Edward Jones, St. Louis County partner on business plan contest
St. Louis Business Journal
January 15, 2010
The St. Louis County Economic Council and Edward Jones are partnering on a business plan competition for companies in the region.
The 2010 St. Louis Regional Business Plan Competition will include "significant" monetary awards and in-kind professional services for the top three winning companies, the council said.
The competition's formal announcement is set for noon Tuesday at Edward Jones' headquarters at 12555 Manchester Road in Des Peres.
The contest is being held to promote entrepreneurship and the development of startup and early-stage companies in the region.
St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley and Jim Weddle, managing partner of Edward Jones are set to make the announcement. Denny Coleman is president and CEO of the St. Louis County Economic Council.
St. Louis County Economic Council is the county's economic development agency.
The council recently introduced a new, $5 million small-business loan program called Boost, an alternative to the U.S. Small Business Administration's 504 loan program.
According to the county, the business plan contest is the first time an economic development agency and a national company have partnered to support small business in the state of Missouri.
St. Louis-based Edward Jones, one of the largest securities firms in North America, is the fifth-largest privately held company in St. Louis with $3.8 billion in revenue in 2008.
