When Square co-founder Jim McKelvey went looking for role models, he found that entrepreneurs, unlike businessmen, are in short supply. In his new book, “The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time," McKelvey explores how people with big ideas and a lot of bravery can solve big problems and build new companies. In this conversation, McKelvey discusses his book with Sarah Fenske and shares his thoughts on how the coronavirus pandemic could change the status quo.
Host Sarah Fenske talks to Christina Weaver of The Women's Creative and Jordan Bauer of the Instagram account STLouisGram and St. Louis guide and coupon book Experience Booklet to discuss #314Together, a new group aimed to bring local business and customers together again.
Over the past few weeks, local sites of worship have had to recalibrate how they serve their congregations during a time when coming together can do more harm than good. So, many clergy have urged their members to practice their faith at home for the time being, and congregations are adapting to connecting virtually. In this conversation, Sarah Fenske talks with Rev. Matt Miofsky of the Gathering and Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation about how they are approaching at-home services for their congregations.
While we’ve taken a more active role in developing property over the last five years, development facilitation is in our genes. In the proceeding decades, the origins of our CDC was a one person operation with limited funding. Our neighborhood stabilization work relied heavily on marketing vacant and abandoned properties to reputable developers by highlighting market strengths, attractive housing stock, people/community and location. We also educated developers on the cost to construct, sales prices/comps, tax abatement opportunities, and the State and Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit programs. While our assets, income, and staff has grown significantly in the past 5 years, "we don't need to own every building on the block," our Board President, Janice Drake, often says. 3719 Bamberger was long vacant and owned by an out of state ‘investor.’ We offered our traditional assistance but the owner didn't do anything over several years. After being discouraged by the lack of progress, TGNCDC bought the property. By that time, the building was in disrepair and our board was tasked with deciding between demo of the property over safety concerns or investing in the building to stabilize it. They choose to invest. We rebuilt 60% of the front facade and added a TPO roof with a cost of over $20,000.
Once we completed the improvements, TGNCDC marketed the property to investors who have successful developments in the immediate area. Jeff Sutton, from Bloomsdale Investments, LLC, took on the project and promised a beautiful renovation. While the project took longer than he expected, he delivered! The building is two 2 bedroom units with beautiful finishes. He invested over $165,000 in the renovation, after the 35,000 we invested (purchase and improvements), and his son did some of the work himself.
Historic buildings are expensive to renovate, require skilled labor and experienced developers then take months to complete. 3719 Bamberger is a successful, in part, because of our initial investment and the real estate market in the area justifying the additional investment to complete the rehab. No tax abatement was used and no historic preservation tax credits were available in this part of the neighborhood. Rents will be in the $800-900 range per unit. Below are some photos of the property before and after. Thanks for reading.
TGNCDC Board President, Janice Drake and Developer Jeff Sutton
President Donald Trump has approved disaster declarations for Missouri and Illinois amid the coronavirus outbreak. The declarations come as St. Louis County reports a second COVID-19 death and amid an increased focus on the different approaches to the pandemic.
St. Louis Alderwoman Heather Navarro is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where the 28th Ward alderwoman talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Rachel Lippmann and Jason Rosenbaum on how the city of St. Louis is handling coronavirus.
Navarro represents portions of the Central West End, Skinker-Debaliviere, Hi-Pointe and Wydown Skinker neighborhoods. She was first elected to the Board of Aldermen in a 2017 special election to succeed Lyda Krewson, who represented the ward before she was elected mayor.
A homework assignment turned into cash and national recognition for some area high schoolers. Clayton High senior Lila Taylor and Kirkwood High junior Zach Baynham were both among the top winners in C-SPAN’s 2020 StudentCam competition. Taylor’s documentary looked at adult sentences for juveniles in the U.S. prison system, while Baynham explored the contributions of people with intellectual disabilities in the workforce. They join host Sarah Fenske to talk about their projects and what it was like putting together a documentary for the first time.
This time of year typically marks the start of wedding season, with venues, vendors and engaged couples all gearing up for major gatherings. Now, many such celebrations have been cancelled or postponed in light of the ongoing spread of COVID-19, and those working in the event industry are reeling. But when the upheaval of coronavirus eventually settles down — and even in the midst of it all, in some cases — St. Louis remains a great city in which to get hitched. Just ask Carolyn Burke, whose small business aims to make St. Louis a destination for elopement. With courthouses currently closed to nuptials, she’s found a workaround by bringing her officiant credentials and related services straight to wherever couples are located. In this segment, host Sarah Fenske talks with Burke as well as two other locals who have a track record of helping people think outside the box about weddings and other events: Stuart Keating, co-owner of Earthbound Beer; and Rachel McCalla, event director at Third Degree Glass Factory. The conversation touches on local impacts of COVID-19 but especially focused on the creative thinking that was already underway among some local venues and vendors — and may be more attractive than ever as couples look toward what’s next. It also includes comments from Stuart Hultgren and Sara Hasz, a local engaged couple who had planned to get married in early May in Tower Grove Park.
The COVID-19 Regional Response Fund was started two weeks ago to help non-profits hit hard by the novel coronavirus. With backing by the Community Foundation, the fund quickly garnered some major donations. The aim is to help nonprofits dealing with vulnerable populations. It wasn’t long after that a second fund was established, also in tandem with the Community Foundation. The Gateway Resilience Fund was created to help the restaurant and retail industries. Together, the two funds have already raised $1.4 million. In this episode, Sarah Fenske talks with Roo Yawitz, co-creator and advisor to the Gateway Resilience Fund.
The Food and Drug Administration is clearing Washington University researchers to test a possible new coronavirus disease treatment involving a blood transfusion process. It comes as St. Louis County's executive says the worst of the outbreak might not hit the region for weeks. The uncertainty has several couples in the area adjusting wedding plans because of restrictions on social gatherings.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page talks with St. Louis Public Radio's Julie O'Donoghue about his county's response to coronavirus. Page and O'Donoghue spoke remotely using the videoconferencing program Zoom.
Even before the outbreak of COVID-19 caused mass social distancing — keeping friends and family members apart for the sake of their health — many seniors felt isolated, particularly those living in nursing homes and assisted living communities. For those who were already lonely or isolated, things are likely to get worse in the months ahead, as caregivers find themselves overwhelmed and strained, and as social distancing recommendations continue. In this episode, we explore some things friends and family can do to make sure seniors are not only healthy, but also make sure they avoid falling into despair. We also highlight the Circle of Friends program that aims to connect seniors via weekly meetings. Circle of Friends is a collaboration between Community Health in Partnership (CHIPS) and the St. Louis Housing Authority.
How has the coronavirus upended the legal profession? What happens when your right to a speedy trial clashes with the government’s cancellation of jury trials? Can an employer require workers deemed non-essential to show up, or face termination? In this episode, Sarah Fenske talks with a panel of legal experts about a variety of issues, including those triggered by the new coronavirus.
The governors of Missouri and Illinois say budget projections in both states will not hold as the coronavirus drains the economy. Mike Parson says any revenue estimate for Missouri is now unrealistic and J.B. Pritzker says he'll work with the General Assembly to come up with a new budget for the new fiscal year. Also, a group of engineering students at Missouri S&T is producing masks for the hospital in Rolla.
We humans under stress, amazingly, recharge with a You-Can-Do. Especially when the DO gives us breaks from the stressors.
As our entire species copes at once with the impersonal power of non-living bits of protein to separate us in yet more ways, we are choosing to connect in unprecedented, healing ways. Healing for us, and for our super-stressed (by humans) planet.
ECO CHALLENGE is one of these connectors. Available via your preferred tech device for the entire month of April. Which includes the 50th Annual Earth Day, likely to be festival-free.
There’s no time quite like the present for escaping into someone else’s story for a bit, and even in the technology-crazed 21st century, the written word is still the go-to medium for doing so. Books have a distinctive way of engaging hearts and minds for hours on end, providing everything from comfort and knowledge to intrigue and comic relief. And in the St. Louis region, our local booksellers, librarians and authors are great resources for recommendations of what to read — specifically some top picks for a pandemic. In this segment, LuAnn Locke, owner of Afterwords Books in Edwardsville, Illinois, and Jen Ohzourk, regional manager with St. Louis Public Library, talkwith host Sarah Fenske and fielded listener request and suggestions, too. The conversation also touches on how local bookstores are finding creative ways to continue connecting their customers to great reads and how book lovers can take steps to support those independent retailers.
One month ago, Luz Maria Henriquez began a new job as executive director of the ACLU of Missouri. And the weeks since have made clear there will be no easing into things. The nation is now in an unprecedented period of economic shutdown and enforced social distancing, even as healthcare workers grapple with a terrifying pandemic. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with Henriquez about what she sees as the ACLU’s role during these troubled times. In the last week alone, that’s meant advocating for prisoners and voting rights.
Health officials in St. Louis city and St. Charles County have announced the first COVID-19 deaths in those areas. The announcements come as Harvard University researchers say hospitals in the region probably won't have enough beds to treat all the coronavirus patients who will need care.
Many aspects of everyday life and commerce are grinding to a halt in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the online world remains as frenetic as ever. And while virtual tools and social media platforms provide much-needed connections in these isolating times, they’ve also made it easy for harmful misinformation to spread almost as fast as the coronavirus itself. In this episode of the talk show, we work to combat some of these fake facts. Host Sarah Fenske talks with Michael Kinch, the director of Washington University’s Centers for Research Innovation in Biotechnology and Drug Discovery, and he fields lots of listener calls in addition to Fenske's questions.
Documentarian Ken Burns’ latest work, “East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story,” explores the history of a former public housing community in Atlanta. It features the stories of residents and raises critical questions about race, poverty and public assistance. The film premieres Tuesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. on PBS. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with Burns about the film. She also gets his take on the current health crisis posed by COVID-19 and the value of looking back at history to inform us in these uncertain times.
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