St. Louis St. Louis RCGA

What’s Happening In The Region


September 30, 2010

Danny Ludeman And Wells Fargo Advisors To Be Saluted At Grand Center Gala On Friday, October 8th At Sheldon Concert Hall:

Grand Center will salute Wells Fargo Advisors President and CEO, and RCGA Board Chair for Economic Development, Danny Ludeman, and his Wells Fargo team for the company’s continued support of St. Louis area non-profit organizations, on Friday evening, October 8th at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The Grand Center Gala is Grand Center’s largest annual fundraiser, providing critical operating support for its work of advancing and maintaining the district as one of the Midwest’s premier arts, education and entertainment destinations.

As the nation’s 3rd largest brokerage firm, Wells Fargo Advisors has continued building on the firm’s long tradition of support for many of our region’s major organizations. In 2009 alone, Wells Fargo Advisors and its employees invested more than $5 million in more than 90 St. Louis area nonprofits, including the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra; Opera Theater St. Louis; Arts & Education Council of St. Louis; Big Brothers Big Sisters; Susan G. Komen for the Cure; the United Way; Teach for America; and Grand Center Inc.

“Wells Fargo Advisors has shown that it intends to continue a legacy of support for our community’s most treasured organizations. Its impact is felt in everything we do in Grand Center and across the region, and for that, we proudly honor them on October 8th. They are a perfect example of what it means for a company to be a good neighbor in the community,” said Grand Center Board Chair Ken Kranzberg.

“I am truly honored to accept this award from Grand Center on behalf of Wells Fargo Advisors,” Danny noted. “We understand that a strong community thrives in many ways on the arts, and Grand Center continues to lead the way in our region. We see this as a solid investment in our community’s future.”

The evening begins with a 6 p.m. reception, including a special one-night-only concert spotlighting renowned local performers at 7:15p.m., followed by dinner. This special evening of entertainment includes jazz singer Denise Thimes, soprano Miran Halen and “The American Musical” ensemble.

Co-chairs for the event are retired Anheuser-Busch Chief Financial Officer Jerry Ritter and his wife, Peggy; and Bryan Cave LLP Chairman and RCGA Board Corporate Secretary Don Lents, and his wife, Peggy, president of Lents & Associates, LLC, a strategic marketing, public relations and communications firm.

For reservations and more information about the Grand Center Gala saluting Wells Fargo Advisors, please visit ww.grandcenter.org.


September 29, 2010

Shanghai Bund Downtown Riverfront Shows Potentials For Visionary Center City Riverfront Plan; Why Not Here, As Well?: While Downtown St. Louis and its Illinois East Bank are a long way from Shanghai, Saturday night as we arrived in Shanghai, and our RCGA delegation strolled along Shanghai's East Bank riverfront pedestrian walkway in Pudong (the newest part of Downtown Shanghai), looking west across the Huangpu River to Shanghai's uplighted historic riverfront downtown (where the Huangpu River is just about the same width as the Mississippi at the Arch) --- I couldn't help but envision similar riverfront vitality in downtown St. Louis in October 2013, stimulated in part by implementation of the bold design chosen this past week by the Design Jury for the Arch City River International Design Competition.

Now, while no one is going to mistake downtown St. Louis or its East Bank for Shanghai, the fact is that careful historic renovation and quality public space design and development of Shanghai's historic riverfront, coupled with millions of square feet of dramatic new, architecturally-spectacular office buildings for China's financial center on the formerly-vacant East Riverfront in Downtown Shanghai (coupled with spectacular uplighting of virtually every building on both sides of the river and colorful lighting of floating restaurants mixing with tug boats and barges up and down the river --- sound familiar?) --- have combined to make downtown Shanghai one of the world's most attractive, lively, and economically successful downtown.

Before anyone e-mails me any "yes, buts," here's another interesting point of fact. Sunday night, as our RCGA Group #1 enjoyed a fine dinner at Restaurant M on the Bund overlooking what I have just described, I happened to strike up an after-dinner conversation with a gentleman from Luxenbourg, who was also enjoying this beautiful view from the outdoor deck of our 7th floor restaurant. He noted that less than 20 years ago this spectacular financial center skyline on Shanghai's eastern riverfront was totally undeveloped, nondescript agricultural land. The gentleman turned out to be the CEO of Deutsche Bank Luxembourg. When he learned our group was from St. Louis, he asked that I send regards to the former U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg, Ann Wagner. Who said it's not a small world?

So, here's my takeaway: let's make a concerted and deliberate region-wide effort to combine the several "once-in-a-lifetime" civic opportunities before us right now: (1) a bold, new vision for the Arch and our St. Louis Riverfront; (2) the rapidly emerging progress of the St. Louis Big Idea for St. Louis to become the Midwestern Cargo and Commercial Hub for China; and (3) the new 5-year Regional Economic Development Campaign on which we are now embarking --- to make our appropriately scaled-to-St. Louis version of what our colleagues in China have done on Shanghai's Bund Riverfront in the span of less than two decades.

"Stroll On the Bund in St. Louis" in October 2015, anyone?


September 28, 2010

RCGA China Familiarization Experience Gives 170 “Up-Close” Immersion In Chinese Culture & Economy: Our 170-member RCGA delegation, led by RCGA Chairman Bob Reynolds, made our way home last evening from our 9-day Familiarization and Education Trip to China. This not only was a fascinating immersion for RCGA Board members, Leadership Circle members, and other members into the economy and culture of China, but as we conclude this unique journey, the St. Louis region’s connection to the world’s fastest growing economy has been enriched.

Despite one of our three groups’ 8 hour delay last Monday at Los Angeles International Airport due to a typhoon in the Pacific Ocean, everyone was able to experience this trip to the fullest extent, with visits to Beijing (metro population 19.7 million); Suzhou (pop. 5.91 million); Hangzhou (pop. 7.1 million); and Shanghai (pop. 19.5 million) – including stops at famous sites such as The Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, and even being hosted by Beijing families in their homes with home cooked meals.


RCGA Chairman Bob Reynolds and Cathy Reynolds, and past-RCGA
Chairman John Bachmann and Kay Bachmann, lead the first of 7 groups on
RCGA China Trip trek up The Great Wall outside Beijing on Sept. 22.


RCGA Board and Executive Committee members, comprised of RCGA
Chairman Bob Reynolds, former RCGA Chairman John Bachmann, Tom
Campbell, Alan Dunstan, Tracy Hart, Shaun Hayes, Bruce Holland, Don
Lents and Don Suggs, as well as Midwest China Hub Commission
Chairman Mike Jones, are pictured at The Temple of Heaven, in Beijing.
The Temple is an ancient Taoist site of imperial rituals. It is the place
where Chinese emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties conducted yearly
ceremonies of prayer to Heaven seeking good harvest.

Mixing business and education with pleasure, everyone on the trip attended the Shanghai 2010 World Expo on Saturday. This latest world’s fair showcases the fast growing Chinese economy, industries, companies and business opportunities. The trip was led by RCGA Board Chairman Bob Reynolds, chairman, president and CEO of Graybar Electric Co., and included RCGA Board Members John Bachmann, past RCGA Board chair and senior partner at Edward Jones; Tom Campbell, managing partner of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C.; Alan Dunstan, Madison County board chairman; Tracy Hart, president of Tarlton Corp.; Shaun Hayes, president of Sun Security Bank; Bruce Holland, president of Holland Construction Services; Don Lents, chairman of Bryan Cave LLP; Cassandra Sanford, CEO of KellyMitchell Group; Donald Suggs, president and publisher of the St. Louis American; and me.

Our “Gateway of Discovery to China” RCGA Familiarization Trip was the latest chapter of the nearly three-year effort to establish a Midwest China Cargo and Commercial Hub in the bi-state St. Louis region. Earlier this month, U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Claire McCaskill led our successful week-long mission of business, labor, civic and governmental leaders to China.

The Senators announced that after over two years of high-level negotiations, Chinese airlines may be set to start establishing a Midwestern Cargo Hub at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport early next year. Beyond the cargo hub, a parallel mission of the China trip was to strengthen business-to-business economic ties with Chinese business leaders and government officials to create a commercial hub, as well, providing new markets for Midwestern goods in China and vice versa.


September 22, 2010

Olin Cup And YouthBridge Entrepreneur Competitions Kick Off: The RCGA and St. Louis Commerce magazine are once again pleased to sponsor the 23rd annual Olin Cup for commercial ventures, which will award $75,000 in cash and investment capital, and the 6th annual YouthBridge Social Enterprise and Innovation Competition, which will award $150,000 to nonprofit ventures. Both competitions are accepting applications now. The RCGA is sponsoring these competitions as part of its overall entrepreneurial development initiative.


Skandalaris Center Managing Director Ken Harrington, left, welcomes Matthew Bishop,
U.S. business editor and New York bureau chief of The Economist.

The kick-off event, hosted by Washington University’s Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, was held this past Thursday evening, featuring Matthew Bishop, U.S. business editor and New York bureau chief of The Economist, as the keynote speaker. Bishop is co-author of Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World and most recently, The Road from Ruin: How to Revive Capitalism and Put America Back on Top, both written with Michael Green. Bishop was presented in conjunction with Washington University’s Assembly Series.

Teams entering the Olin Cup Competition must include at least one Washington University student, faculty, staff or alumnus to be eligible for investment awards.

The goal of the Skandalaris Center and the Olin Cup Competition is to harness the entrepreneurial potential of the University and the St. Louis region by utilizing the following tools:

  • Collaboration - Provide a forum that networks entrepreneurs with each other within the University and across St Louis.
  • Learning - Provide teams with an enriching educational experience that assists in building their business acumen.
  • Funding - Provide a source of seed capital and services for promising new ventures.

From the first “elevator pitch” to the final presentation, entrepreneurs will face a panel of judges who are experts in entrepreneurship and innovation. Semi-final and finalist presentations are open to the public.

The YouthBridge SEIC is the largest social enterprise business plan contest in the United States. In its first 5 years, 23 competitors were awarded more than $650,000 in cash and in-kind services. New and established nonprofits in St. Louis may enter the competition.


September 20, 2010

RCGA’s “Gateway Of Discovery To China” Trip Commences With 170 Ready For Intensive “Familiarization” Experience: This edition of Monday Memo is being filed from Beijing, where RCGA Chairman Bob Reynolds is leading 170 RCGA Board members and other members, on our “Gateway of Discovery to China” familiarization trip.

This 9-day trip will be a timely immersion and a unique journey as we learn about and enjoy China --- an emerging force in today’s global economy with an ancient and fascinating history.

RCGA Chair Bob Reynolds is leading the Gateway Of Discovery To China RCGA trip September 19th through September 28th.

Our members will experience China as the RCGA and its Midwest China Hub partners continue to work on the so-called St. Louis “Big Idea China Project” to make the St. Louis region a cargo and commercial hub for China.

This familiarization trip will include visits to Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou, and will visit the major attractions such as the Great Wall and Forbidden City, and Summer Palace, as well as the World Expo 2010, which is China’s 6 month long business exposition that will attract 70 million visitors from 200 nations.

The first of 3 groups departed LA mid-day on Sunday, and arrived in Beijing early Tuesday morning.


“Connecting The Midwest” Report On High Speed Rail Released By MoPIRG At Press Conference This Morning: RCGA Vice President for Infrastructure and Public Policy, Susan Stauder, was among the speakers at a press conference held earlier today at the downtown St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center, where the Missouri Public Interest Research Group (MoPIRG) released its new report on high speed rail, entitled, “Connecting the Midwest”.

In addition to Susan, Emerson Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel, Frank Steeves, spoke in support of high speed rail and its benefits. Frank also serves as a member of the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission. He spoke about the importance of high speed rail for the nation’s travel and economic future, the importance of the collaborative work of the Midwestern states to bring high speed rail to reality, and continuing to make high-speed rail a federal, State and regional priority.

Susan stressed the importance of jobs and economic development, which is what would come with high-speed passenger rail – including the possibility of restoring some of the Midwest’s lost manufacturing jobs by reinvigorating a passenger rail manufacturing industry in the Midwest.

The report, an analysis of the benefits of high speed passenger rail, was simultaneously released at gatherings in St. Louis; Chicago, Illinois; Madison, Wisconsin; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Columbus, Ohio.

Key findings include:

  • Creation of 57,000 permanent jobs with a completed Midwest high-speed rail network - with 15,200 construction jobs created during the system’s 10-year construction schedule - translating into a $23 billion boost in the Midwest’s economy.
  • Upgrading of service between St. Louis and Chicago, shortening travel time to less than 4 hours, which promises to attract 1.2 million passengers in the first year of service.
  • Environmental savings of as much as 188,000 tons of carbon dioxide – equal to the annual emissions of 34,000 cars.
  • More transportation options for Midwesterners where 58%, or 35 million people, would live within 15 miles of a high-speed rail station and one out of every 4 jobs would be within 5 miles of a station.

The RCGA has actively supported high-speed rail as both an important economic development and transportation priority, and we are working closely with our civic colleagues at Civic Progress and the RBC in continuing to advocate for high-speed rail.


September 16, 2010

First Annual American Arts Experience-St. Louis Kicks Off Friday, October 1st: For 17 days and nights, beginning October 1st, the American Arts Experience – St. Louis will fill concert halls, museums, theaters, universities and outdoor spaces in the St. Louis area with dozens of performances and shows by renowned American artists and companies in disciplines ranging from symphonic music to jazz and singer-songwriters, theater by American playwrights and dance by American companies to major American visual artists.

Designed as a collaboration among the region’s cultural institutions, participants include the Saint Louis Art Museum; Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra; Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries; Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; Jazz at the Bistro; the Touhill Performing Arts Center; and many, many more.

The American Arts Experience – St. Louis will be an annual festival each October celebrating all mediums of American arts.

For a full calendar of events, please visit www.americanartsstl.org.


September 15, 2010

SciFest ’10 Kicks Off On Tuesday, October 12th At Saint Louis Science Center: The Saint Louis Science Center has announced the dates and program for SciFest ’10, the third installment of its popular science festival for the masses. SciFest is a unique opportunity to meet scientists face-to-face in small group discussions. More than 20,000 people attended last year. The 2010 festival will be held at the Saint Louis Science Center beginning Tuesday, October 12th, through Sunday, October 17th.

RCGA and St. Louis Commerce Magazine are once again pleased to sponsor the festival. Monsanto Co. is the presenting sponsor of SciFest. Principal sponsor is Pfizer. Associate sponsors are: Barefoot Wine & Bubbly; Big Shark Bicycle Co.; St. Louis Blues; Cardinals Care; Missouri American Water Co.; Innoventor; Purina Pet Care; and St. Louis Pet Lovers Coalition. Tickets to SciFest ‘10 may be purchased at scifeststl.org.


September 14, 2010

Economic Development & Business-To-Business China Trip Concludes As 170 Commence RCGA Trip This Coming Weekend: Having just returned Saturday evening from Sen. Bond’s and Sen. McCaskill’s delegation from August 30th to September 3rd, and economic development meetings with individual businesses and several presentations at China’s annual international investment conference from September 6th to 10th --- some 170 members of the RCGA Board and Members make ready for the "Gateway of Discovery to China" RCGA Familiarization Trip, beginning this weekend.

To recap, I was in China last week working on the business-to-business part of the St. Louis “Big Idea China Project,” conducting B2B meetings and doing presentations at the 14th Annual China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT) investment conference there. The overall themes of these investment forums centered around China’s desire to significantly increase imports to serve the growing Chinese middle class consumer market, and dealing with the low carbon economy. I did 4 presentations – ranging from the St. Louis Big Idea to establish the bi-state St. Louis region as the Midwestern Cargo and Commercial Hub for China, to articulating St. Louis’ emergence as the BioBelt: The Center for Plant and Life Sciences, to St. Louis’ growing Financial Services and IT cluster, to our region’s promising Green Agenda.

Workers complete finishing touches on entry to the 14th Annual China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen last week.

The annual 4-day investment forum attracted 50,000 participants, 15,000 of which were from outside China. While in Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen, I met with a number of Chinese firms and venture capitalists and life sciences executives who are considering U.S. and St. Louis locations and investments.

The economic development trip was led by Sens. Bond and McCaskill. They announced that after over two years of high-level negotiations, Chinese airlines may be set to start establishing a Midwestern Cargo Hub at Lambert International Airport early next year.

This coming weekend, 170 RCGA Board members and other members, including RCGA Board Chairman Bob Reynolds, will be in China on our "Gateway of Discovery to China" RCGA Familiarization Trip, Sept. 19th through 28th.

RCGA Chair Bob Reynolds will lead Gateway Of Discovery To China RCGA trip September 19th through September 28th.

This will be a unique opportunity for RCGA members to experience China first hand as our Midwest China Hub partners and we continue to work on the so-called St. Louis “Big Idea China Project” to make the St. Louis region a cargo and commercial hub for China.

This Familiarization Trip will include visits to Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou, and will visit the major attractions such as the Great Wall and Forbidden City, and Summer Palace, as well as the World Expo 2010, which is China’s 6 month long business exposition that will attract 70 million visitors from 200 nations.


September 13, 2010

“The Green Issue”: New St. Louis Commerce Spotlights Sustainable Technologies And The Green Economy: Much has been written about the emerging green economy based on Sustainability. Two years ago on the RCGA Leadership Trip to Chicago, Robert Hess, a national site selection consultant, addressed our delegation about transportation and distribution opportunities with our China Hub Project and told us, “Years ago, diversity began as a marketing idea and later became a business imperative. Sustainability, he noted, was already a ‘business imperative,’ and would be a key factor on where companies and talent locate, and where investments are made.

Hess’ comments apply to opportunities within the Green Economy. The national companies he helps select sites for are increasingly emphasizing sustainability as a basis of their decisions. In that context, St. Louis and a number of other regions are increasingly seeing sustainability as both quality of life and an economic development issues. Moreover, this segment of the national economy represents significant growth opportunites for our region --- both for existing companies responding to these growing markets and to entrepreneurial start iups in the Sustainable technologies Cluster.

The new edition of St. Louis Commerce Magazine, now on newsstands throughout the St. Louis region, highlights sustainability from a variety of perspectives. Starting with an article on a just-concluded study by Collaborative Economics Inc. (CEI), a nationally-respected research and policy organization in Silicon Valley, the National Climate Prosperity Project is moving forward with a baseline assessment of the core green economies in each of the 4 Pilot Regions, including St. Louis, selected by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund as the focus for this national initiative.

The Climate Prosperity concept starts with the premise that climate change and quality of life can also be significant economic development opportunities for communities through what they describe as the twin objectives of green savings for businesses and individuals, as well as opportunities for entrepreneurs and employees that are providing green goods and services.

The encouraging conclusion of the CEI study shows that since 1995, St. Louis has actually matched Silicon Valley in green job growth. While Silicon Valley had a 53% job growth rate on a base of 14,000 green jobs, St. Louis had a 54% growth rate on a base of 9,000 green jobs. The study also found that 1,000 of the jobs here occurred in the last 4 years. That compares to an overall growth rate of 4%. The bottom line is there is an economic opportunity here and St. Louis is actively pursuing it.

Among the many interesting and timely articles in this green issue are: Ameren’s headquarters solar initiative, adaptive efforts by such major employers as Boeing in developing aircraft biofuels and Enterprise Holdings’ far-reaching and long-standing campaign to go green.

Commerce magazine’s regular features include a look at one of the BioBelt’s leading CEOs, Tim Wright of Covidien and a business portrait of Enterprise Holdings’ Lee Broughton, director of corporate identity and sustainability. Our “Spotlight” is on Greg Smith, partner of Husch Blackwell LLP, whose creative guidance of public private partnerships and projects helped stimulate many of the revitalization efforts in the city, region and State.


September 9, 2010

Senators Bond And McCaskill's China Mission Advances St. Louis "Big Idea" Project: U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Claire McCaskill led a successful week-long mission of business, labor, civic and governmental leaders to China last week in the latest chapter of the nearly three-year effort to establish a Midwest China Cargo and Commercial Hub for China in the bi-state St. Louis region.

Chinese aviation officials at the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) sign a joint agreement with Lambert Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge. Standing behind Rhonda are Senators McCaskill and Bond.

The Senators announced that after over two years of high-level negotiations, Chinese airlines may be set to start establishing a Midwestern Cargo Hub at Lambert International Airport. As part of the Senators' just-completed trip, Chinese aviation officials at the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) signed a joint agreement with Lambert Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, framing the final issues to be negotiated to establish the Lambert Hub and committed to travel to St. Louis later this Fall to conclude negotiations, with a target of initial flights in the first quarter of 2011.

In addition to myself and Rhonda, our fellow Midwest China Hub Commission members in the delegation included Hub Commission Chairman Mike Jones, Senior Policy Advisor to St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley; Rich McClure, President, UniGroup, Inc.; Tim Nowak, Executive Director, St. Louis World Trade Center; Dan Mehan, President, Missouri Chamber; and Chris Chung, President, Missouri Partnership.

Also joining the delegation this past week to meet with Chinese aviation, business and governmental leaders were the following business and civic leaders: Ron Fromm, Chairman and CEO, Brown Shoe Co.; Dr. Peter Raven, President-emeritus, Missouri Botanical Garden; Pat Kellett, Business Manager, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local #562; Dr. Beth Stroble, President, Webster University; Paul McKee, Chairman, McEagle; Agnes Rey-Giraud, President, International Operations, Express Scripts; Matt Bross, Vice Chairman USA, Huawei; Dr. Steve Miller, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Express Scripts; Nancy Heimann, Missouri Beef Industry Council; Kevin Eblen, Vice President, Public Policy & Sustainable Yield, Monsanto; Michael Flannigan, Vice President International, Peabody Energy; Rep. Ryan Silvey; Rep. Mike Talboy; and Stephen Perry, Chairman, 48 Group, London.

In tandem with the Cargo Hub, this other half of the "Big Idea" is business-to-business and economic development focused, to establish the bi-state region as the Midwestern Commercial Hub for China. To that end, I have remained in China this week to conduct B2B meetings in Shanghai and to present "The Big Idea" and St. Louis' economic development pitch in presentations at two annual national investment conferences in Xiamen, China.

The 14th Annual China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT) convened yesterday and runs through tomorrow in the southern City of Xiamen. This annual investment forum attracted 50,000 participants from China and throughout the world.

I presented today and will be presenting tomorrow at the 14th China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT) in the southern City of Xiamen. CIFIT organizers announced that there are over 50,000 participants at the Xiamen events this week. The overall theme of this year's investment seminars at CIFIT revolve around the push by China to import more high value goods and products from other countries to serve their growing middle class consumers, and around the low carbon economy. I am presenting on the St. Louis Big Idea, the St. Louis Region's Economic Development Strategy, as well as on the Climate Prosperity Project and the recently-completed documentation of the St. Louis Green Economy and an update presentation on the emerging St. Louis BioBelt - The Center for Plant and Life Sciences. I am also meeting with a number of Chinese firms and venture capitalists who are considering U.S. / St. Louis locations and investments.

Having accompanied Sens. Bond and McCaskill on their initial delegation back in March 2008 to introduce the "St. Louis Big Idea", the Senators and our team have emphasized that the Big Idea stands on two legs -- one is the Midwestern Cargo Hub and the other is the St. Louis region emerging as a Midwestern Commercial Hub for China --- and the two reinforce each other. Substantial progress has been made on both as a result of Sens. Bond and McCaskill's continued leadership, including leading our delegation.

I met earlier this week in Shanghai with venture capitalist and life sciences executive, Dr. Jun Ren, President and CEO of Shanghai New Summit Biopharma; Kevin Shao, Director of Zhangjiang New Drug Industrialization Accelerator; William Keller, Vice General Manager, Shanghai Z.J. Biotech & Pharmaceutical Development Co.; and other Chinese biotech executives who were among some 25 plant and life sciences companies from the Chinese Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA) that the RCGA hosted in St. Louis in April.

Today and tomorrow, I am doing 4 separate presentations at CIFIT's 14th Annual World Innovation and Investment Promotion Platform Conference in Xiamen: the first presentation this morning on the "St. Louis Big Idea" and St. Louis Regional Economic Development Story, and the second today focusing on the St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project and Sustainable Technologies Cluster. The third presentation, tomorrow morning, is on the St. Louis BioBelt Center for Plant & Life Sciences, with the fourth presentation tomorrow on St. Louis' role in the rapidly emerging Global Green Economy and St. Louis' participation in the national Climate Prosperity Project, launched by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Finally, I am meeting with China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and CIPA officials and leaders from the All-China Federation of Industry & Commerce (ACFIC), with whom the St. Louis Delegation met in Beijing last week.

This week in Xiamen, RCGA concluded agreements with Chairman Huang Mengfu of the ACFIC between his organization (with two million member businesses) and the RCGA, for the two organizations to collaborate on the business-to-business and economic development aspects of the Big Idea --- commencing with ACFIC bringing a planned delegation of 40 Chinese business leaders seeking investment and partnering opportunities to St. Louis in November, which RCGA will host. This delegation will be comprised of business leaders seeking investment and partnering opportunities, as well as prospective U.S. locations.

Then, later this month, 170 RCGA Board members and other members, including RCGA Board Chairman Bob Reynolds, will be in China on our "Gateway of Discovery to China" RCGA Familiarization Trip, beginning on September 20th through September 28th.

Speaking of Sen. McCaskill and the St. Louis "Big Idea" Project --- The Senator spoke to an overflow crowd of regional business and civic leaders during a luncheon this past Tuesday as part of the RCGA's 2010 Public Policy Speaker Series. Sen. McCaskill presented on the trip to China which she led with Sen. Bond. She also addressed a wide variety of issues including health care, government spending, and the need for more bipartisanship in Washington, D.C.

Sen. McCaskill addresses an overflow crowd at the RCGA on Tuesday. Pictured directly in front of the podium are RCGA Board Chair for Public Policy Tom Campbell and St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, seated at right.

Sen. McCaskill saluted fellow Missouri U.S. Sen. Bond for his work on the China Hub project and expressed her desire for more bipartisan cooperation in tackling tough issues in Washington, D.C.

She also emphasized her ability to work with politicians on both sides of the aisle, especially in reducing unnecessary earmarks and secret holds on bills. She stated her support for programs to rebuild the nation's infrastructure and put people back to work, but noted that the country cannot afford to pay "by credit card" anymore. In response to a question on the federal health care reform law, McCaskill explained that the requirement for everyone to obtain health insurance was necessary if pre-existing conditions were to be covered, as otherwise there would be no incentive for people to purchase health insurance before they got an illness or injury.


September 1, 2010

“Green Savings”: Investing In Clean Energy And Efficiency Seminar To Be Held Wednesday, September 1st At RCGA: The RCGA and Renew Missouri are presenting “Green Savings: Investing In Clean Energy And Efficiency – What Missouri’s PACE Laws Means for Business and Municipalities” on Wednesday, September 1st, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., in the Regional Collaboration Center at the RCGA, One Metropolitan Square, Ste. 1300, downtown.

The new Missouri Property Assessment Clean Energy (PACE) law enables businesses and residential property owners to finance, from their property assessments, energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy equipment. Participants in the seminar will discover how a PACE program can be implemented in their respective communities and what the advantages are to their individual businesses.

Presentations will include:

  • Overview of Missouri’s PACE law and legal framework
  • Elements of an effective PACE program
  • Implementation of PACE at the local level

This is a free seminar, but to reserve your seat please RSVP today to Sherri Bailey at sbailey@stlrcga.org, or call her at 314.444.1134.

 

 

 
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