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MAKING HEADLINES
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The St. Louis
region and its companies often make national news. This column highlights
some of the most recent headline grabbers.
St. Louis Lofts Attract Attention of The New York Times
The transformation
of former office and warehouse buildings on and near Washington
Avenue into residential lofts has attracted the attention of The
New York Times.
The Sunday, June 24 Times article entitled, “Office Buildings
Become Lofts in St. Louis,” mentions 280 lofts have been built and
another 1,800 units are in stages of planning or construction. Writer
Robert Sharoff interviewed some familiar faces, including: City
Museum founder Bob Cassilly; Downtown Now! Executive Director Tom
Reeves; and Zachary Boyers, vice president of Firstar Bank’s Community
Development Corp., which has invested some $97 million in downtown
residential projects in the past three years.
The story explains that the buildings are ideal for loft development.
In converting a former warehouse, there is little interior demolition
required for the space to be transformed into residential units
ranging in size from 1,000 to 4,000 square feet. Plus, the City
of St. Louis is beginning a streetscape renovation and beautification
project for Washington that will widen sidewalks for a six-block
stretch between Tucker and 18th Streets and include new streetlights
and planters.
To read the article, go to http://www.nytoday.com/articles/
991876471090.html?nytwebid=991876471090& amp;nytwebasset=NYTArticle&nytwebtype=News.
St. Louis Contractors Ranked Among Nation’s Top Firms
Thirteen commercial building firms in the St. Louis area have been
named to the “2001Top 400 Contractors” list, according to Engineering
News Record (June 18, 2001), a leading publication for the engineering
design and construction industry.
The 13 St. Louis firms and their rankings are:
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17
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Jacobs |
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34
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McCarthy
with revenues of $1.2 billion |
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53
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J.S.
Alberici Construction Co. Inc. with revenues of $836.9 million |
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74
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Fru-Con Construction Co. Inc. with revenues of $516.9 million |
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87
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Clayco
Construction Co. with revenues of $430.2 million |
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113
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HBE
Corp. with revenues of $327 million |
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206
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Paric
Corp. with revenues of $193 million |
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214
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ARCO
Construction Co. with revenues of $188.3 million |
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221
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R.G.
Brinkmann Construction Co. with revenues of $183 million |
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282
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Fred
Weber Inc. with revenues of $150 million |
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291
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The
Korte Co. with revenues of $146.4 million |
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297
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S.M.
Wilson & Co. with revenues of $143.1 million |
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335
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Nooter
Construction Company with revenues of 126.6 million
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380
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BSI
Constructors Inc. with revenues of $105.7 million |
Five St. Louis Companies Included in Working Woman 500
For Working Woman magazine, women don’t just work, they own.
The publication cites a recent Census figure that “women-owned companies
are growing faster than all U.S. businesses—by a rate of three to
one.” As a leading publication for businesswomen, the magazine annually
publishes a list of successful women-owned U.S. businesses, ranked
by revenue, known as the Working Woman 500.
Working Woman notes, “While the last year took a toll on
many sectors, the Working Woman 500 kept rocking,” with revenues
up almost 10 percent from 1999.” Also, among these 500 firms, they
employed about 400,000 people last year.
To define ownership, Working Woman requires that the woman own the
largest share of the business or be the largest individual stockholder.
In addition, the female owner must actively participate in operating
the business.
For 2000, five St. Louis area women-owned businesses received a
ranking in the Working Woman 500, including:
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234
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Build-a-Bear
Workshop, Maxine Clark |
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245
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American
Equity Mortgage, Deanna Daughhetee Vinson |
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249
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Phoenix
Textile, Palmer A. Reynolds |
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415
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Rose
International, Himanshu Bhatia |
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477
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The
Mary Engelbreit Companies |
Barron’s Spotlights St. Louis Loft Boom
The spotlight
continues to shine on St. Louis lofts. In a Barron’s story entitled
“Build It, And They Might Return,” writer Joe Gose puts the focus
on the region’s successful efforts to draw residents to center city
St. Louis. Rather than making a plea to “save the city,” downtown
developers and city planners are making the lofts, “too attractive
for folks to avoid.” This piece contains interviews with Tom Reeves,
HOK Vice President Jim Fetterman, and McCormack Baron Vice President
Stan Mulvihill.
The article cites the combination of great buildings and great tax
incentives as driving the success of the residential lofts, which
have been popular in other major cities. The historical significance
of the buildings along Washington, part of St. Louis’ once-thriving
apparel and footwear district, is appealing as well. St. Louis loft
conversions include both apartment and condominium options, depending
on the developer.
In addition to current loft projects, Barron’s reviews several other
revitalization projects underway and planned for St. Louis. These
include hotels, office and retail space, as well as the ballpark
village in conjunction with the new Cardinal’s stadium. The article
is posted at http://www.stlrcga.org/memo/barron.html.
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