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By
Linda F. Jarrett
When the Solae Company announced that it would be making St.
Louis its world headquarters, sighs of relief were heard around
the City.
In May, Solae, a food ingredient innovation and manufacturing
company, announced that it would be moving to the Center of
Research Technology and Entrepreneurial Expertise (CORTEX) and
would anchor the midtown campus near Boyle Avenue and Forest
Park Parkway.
Born of an alliance over three years ago between DuPont and
Bunge Limited, the Solae Company manufactures soy products and
has become an innovative leader in the area of soybeans and
plant sciences. The company employs approximately 3,500 people
worldwide with 400 located at the St. Louis headquarters in
three buildings—a pilot manufacturing plant at Lambert Point
Industrial Park in Hazelwood, the research and development building,
and corporate HQ on the Nestlé Purina campus at Tucker and Choteau.
However, when this alliance formed, Solae began to look elsewhere
for a spot to put its new world headquarters. One place of interest
was Fort Wayne, Ind., where Central Soya, part of the Solae
Company through Bunge, had their campus and headquarters.
STAYING IN TOWN
Negotiations with the intent of keeping Solae in St. Louis then
began between Solae and the City of St. Louis, the State of
Missouri, the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association,
and the St. Louis Development Corporation.
David Narkiewicz, corporate counsel for Solae, says that the
decision was made in 2003 when the company was looking elsewhere
to move their headquarters. “There were a lot of factors that
went into the decision to remain in St. Louis.”
These factors were a package of tax incentives, including real
property tax abatements and an allocation of new market tax
credits.
Other reasons for staying in St. Louis, Narkiewicz says, included
“continuity for our business operations, the central location
of the City, and the cost of living and doing business.”
A HOME AT CORTEX
The recent decision to build the headquarters in the CORTEX
District came about when Solae knew that they would eventually
need a space where they could put all three facets of their
operation. Such a space was not and would not be available at
the Nestlé Purina campus.
“Since we would not have the ability to execute a long-term
lease for all three components of our company, it became apparent
that we had to look elsewhere for a long-term situation,” Narkiewicz
says. “We looked at a number of locations in the St. Louis metropolitan
area, and we ultimately decided that CORTEX was the best place.”
He added that they felt that CORTEX’s strategy for having a
high tech district would fit with Solae’s long-term strategy.
“We are a world leader in soy protein manufacturing and sales,
but a large part of our business is technology-driven.
“We will now be able to consolidate all our operations into
one site,” he says. “When we move to CORTEX, we will go into
a structure that brings together all our various functions,
and it will allow us to design the location that will best position
us to continue to innovate and best respond to industry needs.”
MAJOR PLAYERS
Jim Alexander, RCGA vice president for business recruitment,
says when they became involved, “we were competing with a number
of different areas including Indiana and while Solae was still
here, there was still a question of where it would be located.
We worked with our partners at the City and State level in order
to make sure that the headquarters was established here.”
Lewis Levey, CORTEX vice president for real estate, says that
any real estate development would be pleased and proud to have
Solae locate their headquarters there. “For CORTEX, it’s a major
accomplishment. It helps validate our concept and commitment
of working to attract life science related industries to St.
Louis, and it advances our marketing effort. Plus, it represents
more than $40 million of new investment.
He added that Solae keeping its world headquarters in St. Louis
and moving to CORTEX was “a great example of public and private
partnership working to put together, a financial and real estate
package that allowed Solae to consolidate their operations and
expand their operations for the betterment of St. Louis and
the CORTEX area.
“This,” Levey continued, “sends a message that CORTEX can serve
as a catalyst to bring those various groups together, working
for a common goal of stimulating economic growth and new capital
investment.”
Barbara Geisman, director of development for St. Louis, says
while many factors went into Solae’s decision to remain in St.
Louis, Mayor Francis Slay played an instrumental part in the
negotiations in making sure that Solae knew that the City wanted
them to stay.
(Left to right): Larry Chapman, Principal,
Clayco Realty Group/Clayco Partner; Bill Danforth,
CORTEX Board of Directors and Chancellor Emeritus,
Washington University; Tony Arnold, President, The
Solae Company; Mayor Francis Slay; Joe Roddy, Alderman,
City of St Louis, Ward 17; Jon McIntyre, Vice President
Research and Development, The Solae Company.
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“He worked closely with Solae to address any issues they had,”
Geisman says. “And to structure the deal, working with the State
of Missouri, who is another important partner.”
Geisman added that after Solae made the decision to stay, the
only other question was where they were going to locate. “By
that time, CORTEX had been established and gotten off the ground,
so that clearly was an ideal place in our minds because it is
a life science district.
“We think that it enhances both the City of St. Louis that this
major up-and-coming company has decided to locate in the City,”
she says. “But, equally important, is the fact that they’ve
decided to locate in CORTEX. I think it is a giant step forward
in advancing CORTEX’s image as a major and attractive life sciences
district.”
Rodney Crim, executive director of St. Louis Development Corporation,
says that Solae’s decision to stay in St. Louis and be part
of CORTEX is a big win for the City. For them to be part of
our initiative to bring plant and life sciences to a key area,
CORTEX, gives not only a lot of validly to the City, but also
validity to the CORTEX initiative. It’s positive and speaks
volumes for the wonderful work done by Washington University,
Saint Louis University, the University of Missouri-St. Louis,
and other schools of higher education.
THE END RESULT
Solae President and CEO Tony Arnold says the new location and
building will better position the organization for continued
growth in an evolving global marketplace that demands continuous
innovation.
“Food manufacturers across the world are increasingly looking
to Solae for game-changing food science breakthroughs,” he says.
“We’re excited to anchor this new research community, and to
renew our long-standing commitment to the City of St. Louis.
I envision CORTEX becoming the buckle of an emerging national
BioBelt, and it is my hope that other forward-thinking science
companies will join us in championing its development.”
St. Louis-based Clayco will serve as the developer and general
contractor, and manage the $38 million project’s design and
construction.
Project manager Rick Moeckel says that the building will have
100,000 square feet of space which, besides laboratories, manufacturing,
and offices, will include amenities such as a café and fitness
area.
“The challenging aspects of the job will be the intense areas
they have as far as their labs,” Moeckel says. “They have analytical
labs and processing labs, and a pilot plant component, and that
will certainly be the most unique part of the job.
“It will be utility intense,” he says, “meaning that the mechanical,
electrical and plumbing trades will require heavy coordination,
and that’s probably what the engineers will spend most of their
time on.”
Cannon Design was selected as the programmer, planner, design
and architect of record. Architect Jim Gordon agreed that the
components would make the job “unique.”
“This project presents an opportunity to unite currently dispersed
business groups and components in one central facility,” he
says. “It will consist of three primary components; 70,000 square
feet of office, 80,000 square feet of research & design laboratories
with mini-pilot processing components, and a 15,000 square feet
pilot plant.”
He says, “Project goals include providing a dynamic, flexible
interior environment focused upon improving efficiencies, combining
common uses, and redefining processing models in a distinctive
building which captures the ideals of innovation. The project
is currently in programming/ schematic design.
“This will fit in with the campus and have a striking innovative
appearance,” he says. “It will not be your average office building.
Benham Companies LLC will provide process-engineering consultation.
Vice-President Bob Buechel says they will be involved with the
design for the new pilot center. “We’re excited to participate
and think it’s a great opportunity to be able to get it designed
the way they want it to meet their criteria and needs.
“Clayco has done an outstanding job of facilitating for them,”
he says. “We’ll be involved with putting all the drawings together
and assisting Cannon on all the utility calculations, sizing
the system, and assisting them with construction and movement
of the equipment.”
Work has begun and will be completed in the spring of 2008.
The Solae Story
Solae, LLC started 30 years ago as a division of Ralston Purina,
and, in 1981, became Protein Technologies International (PTI).
In 1997, PTI went under the DuPont umbrella and, in early 1998,
changed its name to DuPont Protein Technologies.
In 2003, DPT merged with other “soy protein” players such as
Central Soya to become Solae LLC. The soy oil portion of Central
Soya, however, merged back into Bunge Limited. DuPont is the
majority owner of this joint venture, with Bunge the minority
owner.
At the time of the merger, Solae had one office at the Central
Soya headquarters and campus in Fort Wayne, Ind., and one office
in St. Louis.
Andrew Shea, media manager for Solae, says that while they considered
keeping both offices, they also considered moving entirely to
Fort Wayne, as well as staying in St. Louis.
The decision was made two and a half years ago, after intense
negotiations, to bring the Indiana operations to St. Louis,
and then signed a lease with Nestlé Purina.
“Upon further study,” Shea says, referring to the impending
move to CORTEX, “we concluded that a new site was necessary
to meet our future needs and that we wanted to stay in the metro
area.”
The Solae Company invests in fundamental research to understand
the health benefits of soy protein and bring nutritious soy-foods
to the market place. Solae™soy ingredients have been used in
more than 80 percent of all clinical research on soy protein.
Many of the studies supporting the Food and Drug Administration
approved health claim are based on research using Solae soy
protein.
Solae’s products provide economic, functional, nutritional and
health benefits to four primary segments within the food industries:
meat and poultry products, consumer food products, dairy-alternative
products and nutritional products.
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