Letter from our CEO & President, Rodney Crim  

We're Ready to Take Action 

I, like many of you, are grieving over the injustices that still exist and the impact of inequality. In addition to the ongoing senseless killings, we are also dealing with the unknown future of the impact of COVID-19 and its impact on our communities of color.

From my experiences living in Chicago, Minneapolis and now St. Louis, I have learned that we must listen to the voices of all our people, young and old, of all ethnic groups, take sustainable actions, urgently work together to end systemic racism, and build an equitable and inclusive world for everyone.

To that end, I contemplated on what we are doing at the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. The Partnership is comprised of creative, committed, and passionate people of all ages with the energy to impact sustainable changes. I wanted to hear and include their voices. Their comments have included outrage, recognition of systemic racism, hurt, anger, empathy, appreciation of the global Black Lives Matter movement, need for urgency, hope, resilience and a commitment to do more. 

To read the letter in full, please click here.