St. Louis can-and does-compete
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
April 6, 2010
by Charlie A. Dooley
The recent Post-Dispatch news series "Can St. Louis Compete?" outlined real issues the St. Louis region faces but neglected to balance with efforts under way to combat these concerns. St. Louis County is working to strengthen the region as a competitive place to live, work and play.
Like the rest of the country, the region has felt the impact -- and even some tough blows -- from the current recession. Yet St. Louis stands committed to weathering these turbulent times and putting building blocks in place to sustain a healthy business environment.
St. Louis County is the state's economic engine and, as the data indicate, has the highest per-capita personal income, $51,710, beating the national average. We're home to the most new business starts at nearly 2,070, our education attainment of 35 percent exceeds the national average and, globally, we're seeing a steady climb in exports from $10 billion in 2007 to $12 billion in 2008.
The region has proven that it can compete and is doing so successfully. Express Scripts could have built its latest facility in Philadelphia, but chose to remain in St. Louis County, generating $123 million in economic development and 270 high-paying jobs. So, too, was the case for Edward Jones. Its expansion plans could have taken it to Tempe, Ariz. Instead it expanded here, creating a $325 million investment and 1,000 quality jobs (over five years). Other companies, including Covidien, Scottrade, Panera Bread and Shattdecor, selected the county for their expansion plans. The list goes on.
The retention of the National Archives and Records Administration was a big win for our region. The new $112 million facility is located in north St. Louis County and will retain 800 jobs. When complete, NARA will attract more than 10,000 visitors annually.
South St. Louis County's River City and North County's NorthPark are two developments in which we successfully turned blighted, contaminated sites into prosperous economic development opportunities. Jobs and tax revenue have and will continue to create positive returns.
The St. Louis region remains globally competitive, too, making significant strides in strengthening ties with China for a Midwest cargo hub, which has tremendous economic potential for local companies. After a recent trip to China, Midwest-China Hub Commission members successfully met with business leaders at Civilian Aviation Administration of China, Air China, China Eastern, Jade Cargo and Hainan Airlines. Each announced a decision to enter into joint feasibility studies with Lambert Airport and the commission to assess the potential for opening St. Louis/China freight routes.
The BioBelt of the Midwest shows St. Louis is widely recognized for its plant and life sciences research. The world-renowned Donald Danforth Plant Science Center puts St. Louis on the map for its cutting-edge research. More recently, the construction of Bio-Research & Development Growth Park at the Danforth Center helps fledgling plant and life science companies emerge to commercial success.
St. Louis County is continuing to help our entrepreneurs with many support services such as strong incubator programs, a regional business plan competition that attracted startups by the hundreds, and new financing tools such as Recovery Zone Bonds and BOOST -- an innovative loan program for small business owners, which received national recognition by The New York Times.
This is not an attempt to deny the reality of our shifting economy. I'm personally saddened by the many who've lost their jobs. We continue to support those displaced workers with work force training programs and career centers.
On April 14, a Science of Entrepreneurship workshop at the Danforth Center introduces St. Louis scientists from a biotech, pharmacological or plant and life sciences background to entrepreneurship. Service providers will provide valuable information to these potential entrepreneurs. We're reaching out to our skilled workforce in an effort help them build new businesses and expand employment opportunities for all our regional citizens. Most important, we'll keep them here.
St. Louis County has not been immune to the recent recession. We're working on economic development initiatives and programs in every corner of the county and need everyone's help across the region to pull or push us to prosperity. Most encouraging to this recovery is the remarkable resilience of our people who remain committed to St. Louis. This loyalty to our community must be rewarded by continued commitment from all of us to keep and to bring sustainable, quality jobs right here in St. Louis.
Can St. Louis compete? Yes, we can, and we are!
Charlie A. Dooley is St. Louis County executive.
