What’s Happening In The Region

December 21, 2011

POLITICO Co-Founder & Executive Editor Jim VandeHei To Entertain At 175th RCGA Annual Dinner On Thursday, January 26th; Right Arm Of St. Louis Award To Be Presented To U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello: The 175th RCGA Annual Dinner and Meeting, to be presented at the Chase Park Plaza on Thursday evening, January 26th, promises to be an entertaining evening featuring POLITICO Co-Founder & Executive Editor Jim VandeHei, as well as a salute to one of the St. Louis region's great leaders, U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL), recipient of the 2011 RCGA Right Arm of St. Louis Award. Congressman Costello will join a distinguished group of previous Right Arm winners; a sampling of recent award recipients includes:

POLITICO is the highly influential political web site and newspaper that Washingtonian magazine called a “media phenomenon.” VandeHei, along with co-founder John Harris, left the Washington Post in 2006 to create the all-politics-all-the-time site, and the company has been an enormous success ever since. More than three million unique readers visit the site each month, and more than 30,000 of the nation’s political leaders read its Washington-based newspaper. Drawing on 15 years of experience in Washington journalism, VandeHei directs POLITICO’s editorial content and oversees its business strategy – amalgamating old media values of fairness and accuracy with the speed and immediacy of new technologies.

A welcome of Joe Reagan as the RCGA’s new president and chief executive officer, a review of the St. Louis region's accomplishments in economic development, public policy and other areas, as well as a salute to RCGA volunteers, the RCGA Board of Directors and inauguration of 2012 officers, will also highlight the 175th Annual Meeting and Dinner.

We invite you and your company to share in this unique regional celebration by participating as a sponsor of this special evening. Sponsorships are $3,000 and entitle you to preferential seating for a table of 10, recognition in the audio/visual presentation and program, mention on the RCGA's website and in St. Louis Commerce Magazine, special table signage, and a special VIP sponsor reception afterwards.

To become a Dinner sponsor, please call Mary Barbeau at the RCGA at (314) 444-1103, or e-mail her at mbarbeau@stlrcga.org.

December 20, 2011

Tom Voss Elected To Lead RCGA As Board Chairman In 2012; Danny Ludeman Is Chairman-Elect For 2013: Tom Voss, Chairman, President & CEO of Ameren Corp., has been re-elected as RCGA Board Chairman for 2012. Tom served his first year as Chairman in 2011.

Tom has been the Chairman, President & CEO of Ameren since April, 2010; he had previously served as President & CEO of AmerenUE. He served as Executive Vice President and COO of Ameren from 2004 to 2009. In December 2006, he was elected to the additional position of President & CEO of Ameren’s Missouri rate-regulated operations.

Prior to this appointment, he held the title of Senior Vice President, Generation, and President, Ameren Energy and Ameren Energy Resources. In that position, he was responsible for generation, fuels and services and related trading and marketing operations, including Ameren Energy Inc., Ameren Energy Generating, Ameren Energy Resources Business Service, Ameren Energy Fuels and Services, Missouri Power Operations and Ameren Energy Marketing.

Previously, he served as Senior Vice President for Energy Delivery/Customer Services. In this position, Tom was responsible for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of all gas and electric delivery systems and also for all customer care activities for Ameren’s operating utility companies.

Tom began his extensive career with Union Electric back in 1969 as an engineer. After four years of military service as an engineer dealing with nuclear weapons systems, he returned in 1975.

Tom is a registered Professional Engineer in Missouri and Illinois. He holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla (now the Missouri University of Science and Technology).

RCGA Chairman-elect Danny Ludeman will become RCGA Board Chairman in 2013. He is President & CEO of Wells Fargo Advisors. Danny will also continue to serve as RCGA Board Chairman for Economic Development, a position he has held since 2010. In that capacity, Danny has led the RCGA Economic Development Board of Trustees efforts over the two years in completing the MarketStreet research and in developing the region's new multi-year Regional Economic Development Strategy and the new Capital Campaign.

2012 RCGA Executive Committee

The RCGA Board also elected its Executive Committee for 2012. The following individuals have been elected to serve on the 2012 Executive Committee: Tom Voss, Chairman; Bob Reynolds, Chairman, President & CEO, Graybar Electric Co. Inc., immediate past-Chair; Danny Ludeman, Chairman-elect; Joe Reagan, President & CEO; Don Lents, Chairman, Bryan Cave LLP, Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair; Tom Minogue, Chairman, Thompson Coburn LLP, Corporate Secretary; Steve Cousins, Partner, Armstrong Teasdale LLP, General Counsel.

Also elected to the Executive Committee are: Sally Roth, Area President, Regions Bank, Business Services Chair; Bob Witterschein, Executive Vice President of Commercial Banking, Enterprise Bank & Trust, Membership Chair; Tracy Hart, President, Tarlton Corp., Environment and Energy Chair; Tom Campbell, Managing Partner, Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, LC, Public Policy Chair; Jan Holloway, Senior Vice President, Chief of Staff and Community Relations, Monsanto, Public Policy Vice Chair; Danny Ludeman, Economic Development Chair; Clark Davis, HOK Group Vice Chairman, Infrastructure Chair; and Rodney Kinzinger, Office Managing Partner, Deloitte, Audit Committee Chair.

Elected as Executive Committee At Large directors are: Jeff Hall, Executive Vice President & CFO, Express Scripts; Bruce Holland, President & CEO, Holland Construction Services, Inc.; Doug Koch, Senior Vice President & Chief Talent Officer, Brown Shoe Co., Inc.; Steve Lipstein, President & CEO, BJC HealthCare-St. Louis; Suzanne Sitherwood, President, The Laclede Group, Inc.; Patrick Sly, Executive Vice President, Emerson; Dr. Donald Suggs, President & Publisher, St. Louis American newspaper; Dr. Anthony Tersigni, President & CEO, Ascension Health; Dr. Vaughn Vandegrift, Chancellor, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; and James Villeneuve, Vice President Corporate Affairs & Communications, Anheuser-Busch Companies.

New 2012 Board Members

In addition, the following new directors have been elected by the full RCGA membership to serve three-year terms on the RCGA Board: Lynn Britton, President & CEO, Mercy; Bill Fathers, President, Savvis; Ron Kruszewski, Chairman & CEO, Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. Inc.; Suzanne Magee, President & CEO, TechGuard Security LLC; Kathleen Mazzarella, Executive Vice President & COO, Graybar Electric Co., Inc.; Kevin Mowbray, President & Publisher, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Eric Rhone, President & CEO, Visions Management Group, Inc.; Thad Simons, President & CEO, Novus International, Inc.; Suzanne Sitherwood; Joe Sivewright, President, North American Pet Foods, Nestlé Purina PetCare Co.; Patrick Sly; Christopher Standlee, Executive Vice President, Abengoa Bioenergy; and Ken Suelthaus, Vice Chairman, Polsinelli Shughart PC.

Tom Minogue chaired this year's Nominating Committee.

December 14, 2011

2012 InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum Open For Entrepreneurs Seeking Investment: Friday, January 13th is the final application deadline for the 2012 InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum.

InvestMidwest is the annual showcase for the best technology and high-growth companies throughout the Midwest and surrounding states.

Established in 1999 by the RCGA and Missouri Venture Forum, along with our counterparts in Kansas City, InvestMidwest is now entering its 13th year; the Forum, which will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, April 4th and 5th in St. Louis, continues to attract participation by growing Midwestern entrepreneurial companies seeking investment. The selected companies present to some of the nation’s top venture capitalists and angel investors. Companies that presented at InvestMidwest over its first 12 years have gone on to secure more than $850 million in total investments.

InvestMidwest will once again bring together some of the country’s leading venture capitalists, corporate investors and angel investors, who will gather for the presentations. Selection of presenting companies is based on a company’s value proposition, management team, products or services, marketing strategy, market opportunity and financial summary. Those firms selected will receive guidelines and guidance to ensure that their presentations meet the Forum’s professional presentation standards.

The conference will showcase 45 companies in three presentation tracks: life sciences, IT/general business and clean energy /sustainability. The main criteria for a company to be considered are:

To apply to present at the 2012 InvestMidwest click here

InvestMidwest over the last 12 years has been held in alternative years in St. Louis and in the Kansas City metropolitan area. InvestMidwest 2011 attracted 300 attendees, including over 70 venture capital professionals who heard presentations by 43 growth-oriented companies from nine states with the potential to generate at least $20 million in annual revenue within the next five years.

InvestMidwest’s mission is to provide access to equity capital for emerging, privately held companies seeking venture funds in excess of $1 million. InvestMidwest is supported by a diverse group of public and corporate sponsors. The organizational sponsors include the RCGA, Missouri Venture Forum, The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and KCSourceLink.

If any RCGA Leadership Circle members have clients or otherwise know of emerging companies interested in presenting their business cases for venture funding, please contact InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum Executive Director Christine Walsh at (314) 503-1019.

December 13, 2011

175th RCGA Annual Meeting And Dinner On Thursday, January 26th To Present Right Arm of St. Louis Award To U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello: The 175th RCGA Annual Meeting and Dinner will be held on Thursday evening, January 26th, at the Chase Park Plaza, where U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL) will be presented with the Right Arm of St. Louis Award, the RCGA's most prestigious honor, and presented annually to a person or persons who have made outstanding contributions to the St. Louis region.

U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello

In his over two decades in Congress, Rep. Costello has been an highly effective leader in bringing significant resources and investments to the bi-state region for the MetroLink system, the region’s airports, and the region's other essential infrastructure needs. Throughout the metro area, he is widely considered the ‘patron saint’ of Scott Air Force Base.

His career in public service began in 1980, when he was elected chairman of the St. Clair County Board, chief executive for one of Illinois' largest counties. He took that experience to Congress in August, 1988 to fill the term of the late U.S. Rep. Melvin Price. Congressman Costello was elected U.S. Congressman for Illinois’ 12th District that fall.

He immediately began laying out a vision for Southwestern and Southern Illinois, to boost the local economy by building a new transportation network for the entire bi-state region. He is characterized by a bi-partisan approach to issues. He helped write two national highway bills and secured $150 million for the new Mississippi River Bridge. Rep. Costello was instrumental in saving Scott Air Force Base during rounds of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process from 1995–2005. Scott AFB is the largest employer in Illinois south of Springfield and the 4th largest employer in the St. Louis region. Home to TRANSCOM and the Air Mobility Command, Rep. Costello has led a two decade local effort to continually improve the base.

A welcome of Joe Reagan as the RCGA’s new president and chief executive officer, a review of the St. Louis region's accomplishments in economic development, public policy and other areas, as well as a salute to RCGA volunteers, the RCGA Board of Directors and inauguration of 2012 officers, will also highlight the 175th Annual Meeting and Dinner.

We invite you and your company to share in this unique regional celebration by participating as a sponsor of this special evening. Sponsorships are $3,000 and entitle you to preferential seating for a table of 10, recognition in the audio/visual presentation and program, mention on the RCGA's website and in St. Louis Commerce Magazine, special table signage, and a special VIP sponsor reception afterwards.

Formal invitations to the January 26th RCGA Annual Meeting and Dinner will be mailed this week to the entire RCGA membership. To become a dinner sponsor, please call Mary Barbeau at the RCGA at (314) 444-1103, or e-mail her at mbarbeau@stlrcga.org.

December 12, 2011

Joe Reagan Recruited To Lead RCGA As Its New President And Chief Executive Officer: I am pleased to share the news with you that our Chairman Tom Voss, Chair-elect Danny Ludeman and the Search Committee headed by former RCGA Chairman John Bachmann have recruited our new CEO. He is Joe Reagan, President and CEO of the Greater Louisville Inc.-Metro Chamber of Commerce since 2005, the regional chamber of commerce and regional economic development organization. He also has held senior positions at GLI since 1998.

Joe Reagan

I have known Joe as a chamber and economic development colleague and able metro competitor for over a dozen years, served with him on the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) Board of Directors, and followed his and GLI’s fine work for some time. I believe that he will be a great leader of the RCGA and that he and his wife, Julie, and their family will be great additions to the St. Louis community. Attached is a news release that was sent to the media today. It presents Joe’s background in detail and the role he has played in greater Louisville. Please click here to view the news release.

We all look forward to welcoming Joe to St. Louis and to his new position as RCGA President and CEO on February 1, 2012.

December 7, 2011

RCGA Board Adopts 2012 Legislative Agenda: The RCGA Board of Directors adopted a set of 2012 Missouri, Illinois and Federal legislative priorities to enhance the economy, business climate and quality of life of the bi-state St. Louis region, at their November meeting.

The process for development of the 2012 Legislative Agenda began in September, and was undertaken over the past two months by the 60-member RCGA Public Policy Council, chaired by Ted Powers, Regional Director of Government Affairs for Anheuser-Busch Cos., and Gordon Reel, Assistant Vice President of Government & Public Affairs at Enterprise Holdings, Inc.

RCGA Board Chair for Public Policy Tom Campbell, Managing Partner at Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, presented the proposed 2012 Legislative Agenda to the RCGA Board.

Tom described the 4 main sections that reflect the overall business interests of our large and diverse membership:

Please Click here to view RCGA's 2012 Legislative Agenda.

Below is a brief overview of RCGA's top legislative priorities in Missouri and Illinois. While both states will continue to face near-term budget challenges, the RCGA remains committed to pursuing policies and investments that will strengthen economic opportunities for the region.

Missouri Priorities

Full Funding for the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act (MOSIRA)

The RCGA is very pleased that MOSIRA, which has been one of our top priorities for the past several years, passed during the Special Session and was signed into law by the Governor. However, because the program is subject to the annual appropriations process, we must work each year to ensure that MOSIRA is the predictable, stable source of state funding for investments in high-tech entrepreneurial infrastructure that it is intended to be.

Finding a Path Forward on Economic Development

The RCGA is deeply disappointed by the failure of the legislature to pass a major statewide economic development bill for the 4th straight year. The inability of House and Senate leaders to reach agreement on how to review and revise the state's existing tax credit programs has become an unacceptable stalemate that is hurting Missouri's ability to develop critical projects like an international air cargo hub at Lambert Airport. The RCGA will continue to advocate for new economic development tools that will help the St. Louis region thrive and grow, including incentives to enhance the region's global competitiveness and create high-paying jobs. We also understand the need for periodic reviews of existing tax credit programs to ensure their effectiveness and efficiency, and will continue our work to ensure the viability of proven programs that create jobs and leverage private investment.

Working to Strengthen Missouri's Business Climate

While progress was made last year on some of the "Fix the Six" business coalition's priorities, several issues remain. The RCGA will continue to push for reforming the workers' compensation system so that employees are protected from being sued by their co-workers, and to ensure that employees who contract occupational diseases are properly covered by the workers' compensation system. The group will also pursue a solution to the state's insolvent Second Injury Fund, without placing an undue burden on Missouri employers. Also, the RCGA will continue to advocate for employment law reform, which passed the legislature last year but was vetoed by the Governor.

Illinois Priorities

Promoting Fiscal Responsibility and a Balanced Budget

The RCGA will continue its efforts in Illinois to advocate for responsible stewardship of state finances and a balanced budget, without placing an undue tax burden on the business community. Illinois is expected to end the current budget year with an $8 billion deficit, despite increasing the state's personal and corporate income taxes earlier this year. While many budget cuts were made, these savings were offset by the high cost of the state's pension system, which is facing an $85 billion shortfall due to decades of underfunding. The RCGA supports fiscal stability and sustainability of public pension programs, including adequate contributions from employees. RCGA also discourages the creation of new programs that will not provide a positive return on investment to the state.

Reforming the State's Workers' Compensation System

While the RCGA applauds the meaningful changes the legislature made to the state's workers' compensation system last year, which are estimated to save Illinois businesses some $500 million annually, the bill did not go far enough. For example, there still is no requirement than an injury be related directly to the workplace, so the RCGA supports strong causation standards and policies to reduce costs and unnecessary litigation.

Ensuring Capital Bill Projects Remain on Schedule

The RCGA also supports the Metro East projects included in the 2009 Capital Bill, and will work to ensure that they remain on schedule and receive the necessary funding from the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Capital Development Board for timely completion.

As has been the case for the past decade, the RCGA will also support and collaborate with its Forward Metro St. Louis civic partners - Civic Progress, RBC, St. Charles Partners for Progress; and Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois, in pursuing companion Forward Metro St. Louis critical regional issues.

For more information about the RCGA's Public Policy initiatives, please contact RCGA Senior Vice President for Public Policy Chip Casteel, at (314) 444-1107, or e-mail him at ccasteel@stlrcga.org.

December 6, 2011

Cassidy Turley: Jobs Are Returning To The U.S. ... Slowly: Cassidy Turley Vice President for Research, Keith Zeff, has penned an insightful, just-released report examining jobs trends in the nation.

Zeff writes, “The trend for U.S. businesses to out-source jobs to foreign countries has been a fact of life for more than a decade. The lure of low-paid workers abroad has persuaded businesses to move jobs overseas in an effort to reduce costs and increase competitiveness. But by 2015, it may be as economical to manufacture goods in the U.S. to satisfy domestic demand as it is to import them from China.”

“For instance, after many years of robust economic growth, China’s cost advantages are diminishing. From 2005 through 2010, wage and benefit costs for the average Chinese factory worker increased 19 percent per year, compared to only 4 percent for U.S. production workers, according to an August 2011 study by the Boston Consulting Group. Transportation and other costs are also rising.”

St. Louis-based Cassidy Turley is a leading commercial real estate services provider in the U.S., with 455 million square feet of managed space, over 60 offices in more than 21 national markets, and more than $18 billion in completed transactions for 2010. Outside of North America, Cassidy Turley partners with GVA, the founder and majority shareholder of GVA Worldwide.

We thought Monday Memo readers would be interested in reading the entire report, which we are pleased to pass along. Please Click here to access the report.

December 5, 2011

RCGA To Salute 69 St. Louis Area Companies Tomorrow Morning For Successfully Completing “St. Louis Green Business Challenge”: RCGA will present awards tomorrow morning to area businesses, institutions and organizations for successfully completing the second year of the RCGA’s St. Louis Green Business Challenge.

These 69 participants compiled a scorecard of requirements to form “green” teams, reduce waste, conserve water and energy, improve indoor air quality, and provide clean transportation options. 75% of these teams completed a written set of sustainability guidelines and nearly two-thirds adopted a green purchasing policy during the Challenge term. In addition, 35 companies pledged to reduce their energy consumption by 25%. In the two years of the St. Louis Green Business Challenge, 85 companies have participated, impacting more than 100,000 employees across the region.

RCGA member companies aggressively took up the Challenge and proved that these business strategies can provide “green savings,” by helping grow their bottom lines through sustainable practices. This effort is one of our key initiatives to advance a green economy for our region.

RCGA engaged the Missouri Botanical Garden’s EarthWays Center to serve as Resource Advisor to Challenge participants. The EarthWays staff organized informative seminars and performed site visits to help company Green Teams implement measures defined by the Challenge scorecard.

“This program generated extraordinary excitement in the business community, as the Challenge scorecard guided strategic implementation of internal green practices,” noted EarthWays Center Director Glenda Abney. “Through involvement in the Challenge, a significant number of our region’s businesses have expanded their ‘sustainability literacy’ and adopted policies to inform their ongoing work with these options.”

“These businesses have found that embracing sustainability can be efficiently integrated into daily business practices,” she added. “The work accomplished by RCGA and the 2011 Challenge companies proves how ‘green thinking’ can help achieve company mission, budgetary, marketing and community impact goals. The Missouri Botanical Garden is proud to be part of this Challenge.”

Case Studies illustrating the wide range of achievements during this year’s Challenge can be reviewed at www.stlouisgreenchallenge.com.

Enrollment for the third year of the St. Louis Green Business Challenge will begin next month. The Challenge is open to RCGA member companies and organizations. For more information, please contact RCGA Senior Director for Energy & Environment Eric Schneider at eschneider@stlrcga.org or visit www.stlouisgreenchallenge.com.