2019 January Issue
O’Fallon’s ‘front door’ eyed as next generation of economic expansion
By DENNIS GRUBAUGH The terrain along Interstate 64, heading into O’Fallon from the east, could someday look quite different. Vast stretches of fertile farmland could give way to warehousing and logistical operations. People accustomed to heading into town for work may instead find jobs on the outskirts. A community visited by fortune unlike almost any…
Read MoreFairview Heights makes busy intersection safer
By DENNIS GRUBAUGH For years, drivers turning into the shopping centers across Illinois Route 159 from St. Clair Square in Fairview Heights played bumper cars as they tried to meander across several lanes of traffic to get to their destination. Now, the city has reduced the operator error factor from the motorists’ options. Several hundred…
Read MoreHealth industry insider now tows line for Medicare for All
By DENNIS GRUBAUGH The epiphany for Wendell Potter came in 2007 when he saw the reality of health care in America, the difference between the haves and the have-nots. After spending almost 20 years in health-care public relations and being paid to tout the industry line, he had become disheartened over the state of managed…
Read MoreQ&A with Tom Chulick, acting president and CEO, St. Louis Regional Chamber
IBJ: What is your professional background? Chulick: I was chairman and CEO of UMB bank for Saint Louis. I retired in February of 2017 but I flunked retirement. I was involved in some for-profit boards and some not-for-profit boards and was fairly busy with those things but I got a phone call last spring…
Read MoreHolland Construction Services logs $150 million in 2018 projects
By ALAN J. ORTBALS Holland Construction Services racked up about $150 million in projects last year with a focus on multifamily, senior living, K-12 education and medical services. For 2019, the company wants to continue to expand on its multi-family work while focusing more attention on warehouse/distribution clients, according to Scott Schanuel, senior director of…
Read MoreCarpenters help roll back law on Right to Work
By ALAN J. ORTBALS 2018 witnessed a resounding victory by labor over the Missouri Legislature’s effort to make the Show Me State Right to Work. Right to Work was one of the first bills signed into law by then-Gov. Eric Greitens last year. But union supporters hit the streets with petitions and gathered more than…
Read MoreNew Ameren Illinois HQ, FCB Banks operations center coming to Collinsville
By ALAN J. ORTBALS The past year saw the groundbreaking for Ameren Illinois’ new corporate headquarters in Eastport Plaza in Collinsville. Upon completion of the project later this year, the new 48,000-square-foot building will house 300 employees including some jobs that will be transferred to Collinsville from Ameren’s St. Louis headquarters. Also in 2018,…
Read MoreEdwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce moves closer to coveted national accreditation
The Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce is celebrating a successful 2018, proudly serving as the voice of Metro East businesses and striving toward organizational advancement. President and CEO Desiree Bennyhoff said the chamber continued its effort to advocate for business-friendly legislation, calling for local units of government to hold their respective tax levies…
Read MoreHSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital adds innovative technologies, new procedures
By ALAN J. ORTBALS 2018 was a dynamic year for HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, winning awards in quality and safety, expanding services and announcing a new radiation oncology clinic to be built this year. Recently, St. Elizabeth’s was nationally recognized for patient safety by earning an A rating in the Fall 2018…
Read MoreFairview Heights continues work on shopping areas big and small
By DENNIS GRUBAUGH The first part of a major streetscape, and other improvements, have Fairview Heights driving into the new year in fine fashion. State and local leaders gathered in November to mark the completion of the Phase I of Fairview Heights’ new cityscape project. The nearly $5 million project is designed to create a…
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