St. Louis Economic Development News
LATEST STL PARTNERSHIP NEWS
St. Louis County Port Authority Accepting Applications to Support Nonprofit Development Projects
Community Investment Fund grants to help fund nonprofits with community, economic development projects throughout St. Louis County
The St. Louis County Port Authority (Port Authority) has announced it is accepting applications for its 2026 Community Investment Fund grant program, which provides funding for economic and community development projects led by nonprofit organizations. The applicants or projects must be located in St. Louis County and/or primarily serve St. Louis County residents or businesses. Applicants must also have a 501(c)(3) designation.
The Port Authority will consider economic and community development projects that fall within one or more of its funding priorities and may be programmatic or construction-related projects (e.g., land acquisition, renovation, new construction and infrastructure).
Applications will be accepted by the Port Authority until Aug. 11. Virtual information sessions about the grants and application process will be held on June 29 and 30. To learn more or apply, visit stlpartnership.com/port-authority/cifa.
The maximum Community Investment Fund grant amount awarded to a project will be $300,000. Grants are expected to be awarded by early 2027.
Wellston Industrial Park to Transition to Manufacturing, Logistics Business Park
City of Wellston, County LCRA working with THO Investments on project
Working together, the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of the County of St. Louis (LCRA), managed by St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (STL Partnership), and the City of Wellston announce the upcoming redevelopment of Wellston Industrial Park into a new business park focused on manufacturing and logistics. The 28.33-acre property, located at 1335 Ogden Avenue in Wellston, Mo., and owned by LCRA, will be purchased and redeveloped by THO Investments, LLC.
STL Partnership and the City of Wellston are implementing a comprehensive, multi-year redevelopment strategy focused on housing, economic development and neighborhood revitalization.
It is anticipated that the redevelopment will deliver at least 50 new jobs to the site with the possibility of even more.
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Kittle Property Group to bring Triton Pointe Development to St. Louis County
STL Partnership providing $27 million loan for new 192-unit apartment facility
Kittle Property Group, Inc. will bring a new multi-family facility to St. Louis County. The 192-unit apartment complex will be located at 4236 North Hanley Road, replacing neglected single-family homes on 12.5 acres.
Kittle Property Group will receive $27 million from an initial bond from St. Louis Economic Development Partnership’s (STL Partnership) Business Finance division to assist in financing the project.
In 2025, Kinetic Valuation Group completed a market analysis to assess the viability of Triton Pointe Apartments. The study found the facility will have a positive impact on the surrounding neighborhood and will not affect existing or proposed affordable housing located in area. Due to the growth in households in the community, the new development is expected to lease quickly.
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The Steel Works provided New Markets Tax Credits from HRIF, Justine PETERSEN
Allocation to help bring new jobs to Granite City facility
Heartland Regional Investment Fund, LLC (HRIF), a subsidiary of St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (STL Partnership), and Justine PETERSEN, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals and families build assets and achieve financial stability, provided a New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) supported financing package to The Steel Works (TSW), a steel processing company located in Granite City, Ill. TSW, a multigenerational, family-owned and operated company, will use these funds to add new equipment, working capital and additional employees to meet the company’s strong customer growth.
As a result of the NMTC loans, TSW will retain 19 full-time jobs and expects to create another 32 fulltime jobs within a few years to scale with forecasted increases in customer demand. The estimated average wage for these jobs is expected to be above both the regional living and regional industry wages for this area.
Bean Named General Counsel of the Year by St. Louis Business Journal Eight Corporate Counsel Award honorees chosen by publication for 2026
Howl Bean II, general counsel for St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (STL Partnership), has been named the 2026 General Counsel of the Year by the St. Louis Business Journal. Bean was among nine honorees chosen for this year’s Corporate Counsel Awards.
Among his many career accomplishments, Bean led legal negotiations and key agreements for St. Louis’s new nonstop flight to London Heathrow Airport, which debuted in April. Industry research and peer city benchmarks show that non-stop service to Europe can generate between $50 million and $100 million annually for a metro economy. Bean drafted the $4.5 million incentive package to secure the flight.
STL Partnership Wins BREI Award
Zeiss project selected for Award of Excellence for the Multi-Community over 100,000
Business Retention and Expansion International (BREI), a leader in business retention and expansion (BRE) education and certification, has awarded St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (STL Partnership) with its Award of Excellence for the Multi-Community over 100,000. STL Partnership submitted an application that told the story of the BRE team’s work with the Zeiss project.
In 2022, Zeiss Medical Technology, a German corporation and one of the world’s leading m edical technology companies, acquired of Kogent and Katalyst Surgical in Chesterfield, Mo. Once learning about this news, the BRE team immediately scheduled a meeting with Zeiss leadership to help with their transition to the St. Louis area and educate them on the new nonstop flight from St. Louis to Frankfurt, Germany via Lufthansa Airlines that debuted within weeks of the acquisition.
The BRE team was honored during a virtual BREI Conference on June 17, where World Trade Center Executive Director Tim Nowak and STL Partnership Vice Presidents of Business Development Michelle Stuckey and Jason Archer provided a presentation on the Zeiss project.
The BRE team includes representatives from STL Partnership, WTC, St. Louis Mosaic Project, St. Louis Development Corporation, Greater St. Louis, Inc., the Missouri Department of Economic Development, Spire, Ameren, St. Louis County Workforce and the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment.
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PARTNER UPDATES
St. Louis Selected to Host the 2028 Olympic Marathon Trials
USA Track & Field and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced this week that St. Louis will host the 2028 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon on March 25, 2028, where six athletes – three men and three women – will earn spots on Team USA for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. This will be the first Olympic team selection event held for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games across all sports.
Organized by the St. Louis Sports Commission in partnership with GO! St. Louis, the event will celebrate the city’s rich Olympic legacy while showcasing the energy and evolution of modern St. Louis.
The course will take athletes through some of the city’s most iconic locations, including WashU — site of the 1904 Olympic stadium, the world’s oldest modern-day Olympic stadium still in active use — and Forest Park, the cultural heart of St. Louis. The route will also highlight iconic landmarks such as the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium before finishing inside Energizer Park, home of St. Louis CITY SC. The final course layout will be announced in the coming months.
The event will be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 11 a.m. CT.
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IN THE NEWS
St. Louis Business Journal: Howl Bean featured as General Counsel of the Year
KMOX-AM: Colleen Mulvihill discusses launch of STL Encore Connect
KMOV-TV: Darrell Scott talks about Triton Pointe project
Illinois Business Journal: Jeff Colona discusses new markets tax credits for Steel Works