Diverse Business Leaders: Mike Jones
St. Louis Business Journal
September 10, 2010
Mike Jones has made a career of pushing big ideas and making them happen. Currently the chairman of the Midwest-China Hub Commission, the group promoting St. Louis as a commercial air cargo hub, he also is a senior policy adviser to St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley. Jones, 61, oversees the St. Louis Economic Council. A former St. Louis City alderman, he returned to his native St. Louis after serving as a regional manager for corporate affairs in Detroit for Anheuser-Busch.
Is there a connection between the China Hub effort and diversity?
There is, on two levels. We're creating a global village as we become more interconnected around the world. St. Louis reaching out to China is the essence of diversity. It should create real economic growth, which makes it easier to address structural inequities in a community.
What's the challenge for St. Louis?
On the issue of race and inclusion, St. Louis has been behind the curve my entire career. We've just now gotten to the point where we're comfortable talking about it. But we haven't gotten to the point where we've done much about it.
What can we do about this?
I learned something about successful urban areas during my time with Anheuser-Busch. They have four things in common: a vibrant, minority middle class; progressive -- not necessarily liberal -- business leadership that has a view beyond the next quarter; an efficient local government, and a state with an urban agenda, because states that don't care about their cities don't grow. We need to do all four of those things simultaneously.
What's your personal challenge?
Frequently, when I look around at regional meetings, I'm the only black person in the room. That's troubling for me, but it ought to be troubling for all of us.
Do we have the ability to change?
What has to happen is people like me, who are in positions like I'm in, have to continue to raise the issue. Something that could change things is if St. Louis' leading companies committed to bringing a couple of people of color into their senior leadership.
