Rodney Crim Participates in FOCUS St. Louis Panel

Panelists discussed business attraction initiatives

Rodney Crim, CEO and president of St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (STL Partnership), participated in a panel discussion hosted by FOCUS St. Louis. Other panelists who took part included: Subash Alias, CEO of Missouri Partnership, Maggie Kost, chief business attraction officer of Greater St. Louis, Inc., and Neal Richardson, president and CEO of St. Louis Development Corporation. The event took place at the office of Greater St. Louis, Inc. on March 7.

During the discussion, the panelists provided details on the roles that their organizations serve in the region. They also discussed any major business attraction initiatives that their teams are currently working on and other opportunities and challenges that they have experienced with business attraction.

Crim discussed major projects involving STL Partnership, including Gateway Studios, a live touring rehearsal complex and production services company that is near completion in Chesterfield, Mo. He also talked about Heartland Regional Investment Fund, LLC (HRIF), a subsidiary of STL Partnership, and its New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) program. Among the local NMTC projects Crim highlighted was the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture, Nutrition Innovation Center, which will impact kids and teens through agriculture, food innovation and nutrition in East St. Louis, Ill.

FOCUS St. Louis offers a variety of programs to help participants take the next step in their civic leadership journey. Its programs challenge leaders to think critically, to collaborate across divisions and to see the region through new eyes.

Many members of STL Partnership have been involved with FOCUS St. Louis over the years, including Jason Archer, vice president of business development, who is part of the 2024-2025 Leadership St. Louis class.