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Message ANNUAL REPORT2024edcscc.com
Message from the President & CEOScott J. DrachnikWelcome to our 2024 Annual Report! This year hasbeen full of exciting progress for both the EDC andthe St. Charles County community. Here are a few ofour favorite highlights from 2024, bothorganizationally and across the community. Thankyou for your continued support as we drive economicgrowth and create new opportunities together.1CSI Leasing, one of the world’s largest independent equipment leasing companies, cutthe ribbon on its new global headquarters in St. Charles County.2St. Charles County-based MEMC was awarded part of $406 million in federal funding tosupport capital investment at its O'Fallon manufacturing facility.3Mercy announced a $650 million project to construct a state-of-the-art hospital inWentzville.4Texas-based ice cream favorite Blue Bell Creameries opened a 16,000-square-footdistribution center in St. Peters. 9Daniel Chaplin became the first person with Down Syndrome to run a half marathon inall 50 states at this year’s MO’ Cowbell Run presented by the EDC.7The Randy Schilling STEM Educators Grant, an EDC public policy initiative, awarded 11 St. Charles County educators a total of $20,000 for STEM classroom materials.8The public school districts in St. Charles County joined forces to create a YouthApprenticeship Accelerator. 5SSM Health opened a 66,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art outpatient center in O'Fallon, withprimary, urgent, and specialty care for all ages—the first of its kind in the St. Louis region.10Confluence Tech Hub was awarded part of a $1.3 million Missouri TechnologyCorporation grant to further its mission of bringing AI talent to St. Charles County.6SINC Thermal, a leading industrial furnace and oven manufacturer, opened a 15,000-square-foot facility in O’Fallon, creating jobs and investing $4 million in equipment.
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Business Attraction, Retention, & ExpansionBusiness FinancingBusiness IncubationBusiness CounselingCommunity MarketingPublic PolicyThe EDC is committed to its missionof being a catalyst fostering growthand success in St. Charles Countyand metro St. Louis. MissionThrough its six core services, theEDC supports business growth,job creation, and a strong taxbase to sustain and improve thequality of life enjoyed in this partof the St. Louis region.Core Services
504 Loan RevenueIncubator Lease RevenueMO’ CowbellGovernmental ContractsSponsorships/Misc.GrantsIn 2024, the EDC maintained its core services with a total operating budget of $2.76 million,funded by six primary revenue streams. Budgeted Revenues27%Governmental Partners35%17%10%6%5%
The EDC organizes a monthly EconomicDevelopment Roundtable, bringing togetherlocal leaders, economic developers, utilityproviders, Chambers of Commerce, and otherkey stakeholders. About half of these meetings are held off-siteto honor growing organizations drivingeconomic growth. In 2024, eight companieswere recognized for their achievements(pictured top and right).HonoringOrganizationsDrivingEconomicGrowth
InvestmentThe communities of St. Charles County are consistentlyincluded on Money Magazine’s list of the 100 Best Places toLive in the U.S. Quality of PlaceGrowthSt. Charles County has been Missouri's fastest-growing countyfor over 30 years. It accounts for nearly 40% of new single-familyhomes in the St. Louis metro and over 40% of the region's jobgrowth in the past decade.TalentWith growth comes talent availability, a key consideration forcompanies considering growth or expansion. Additionally, theCounty’s location within the St. Louis metro area providesaccess to an additional workforce population of over 1 million. St. Charles County is home to the largest private investment inMissouri history, GM’s $1.5 billion investment in its WentzvilleAssembly Plant. In 2024 alone, the County was home to 6.8million square feet of major development projects.The EDC aggressively promotes St. Charles County developmentopportunities to site location consultantsand corporate decision-makers byhighlighting four key metrics.BusinessAttraction
BusinessAttraction Leads by SectorIn 2024, we collaborated with theRoundtable and other stakeholderson 76 business attraction leads.Manufacturing accounted for themajority of the leads for the thirdconsecutive year. Of those leads, 40% weregenerated in-house by the EDC,with the rest referred by othereconomic developmentorganizations and communitypartners.0 10 20 30 40 50ManufacturingWarehouse/LogisticsITUndisclosed/OtherService SectorSpecial Use (Tourism)AutomotiveAgribusinessOfficeAerospace & DefenseEntrepreneurship481187321211152
City of O’Fallon$4M investment10+ jobsCity of St. Charles$25M investment60 jobsUnincorporated St. Charles County$11M investment70 jobsCity of Weldon Spring138,000-square-foot office210 jobs2024 Project Wins
$4.4MSBA 7a referrals tolocal banks in 2024The EDC’s on-site SBDC Small Business Counselor supportsentrepreneurs at all stages, from startup to successionplanning, by providing personalized guidance andcomplimentary access to a full suite of SBDC services.A key component of this support is helping small businessestackle the often complex process of securing funding. TheEDC specializes in capitalization and funding assistance,guiding clients in exploring financing options and obtainingloans from local banks.LeveragingPartnerships to Empower Small BusinessesFor over 20 years, the EDC haspartnered with the MissouriSmall Business DevelopmentCenter (SBDC) to host an on-site Business Counselor,providing invaluable supportto local entrepreneurs.The SBDC is a collaborativeinitiative between the U.S.Small BusinessAdministration and theUniversity of MissouriExtension.Small BusinessCounseling
*The Industrial Development Authority of St. Charles County, managed by the EDC,helps local organizations access tax-exemptbond financing for qualified projects.40+years experience 240+Organizationsimpacted$1B+in financing issued1,000+jobs createdor retainedThe SBA 504 program promotes economicdevelopment and job creation by providing smallbusinesses with affordable, fixed-rate financingfor major assets like real estate and equipment.The EDC has long been one of the largestproviders of this program in the St. Louis region.$19.8MInvestment(all regions)103 Jobs created(all regions) $10.8MInvestment(St. Charles County)57jobs created(St. Charles County)12Companies served(all regions)7Companies served(St. Charles County)SBA 504Loan ProgramLifetime ImpactFinancingBusinessGrowth*Wentzville: 4; Cottleville: 1; Foristell: 1; Unincorporated County: 1The EDC offers two in-house programs designed to makeaccessing capital easier for small business owners andorganizations. These programs are tailored to help businessesand organizations grow, invest, and thrive in our community.Industrial DevelopmentAuthority
After just 14 months, 4D Property Solutionsoutgrew the EDC incubator andcelebrated the grand opening of astunning new location in O'Fallon. 2024 Incubation by the NumbersThe Seny Collection, one of the EDC's newestsmall incubator tenants, offers luxuryjewelry, clothing, and home itemshandmade by female African artisans. Theincubator’s wraparound tenant support hasallowed the company to expand from oneoffice space to two. 2024 IncubatorTenant SpotlightSmallBusinessIncubation2024 IncubatorGraduate Spotlight5NewTenants5TenantExpansions3TenantGraduations99%AverageOccupancy
Each year, the EDC hosts numerous community events to advancelocal and regional economic development initiatives. Highlightsinclude the Economic Development Awards Luncheon, the STEMAwards Breakfast celebrating exceptional high school students, andan annual holiday networking event.In 2024, the EDC continued to work with local entrepreneur RandySchilling and other sponsors to award STEM classroom grants to St.Charles County educators.CommunityEngagementTotal 2024 Event Attendees(excluding the MO’ Cowbell Run)1,000+Total STEM grantimpact 2021-2024$46,000
Total Runners5,407States 40+Countries4The MO’ Cowbell Run is one of the EDC’s key publicpolicy initiatives, attracting thousands of runnersand spectators from across the globe to ourcommunity each year for a weekend dedicated tohealth and fitness.The event enjoyed a banner year in 2024,welcoming a record 5,407 runners and an estimated20,000 spectators to St. Charles County. A standout moment from 2024's race was Alabama-based athlete Daniel Chaplin setting a GuinnessWorld Record by becoming the first person withDown Syndrome to run a half marathon in all 50states, with MO’ Cowbell being his final stop. A Year for the Record BooksWorld Record1
Telling Our StoryThis year, the EDC embraced video to reach target audiences in a morevisual way.We used testimonial videos of local manufacturers to tell a story abouthow innovation and craftsmanship come together here to drive progress. We used drone photography to highlight competitive sites and buildingavailability throughout St. Charles County. I - 7 0 C O R R I D O RO V E R V I E WH I G H - T E C H C O R R I D O RO V E R V I E WH W Y 3 7 0 C O R R I D O RO V E R V I E WMultiple contiguous parcels availableAdjacent to MasterCard's campus
957KTotalImpressions380KTotalReach17.5KTotalPost Clicks8.3KTotalFollowersAmplifying the MessageBy the Numbers: 2024 Social ReachThe EDC’s marketing and communications effortscontribute to the promotion of all EDC services,including the MO’ Cowbell Run. These efforts alsohighlight St. Charles County’s accolades anddevelopment opportunities, engaging corporatedecision-makers through a dynamic mix of earnedmedia, social media (organic and paid), emailcampaigns, and direct outreach strategies.Project HighlightThis year, in-house collateral materials were refreshed toincorporate new program regulations and to align withcurrent EDC brand standards.16
With excellent transportationassets, a strong manufacturingpresence, robust populationgrowth, diverse natural resources,and effective public and privateleadership, St. Charles County hasa wealth of amenities that make itan ideal location for investment.Jay GarnerPresident and FounderGarner EconomicsLooking to 2025:Strategic Plan ImplementationIn 2024, the EDC collaboratedwith Garner Economics todevelop a groundbreaking five-year Strategic EconomicDevelopment Resiliency Plan forSt. Charles County. Following six months of in-depthresearch, data analysis,community visits, andstakeholder engagement, GarnerEconomics presented its findings.We are excited to beginimplementing these insights in2025, paving the way for astronger and more resilienteconomic future for St. CharlesCounty.A grant from the U.S. EconomicDevelopment Administrationfunded the study, along withmatching funds from the EDC.17
E D C B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R SP A R T N E R S F O RC O M M U N I T YP R O G R E S S SI N D U S T R I A LD E V E L O P M E N TA U T H O R I T Y5 0 4 L O A NC O M M I T T E EF I N A N C E & A U D I TC O M M I T T E EG O V E R N A N C E & P E R S O N N E LC O M M I T T E EF A C I L I T I E SC O M M I T T E ES T E ME D U C A T I O NC O M M I T T E ES T R A T E G I CI N I T I A T I V E SC O M M I T T E EM A R K E T I N GC O M M I T T E ES P E C I A L P R O J E C T SC O M M I T T E EE C O N O M I CD E V E L O P M E N TR O U N D T A B L EE X E C U T I V EC O M M I T T E EOrganizational Structure& 2024 Board of Directors* M e m b e r s w h o s e t e r m s b e g a n i n D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 4* * P a r t i a l t e r m s e r v e d i n 2 0 2 42024 EDC Board Executive CommitteeChair: Dan Fitter, Quest Specialty ProductsVice Chair: Ken Gumper, Enterprise Bank & TrustImmediate Past Chair: Keith Schneider,Schneider Commercial PartnersTreasurer: Tom Dempsey, First Capitol AdvisorsSecretary: Michael Snowden, City of O’FallonLuanne Cundiff: First State Bank of St. CharlesLarry Dobrosky: City of St. CharlesJohn Greifzu: St. Charles County GovernmentDr. Barbara Kavalier: St. Charles CommunityCollegeBill Malach: City of St. PetersMark Seyer: Seyer Industries2024 EDC Board of DirectorsJulie Bartch: IDAJennifer Bonacorsi: jBloomDan Brice: IDA*Jake Brooks: SSM Health St. Joseph HospitalGina Calder: Barnes Jewish St. Peters Hospitaland Progress West Hospital**Karla Chaney: MEMCJim Curran: Curran Strategic PartnershipsDr. Bernard DuBray: IDA*George Ertle: City of Lake Saint LouisDiana Forbes: General Motors WentzvilleNorma (Boozer) Harris: US BankTom Kuhn: IDADoug Lee: City of WentzvilleSean Mullins: World Trade Center STLMichael Padella: City of CottlevilleDr. John Porter: Lindenwood UniversityCathy Pratt: City of Dardenne Prairie*Tony Rothermich: Mercy*Dennis Sargent: City of Flint HillDonald Stolberg: City of Weldon SpringShawn Vickers: New Frontier BankDavid Zucker: IDA**
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