Over 600 business and civic professionals and elected leaders were in attendance for World Trade Center St. Louis's annual international business luncheon.
For the first time since 2019, Growing Global 2022: Connecting St. Louis to the World, was held in-person at the Ritz-Carlton St. Louis. The annual luncheon, hosted by the World Trade Center St. Louis, is the area’s largest international business event. More than 600 guests with business, civic and elected official backgrounds were in attendance. This year’s panelists included: moderator, Sarah Fenske, Executive Director at Euclid Media, Don Bunkenburg, Sr. Director Sales USA at Lufthansa Airlines, Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, Director at St. Louis Lambert International Airport and Rodrigo Santos, President Crop Science at Bayer.
The theme for Growing Global 2022, Connecting St. Louis to the World, took a deeper look at how the region can leverage the recently added non-stop flight from St. Louis Lambert International Airport to Frankfurt, Germany. Industry research indicates that a non-stop flight to Europe adds $50-$100 million per year. This flight is expected to have significant impact on the regional economy and increase St. Louis’s ability to compete on the global stage.
This year, the World Trade Center St. Louis honored three St. Louis organization leaders with the Global Ambassador Award: Rodney Crim, St. Louis Economic Development Partnership CEO and President, Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, Director of St. Louis Lambert International Airport and Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis Inc.
(L to R) Tim Nowak, Rodney Crim, Jason Hall, Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, Andrew Walshaw
