Shaun Hayes, president-Missouri Banking, National City is so exemplary of the youthful entrepreneurial spirit that he has deployed that energy to uplift St. Louis. This 47-year-old with 25-years banking experience exhibits great exuberance for his work and at the same time is transferring his time, ideas, energy and enthusiasm over to the civic side of our community at the St. Louis Sports Commission and at the RCGA. Hayes co-founded Allegiant Bank in 1989 and oversees all Missouri banking operations for National City. Hayes is the cover subject for this issue of Commerce Magazine. The focus of the October Commerce is on several aspects of the St. Louis built environment in features on “Amazing Spaces” and “Unique Living Places.” Research in 2005 by Fleishman-Hillard found the St. Louis Region to be Perfectly Centered and Remarkably Connected, which became the region’s brand. Regional accessibility led to the upward spiral for an improved quality of life in St. Louis, adding new dimensions of distinct and unique living spaces. A construction rehabilitation campaign is turning threatened historic buildings into shiny new jewels. Thousands of unique living units are springing up along downtown’s Washington Avenue; in Soulard on St. Louis’ Southside; along Lindell Boulevard in the Central West End and across the Missouri River to New Town in historic St. Charles. Christine Imbs pens a piece about “Amazing Spaces” in our community, honing in on some very unusual and unique places to call home. She takes the readers on tour from a mid-1920s home in Huntleigh, to museum living in the loft spaces at the City Museum downtown. From there, she moves on to the renovation of the majestic Sheraton City Center to a tree house home occupied by artisan Don Wiegand in Chesterfield. Other October features deal with newly built, environmental-friendly enclaves in the City of St. Charles and a new urbanism approach to work, business and pleasure in WingHaven by McEagle Co., also in St. Charles County along its southern tip. Meanwhile Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri is moving its headquarters into the renovated historic Woolworth Building at the entrance of the Grand Center, the latest chapter of major revitalization in the Grand Center entertainment district. Extensive renovation of this project is the proud work of McCormack Baron Salazar with design and architectural work by Trivers Associates. Andy Trivers is the subject of this month’s “From the Ground Up.” Rounding out all this is the fact that creative construction, flexible workspaces and environmentally-friendly features of the CORTEX BioBelt District and related buildings and developments such as the Danforth Life Science Center, the Missouri Research Park and University Park at SIUE will be discussed at the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) annual national conference in St. Louis October 24-26. This month’s “Commerce Spotlight” is on another creative contributor to St. Louis’ renaissance, Steve Smith, CEO of Lawrence Group. Lastly, Commerce takes great pride in supporting the annual United Way effort, creating a quality of life and sustaining the lifeline of financial assistance to our vital non-profit agencies, knowing that Chairman David Farr has set an ambitious goal of raising $70 million, exceeding last year’s lofty total of $66 million. RICHARD C.D. FLEMING Publisher St. Louis Commerce Magazine

October 2007 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Cover Story with Shaun Hayes, National City Bank Amazing Spaces 4545 Lindell Dave Sapenaro - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stlrcga.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Carmele Hall and Leon Henderson Big Brothers/Big Sisters Andy Trivers Steve Smith - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -