Healthy metro economies run on strong industries, and Metro St. Louis sits at the intersection of several powerful advanced industry clusters. Some — such as bioscience and advanced manufacturing — have been strongholds for some time. Others — such as geospatial/location sciences, fintech and agtech — are rapidly emerging. These industries are driving innovation within and across sectors, enabling company growth, creating quality jobs, and inspiring startup activity.
With a focus on broad-based prosperity, Greater St. Louis, Inc. provides leadership and stewardship to support the rapid growth of these high-reward industries while ensuring that historically underrepresented and economically disinvested communities throughout the metro have access to the opportunities that result.
Strategy Guides Our Work
Strategic planning is necessary to encouraging innovation. Greater St. Louis, Inc., is a shepherd of the STL 2030 Jobs Plan, a 10-year roadmap unifying our region around common goals and actionable strategies to guide inclusive economic growth. The plan builds upon the region’s existing strengths to establish St. Louis as a global leader and model for growth in industries like advanced manufacturing, bioscience and health innovation, and digital transformation.
Encouraging innovation is an integral part of other regional plans in which Greater St. Louis, Inc. plays a key role, these include the GeoFutures Strategic Roadmap, a plan to strengthen the St. Louis metro’s position as the geospatial center of excellence over the next 10 years, and Design Downtown STL, a 10-year plan restoring the core of the metro over the coming decade, among others.
Focused Collaboration Turns Ideas into Action
As a business-led intermediary, the Greater St. Louis, Inc. team and our actively engaged investors collaborate and co-create with local government leaders, nonprofits, stakeholders, and other organizations to catalyze prescribed actions that grow our innovation economy. Our specific areas of focus related to the advancement of our tech industries include:
- Promoting investment in existing and emergent innovation districts and centers of excellence to advance next-generation industries and technologies
- Attracting new businesses to the region that contribute to and benefit from the collaboration, innovation, and startup activity occurring across a broad range of our cutting-edge sectors
- Helping to establish industry-led workforce collaboratives that connect P-16 education and training to the needs of our tech industry sectors
- Advocating for pro-growth public policy that promotes entrepreneurship and technology-based innovation
- Organizing anchor institutions and large employers to maximize their impact on the metro economy by buying, hiring, and investing locally and inclusively
- Increasing awareness and elevating the national reputation of the region’s advanced industry clusters