine. On the Top 100 Venture Capital Firms list, Advantage Capital placed first nationally among venture capital firms funding later-stage companies, tying with Goldman, Sachs & Co. Advantage Capital also ranked highly among firms for venture investments in early stage companies. Companies were ranked according to the number of deals made
in 2007.
Entrepreneur noted that venture capitalists invested nearly $30 billion in 3,813 deals in 2007, making it the highest investment total since 2001. Published in the August issue of Entrepreneur, the list is available at www.entrepreneur.com/VC100.
WEBSTER UNIVERSITY RANKS #1 NATIONAL IN MASTERS DEGREES TO MINORITIES
Webster University awards more master’s degrees to minority students than any other traditional nonprofit higher education institution in the United States, according to a survey published in the July issue of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, a publication about minorities in American higher education.
The Top 100 Degree Producers: Graduate and Professional Degrees 2008 survey is the only national report of graduate degrees awarded to African American, Hispanic, Asian American and American Indian students by U.S. colleges and universities. This year, Webster’s national rankings included the following:
- First among traditional nonprofit universities in total minority master’s degrees, all disciplines combined
- First among traditional nonprofit universities in African-American, Hispanic and total minority master’s degrees in business, management, marketing and related support services
- First among all universities in African-American, American Indian and total minority master’s degrees in psychology
With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University is a worldwide institution committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence.
BENFIELD APPLAUDS OLD NORTH ST. LOUIS RESTORATION ON BLOG
The revitalization of Old North St. Louis has grabbed the attention of Kaid Benfield, director of the Smart Growth Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, who wrote a wonderful entry about the neighborhood’s rebirth on his blog. In the June 14 entry, “Of the community, by the community, and for the community: the rebirth of Old North Saint Louis,” Benfield touches on the area’s history and recounts the collaborative efforts of residents and community development leaders to restore historic buildings and create an attractive, walkable community.
“This is such a story, and it reveals an historic, diverse, inclusive neighborhood that is reclaiming its identity, restoring its infrastructure, empowering its residents, and securing its future,” Benfield writes. “The community wins, and so does the environment, because the Old North neighborhood in Saint Louis is the very antithesis of sprawl.”
Benfield originally heard about the neighborhood from John Burse, an architect with Mackey Mitchell Architects who has worked on several projects in the area. Benfield’s blog can be read at www.nrdc.org/ under the “Blog” tab.
VANDIVER NAMED TO ENTERPRISING WOMEN’S
NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Donna Vandiver, president and CEO of The Vandiver Group Inc., has been selected as a new member of Enterprising Women’s national advisory board. Enterprising Women is a woman-owned magazine devoted to recognizing the risks and successes of entrepreneurial women.
Vandiver holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master’s degree in management from Webster University. She received the 2008 Enterprising Women of the Year Award.
BAM FIRMS SHOW PROMINENCE IN
CPA WEALTH PROVIDER RANKING
CPA Wealth Provider magazine’s second annual ranking of accounting firms that have established investment practices by assets under management includes three St. Louis-area firms that are supported by BAM, part of The Buckingham Family of Financial Services. BAM employs a multidisciplinary team that provides member firms with ongoing training, technology, best practices, marketing and networking opportunities.
St. Louis-area BAM-supported firms who made the list include AMD Financial Services ($100+ Million Club), KB Investment Advisors and Mason Road Wealth Advisors ($50+ million Club).
The ranking includes 54 BAM-supported firms. Twenty-one made the $100+ Million Club (24 percent of the list), 17
firms made the $50+ Million Club (46 percent of the list), and 16 were included in the Rising Stars list (40 percent of the list). BAM showed 133 percent growth in the number of
firms listed on the $100+ Million Club compared with last year’s ranking.
Based in St. Louis, The Buckingham Family of Financial Services includes Buckingham Asset Management LLC, BAM Advisor Services LLC and BAM Risk Management LLC.
GLOBAL SPECTRUM’S LINDGREN RECEIVES WOMEN OF INFLUENCE AWARD
Shura Lindgren, general manager for Global Spectrum at the Saint Charles Convention Center, has been recognized as one of the 2008 Venues Today Women of Influence. The honor was presented at the 83rd annual IAAM Conference in Anaheim, Calif.
Lindgren is one of five winners chosen from 30 nominees. The award recognizes women who have made significant contributions in the sports, entertainment, fair and convention industries. Lindgren shared the honor with four other distinguished finalists: Jane Kleinberger of Paciolan, a Ticketmaster Company; Claire Rothman, former general manager of the Los Angeles Forum; Brenda Tinnen, general manager of Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.; and Peggy Daidakis, executive director for the Baltimore Convention Center.
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