March April Publisher's Letter

Written by Craig Kaminer, Publisher

There are so many terrible things that have happened during the pandemic. It may take 10 years to rebuild what was lost, from small businesses and our burgeoning culinary scene to the shuttering of media outlets and the loss of thousands of our family and friends. But from my point of view perhaps some good may come from this otherwise awful time. If it weren’t for the pandemic, some of our kids would not have left dense urban centers like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Miami and moved back to St. Louis -- if only to socially distance with their families. But while here, saw what is possible, started new remote businesses, and decided that St. Louis is now a city of hope and opportunity.

With a new generation of economic developers all on the same team, billions of dollars of investment along the Interstate 64 corridor and North County, and new building projects all around town, hope seems to have set sights on St. Louis. And national pundits agree. Old leadership making way for a younger, progressive and passionate group of people who grew up here, went to school here, or are just now realizing our opportunities for entrepreneurship, has galvanized the restless, bold, and optimistic citizens of the city.

When walking the streets of my hometown of New York City, I am always reminded of what I cannot do or afford...no matter how much I think I have. To those with an abundance of ideas, the barriers to entry are enormous and the risk of failure is great. While the upside in St. Louis may not appear to be as great as succeeding in NYC, the ability to innovate, launch, grow, and thrive in St. Louis is the balance many people -- especially younger people -- are seeking in a post-pandemic America.

Our March/April issue is dedicated to a renewed hope in St. Louis, the era of entrepreneurship in our fair city, and the people committed to making our future better not only for their personal and financial benefits, but for the purpose of creating a greater future for the next generation of St. Louisans. 

Coming soon, you’ll find stories about Jason Hall and Val Patton, the new heads of Greater St. Louis, Inc., who are charged with bringing together the region for economic growth. What was once a group of self-absorbed development organizations is now one, merged together with a singular vision. Steve and Will Smith, the father and son dynamic duo, have leveraged the success of The Lawrence Group Architects into a vertically integrated developer of new neighborhoods like City Foundry. And, we interviewed billionaire Jim McKelvey, who continues to spend time here, invest in projects like Third Degree Glass Factory and MADE, and is relocating his payment processing company, Square®, to the former St. Louis Post-Dispatch building downtown. This will usher in a new FinTech boom just a stone’s throw from a number of other exciting growth projects, incubators, and accelerators.

Despite the craziness of the pandemic, there has never been a more exciting and hopeful entrepreneurial time in St. Louis. Virtually everyone I know in their 20s, 30s and yes 40s is working on their big idea or their side hustle with the result that St. Louis is looking more attractive every day. And slowly but surely the infrastructure, power structures,and indifferent leadership which held us back for so long is changing, improving social equity, attracting talent and realizing our opportunity is now...or perhaps never.

Start something, invest in someone who is, and wear your civic pride on your sleeve. Focus on what’s great, make it better and help usher in our “Roaring 20s!”  A greater St. Louis is within our reach.

Craig Kaminer is the publisher of Sophisticated Living. To reach him, email craig@slmag.net. Photo by Lou Bopp.

Check out the full digital issue of Sophisticated Living’s March/April issue right here.