Compiled by Lauri Johnson
THE SAIGH FOUNDATION ENDOWS Botanical
GARDEN’S ECO-ACT PROGRAM
Trustees of The Saigh Foundation have announced a commitment
of $1,725,000 over five years to fully endow the Missouri Botanical
Garden’s ECO-ACT student leadership program, newly renamed the
Saigh Foundation ECO-ACT Environmental Leadership Program.
ECO-ACT is an award-winning environmental leadership and mentoring
program that has brought “ecology in action” to more than 17,500
St. Louis City and County students. High-school juniors and
seniors selected for the year-long program participate in training,
research and hands-on projects, including team-teaching local
fourth graders about environmental awareness, plants, animals
and ecosystems.
“It is a fitting honor to the legacy of Fred M. Saigh, who felt
passionately about the education of our community’s youth and
the role of the individual in helping society,” stated Peter
H. Raven, president of the Missouri Botanical Garden. “The Garden
is very grateful for this generous donation.”
The Saigh Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of
life in the St. Louis metropolitan region by supporting charitable
projects and initiatives that primarily benefit children and
youth through education and healthcare.
MCKENDREE UNVEILS NEW UNIVERSITY LOGO
Over the summer, McKendree College officially changed its name
to McKendree University and unveiled a new logo at the 14th
Annual Pizza with the President luncheon held for McKendree
faculty and staff. Speaking to the university’s faculty and
staff, McKendree President Jim Dennis said that McKendree’s
transition from a college to a university “speaks to the institution’s
heritage as well as to the vision for its future. We are excited
and proud as a community to have graduated from college to university.
With the growth of program offerings, new facilities and enrollment,
we have evolved into a university, and now our name reflects
that. This transition can be directly attributed to the success
of McKendree’s students and the generous support of faculty,
staff, friends and alumni.”
GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIER EXPANDS TO
ST. LOUIS
Visteon Corporation, a global automotive supplier, is building
a manufacturing and assembly facility in Eureka to support new
business with automakers in North America, including Chrysler
Group. The plant is expected to begin production in the summer
of 2008 and to employ about 200 people by early 2009. Visteon
officially launched the expansion project in a June ceremony
at the plant site in Eureka Commercial Park, located along I-44
about 20 miles southwest of St. Louis.
INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
FINDS NEW HOME AT MARYVILLE UNIVERSITY
The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has chosen
Maryville University’s Southwest County Center in Fenton as
its new headquarters. The move comes as the organization also
announces that Will Wolper has been selected as its first full-time
commissioner.
“Maryville is pleased to have the opportunity to lend this type
of support to the SLIAC,” stated Beth Triplett, the university’s
vice president for enrollment. “As the conference increases
its presence with its first full-time commissioner, we’re excited
to provide space and amenities without placing a financial hardship
on the conference.”
The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is comprised
of 10 Illinois and Missouri colleges and universities that are
all members of NCAA Division III. The conference currently sponsors
championships in men’s and women’s baseball/softball, basketball,
cross country, golf, soccer and tennis.
MOUNT PLEASANT WINERY EARNS TOP RATINGS
FROM BEVERAGE TESTING INSTITUTE
Mount Pleasant Winery in Augusta, Mo., has earned gold, silver
and bronze medals from the Beverage Testing Institute for several
of its wines. The institute awarded gold medals to the winery’s
Vintage Port 2001 and Vintage Port 2003. Mount Pleasant Winery
wines that earned silver medals include the Tawny Port XI, the
2005 Claret, the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Church and the 2005
Cuvee Blanc. The winery also received bronze medals for its
2006 Rhineland, 2006 Vignoles and 2006 Highland. Founded in
1981, the Beverage Testing Institute’s objective is to produce
fair and impartial wine reviews for consumers.
HOK LAUNCHES NEW GLOBAL WEB SITE
Architecture firm HOK has unveiled a new global web site, www.hok.com
that showcases the firm’s design leadership, breadth of expertise,
and “one-HOK” vision within a simple framework. The new site
represents the first major update to HOK’s web presence since
2000. Visitors can access a “knowledge center” with articles
and research papers authored by HOK professionals; profiles
of HOK people; descriptions of the firm’s projects, and more.
The firm collaborated with St. Louis-based TOKY Branding + Design
to develop the site.
GREAT RIVERS GREENWAY DISTRICT DEDICATES
NEW PARK IN ST. CHARLES COUNTY
The Great Rivers Greenway District held a ribbon-cutting ceremony
to officially open an 85-acre park and a new trail in the BaratHaven
development in Dardenne Prairie, Mo. The new park is now the
largest within the city of Dardenne Prairie.
Following the ceremony, attendees were invited to bike or walk
along the trail to experience firsthand many of the park’s features,
such as a 15-acre stocked lake with three overlooks for public
use and a scenic three-mile trail along Dardenne Creek. The
park also features a unique area called the “oxbow,” an ecological
oasis in the middle of a suburban development. The oxbow’s abundant
natural wetland vegetation filters storm water from the surrounding
land before it reaches Dardenne Creek, creating a lush wildlife
habitat and helping to improve water quality.
Later this year, a second trailhead will be added at Barat Academy,
a private high school currently under construction. Recently,
the Great Rivers Greenway District signed an agreement to lease
25 acres of park land to the new school for 99 years. In exchange,
Barat Academy will construct athletic facilities to be used
by students and the general public.
The Great Rivers Greenway District is a public organization
leading the development of a region-wide system of interconnected
greenways, parks and trails known as the River Ring.
ST. PATRICK CENTER RECEIVES $300,000
GRANT FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded a grant for $300,000
per year to the St. Patrick Center so that it can help homeless
veterans find jobs, as well as provide a variety of other services.
Located in downtown St. Louis, the center provides services
that help homeless people become independent.
“We are honored to receive this vote of confidence from the
Department of Labor,” stated Dan Buck, CEO of the St. Patrick
Center. “This grant is a great tribute to our agency and the
work of our employment department.”
The St. Patrick Center grant is one of 94 awarded nationally
by the U.S. Department of Labor. In the 2006 fiscal year, the
St. Patrick Center placed 212 veterans into full-time jobs and
helped 121 veterans find housing.
SITTON EMBARKS ON NEW VENTURE
This past summer Doug Sitton, a 27-year veteran of the design
and construction industry in the St. Louis area, announced the
formation of Sitton Consulting Group. The new firm will provide
a range of hands-on services to help project owners manage their
capital projects more cost-effectively.
Sitton has been with Woolpert, a Top 100 national engineering,
architecture and planning firm, for more than 16 years. He joined
Woolpert in 1991 and advanced to partner and vice president
of the firm. He will continue an alliance with Woolpert, partnering
on current and future projects.
CLAYTON CAPITAL PARTNERS RECEIVES HIGH
HONORS IN MERGERSTAT RANKING
Clayton Capital Partners (CCP) has been named one of the nation’s
leading M&A advisors in the recently released Mergerstat League
Tables. Mergerstat is a leading provider of global Merger &
Acquisition transaction information.
Figures for the first half of 2007 show CCP ranked in ninth
place for U.S. deals with a value of up to $100 million (based
on the volume of transactions).
“These latest figures confirm that CCP is a major player in
the deals market. We are obviously very pleased with these rankings,”
commented CCP’s Managing Director, Kevin Short.
Short stated, “During the first half of 2007, CCP completed
seven transactions among a group of diversified industries.”
Clayton Capital Partners is one of the nation’s top ten investment
banking firms providing financial advisory services to a diversified
client base of middle-market companies.
EAST ST. LOUIS PARTNERS WITH SCHOOL
DISTRICT AND CASINO QUEEN TO IMPROVE CITY
East St. Louis School District 189 in Illinois has joined forces
with city officials and the Casino Queen to develop a three-pronged
initiative designed to enhance the quality of life in East St.
Louis. The newly formed six-member committee, called East St.
Louis Partners for Progress, is comprised of representatives
from the school district, the city of East St. Louis and the
Casino Queen who are answering the charge of East St. Louis
Mayor Alvin L. Parks to clean up the city.
The committee consists of Mayor Parks; Tom Monaghan, general
manager of Casino Queen; Ron Longley, Casino Queen’s director
of community affairs; Theresa Saunders, superintendent of East
St. Louis School District 189; Lonzo Greenwood, president of
the school district’s board of education; and George Mitchom,
the board of education’s treasurer.
The Casino Queen has teamed up with Clayco Inc. to provide equipment
necessary for the clean-up endeavor. The school district and
the city are organizing volunteer units from their ranks of
employees and students to participate in the effort.
PFIZER EXPANSION BRINGS QUARTER BILLION
DOLLARS OF NEW INVESTMENT IN ST. LOUIS
Late August, Pfizer broke ground on another major expansion
to its Chesterfield facility (this one of $50 million), strengthening
the heart of the St. Louis BioBelt: The Center of Plant & Life
Sciences. RCGA Chief Economist Bryan Bezold estimates that this
expansion will have an incremental regional economic impact
of some $92 million. This latest $50 million expansion project
comes on the heels of the company’s earlier commitment of $200
million for its new research facility now under construction
in Chesterfield. The combined total of this $250 million investment
in the St. Louis region will have an aggregate economic impact
of $461 million, Bezold noted.
The planned 50,000-square-foot expansion will almost double
the size of the facility’s biologics pilot plant facility and
is scheduled for a late 2009 completion. Pfizer Inc. has located
its global center of emphasis for biologics (protein-based medicines)
in St. Louis.
INVESTMIDWEST ISSUES
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR FEBRUARY FORUM IN ST. LOUIS
InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum offers an open call for
applicants to present their business plans to the nation’s top
venture capitalists, corporate and private investors, and investment
bankers. The early application deadline is Oct. 12, and Nov.
2 is the final deadline to be considered for participation in
the Feb. 19-20, 2008 venture capital forum, to be held in St.
Louis.
The 9th Annual InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum aims to attract
applicants from throughout the Midwest who have launched entrepreneurial
growth companies.
InvestMidwest 2007 featured presentations by 30 entrepreneurs
from 14 states representing growth-oriented companies with potential
to generate $20 million in annual revenue within five years.
The forum will again feature separate presentation tracks for
life sciences and technology/general business. New for the 2008
forum will be the addition of a third track—alternative energy/clean
technology—which will increase the number of featured entrepreneurs
to as many as 40 companies.
InvestMidwest will unite 250 to 300 of the country’s leading
venture capitalists, investors, bankers, and accounting and
legal professionals who will gather for the entrepreneurial
presentations.
Selection of presenting companies is based on: a company’s value
proposition, management team, products or services, marketing
strategy, market opportunity and financial summary. Those firms
selected will receive presentation guidelines and guidance to
ensure the presenters meet the forum’s professional standards.
Since its first forum, held in St. Louis in May 2000, InvestMidwest
has helped generate more than $300 million in equity investments
for several innovative entrepreneurial growth companies, and
has grown into the Midwest’s premier annual venture capital
forum.
InvestMidwest’s mission is to provide access to equity capital
for emerging, privately held companies seeking venture funds
in excess of $1 million dollars. The 9th Annual InvestMidwest
Venture Capital Forum is underwritten by the Ewing Marion Kauffman
Foundation and supported by a diverse group of public and corporate
sponsors. Organizational Sponsors for 2008 include the St. Louis
Regional Chamber and Growth Association, Missouri Venture Forum,
The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, KCSourceLink, and
the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation.
The application can be completed on-line at www.investmidwestforum.com
or call Sandy Bellon at (314) 541-4793.
