The Arch City Report

Missouri politics underwent a seismic shift on Election Day. Democrat Fred Wellman ousted 14-year incumbent Rep. Ann Wagner in the 2nd Congressional District — a seat Republicans held since 1992. Democrats flipped 16 GOP-held seats in the Missouri House, breaking the Republican two-thirds supermajority for the first time since 2012. Voters rejected a Republican-backed congressional map and Amendment 3, preserving abortion rights protections approved in 2024. And they approved Amendment 6, making it far harder for the legislature to overturn voter-approved ballot initiatives.

This week, Business Journal reporter Jacob Kirn sits down with Dave Drebes — Business Journal columnist and publisher of Missouri Scout — to break down what happened, why it happened, and what it means for the balance of power in Jefferson City, the future of the Missouri GOP, Governor Mike Kehoe's agenda, and the business community's playbook on ballot initiatives going forward.

St. Louis-based World Wide Technology has grown into a $25 billion technology powerhouse, and its long-standing partnership with Nvidia is helping position the company at the center of the artificial intelligence boom.

In this episode of Arch City Report, St. Louis Business Journal Editor Erik Siemers talks with reporter Nathan Rubbelke about his recent conversation with World Wide Technology CEO Jim Kavanaugh. They explore how a $500 million investment in AI helped strengthen the company's relationship with Nvidia, the connection between Kavanaugh and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and why demand for AI technology is fueling significant growth.

The conversation also examines World Wide Technology's ambitious hiring plans, its $1.3 billion acquisition of Softchoice, and what could be next as the company expands its reach in the rapidly evolving AI market.

Show Links:

How World Wide Technology Became a Key Partner to Nvidia Amid the AI Boom | St. Louis Business Journal

Arch City Report is presented by the St. Louis Business Journal, with support from Maryville University and Cass Commercial Bank.

Brentwood, Missouri's $436 million "Brentwood Bound" redevelopment along Manchester Road is moving full steam ahead — but not without controversy. This week, we unpack three major stories shaping the future of this small St. Louis County suburb.

First, the Brentwood Board of Aldermen has approved a $15 million, four-story Extra Space Storage facility at Manchester Road — a 106,992-square-foot mixed-use building with ground-floor retail, signaling the corridor's transformation is well underway.

Meanwhile, 179 to 200 new apartments are advancing as part of the same Brentwood Bound project. Developer Halo Real Estate is purchasing city-owned properties for $1 million and seeking a Chapter 100 tax abatement deal — 75% property tax abatement for the first 10 years, 50% for the next 10 — plus a sales tax exemption on construction materials. While city officials say the apartments were always part of the plan, some residents pushed back, citing a past community survey that opposed apartment complexes.

But hanging over all of it is a legal battle that could determine whether the city can force reluctant property owners to sell. Three small businesses — including a family fly-fishing shop and a meal-prep business with 25 employees — are appealing a 2025 trial court loss challenging Brentwood's "blighted" designation, which clears the path for eminent domain. The Missouri Eastern Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in September 2026, and the Institute for Justice, representing the businesses pro bono, argues the blight finding is "arbitrary" and that eminent domain is being weaponized for economic development — not true blight. A ruling is expected in the coming months, and the case could land before the Missouri Supreme Court.

We break down what's at stake: the businesses fighting to stay, the city's vision for a revitalized corridor, and what this means for property rights in Missouri and beyond.

Show links:

- "Extra Space Storage facility approved for Brentwood's Manchester corridor" — St. Louis Business Journal (Oct 16, 2026)

- "Apartments advance for $436M Brentwood Bound project" — St. Louis Business Journal (Oct 15, 2026)

- "Brentwood businesses appeal blighted designation in eminent domain fight" — St. Louis Business Journal (Sep 22, 2026)

St. Louis is rebuilding its international air connections — one flight at a time.

Icelandair's new nonstop service to Reykjavik gives Lambert Airport its third European destination, joining Lufthansa's Frankfurt route and British Airways' London service, which recently announced an 80% capacity increase. The momentum raises a big question: is St. Louis on its way back to the international standing it enjoyed under TWA?

In this episode, Jacob Kirn sits down with Kevin O'Malley, former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland and chair of the St. Louis County Port Authority, the agency that has helped fund and negotiate these new international routes. They discuss how the Icelandair deal came together, the airline's interline agreement with Southwest, why load factors have exceeded expectations, how the Port Authority's casino lease payments subsidize air service, and what comes next — from potential Canadian service to the multi-billion-dollar airport redevelopment.

SHOW LINKS:

• Icelandair to debut Lambert–Reykjavik service
• British Airways expands St. Louis–London flights
• A Canadian city flight from St. Louis may be possible
• Lambert stays near bottom in passenger satisfaction

Sponsored by:

• Maryville University — one of the fastest-growing private universities in the U.S., offering 90+ degrees on campus and online.
• Cass Commercial Bank — business banking serving privately held companies, nonprofits, and institutions since 1906.

Twenty-five years ago, the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District was one point away from losing its state accreditation. Today, it posts the highest performance score of any district in Missouri — and home values in Maplewood have surged nearly 80% (adjusted for inflation) over that same period.

This week, host Erik Siemers is joined by St. Louis Business Journal reporter Kate Marijolovic to unpack how a district once written off as failing became the region's top performer. The turnaround wasn't a single dramatic move — it was years of methodical change driven by Superintendent Dr. Linda Henke, from rewriting curriculum and raising teaching standards to rebuilding community pride through sports, arts, and civic engagement. But the story doesn't end at the classroom door. Realtors say the school district is now the single biggest draw for young families moving to Maplewood, where homes routinely sell in under a week.

Erik and Kate explore what this means for St. Louis Public Schools, which enrolls nearly 10 times as many students and is navigating its own facilities crisis through the "Future Ready SLPS" plan. Could a Maplewood-style cultural shift take root in a large urban district — and would it be enough to reverse the region's demographic decline?

Read more: Find Kate Marijolovic's reporting at bizjournals.com/stlouis, or tap the links in the show notes.

This episode is supported by Maryville University and Cass Commercial Bank.

Katie Lee is the owner of Katie's Pizza & Pasta — a St. Louis food empire spanning four restaurants, a frozen pizza manufacturing facility, and an e-commerce business employing around 500 people. Now she's also a published author.

Her new memoir, *Unemployable: The Katie Lee Story*, traces a turbulent childhood, battles with addiction and sobriety, and the unlikely rise of one of St. Louis's most relentless entrepreneurs. The title comes from a phrase her father, Tom Lee, used to describe them both — and Katie flipped it into a badge of honor.

In this episode, Katie sits down with host Venita Rizvic, special sections editor at the St. Louis Business Journal, to discuss:

- Why she wrote the book as a way to mourn her father and her close friend Rolando

- The tough-love lessons from her father that shaped her entrepreneurial grit

- Writing and self-publishing the memoir in 30 days to meet a Target deadline

- The Target partnership that grew her CPG line from 500 to 7,500 doors in one year

- Balancing single motherhood with a rapidly expanding business

- What's next: a new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, a documentary, and more

*Unemployable* is available now at Target stores nationwide, on Amazon, and at katies.com. Independent bookstore distribution begins November 1st.

The Arch City Report is presented by the St. Louis Business Journal, with supporting sponsors Maryville University and Cass Commercial Bank.

After 1,700 police calls over a decade, the Mark Twain Hotel is finally closed. The settlement reached by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway with the hotel's owner marked a major early win for Downtown Forward, a nonprofit launched this spring to tackle problem properties and improve quality of life in downtown St. Louis.

Erik sits down with attorney Jerry Schlichter — co-founder of Schlichter Bogard and co-founder of Downtown Forward — to discuss how the Mark Twain closure came together, the relocation of 168 residents through partnerships with the city and Peter & Paul Community Services, and the problem properties and street-level drug activity still facing the area around the Old Post Office and Schnucks Culinaria. Schlichter also shares his decades-long commitment to the urban core, his role in championing the state historic tax credit, and why his firm has never left downtown.

This episode of the Arch City Report is brought to you by Maryville University and Cass Commercial Bank.

SHOW LINKS:

Mark Twain Hotel owner agrees to settlement over hazardous conditions, criminal activity

Missouri attorney general targets Mark Twain Hotel over alleged drug trafficking

Nonprofits highlight efforts to rehouse Mark Twain Hotel residents

When a new presidential administration takes office, policy shifts can ripple through the business world in unexpected ways. This week, reporter Jim Drew joins the show to share the story of Chrysalis Biosciences — a company that, at the start of 2024, was poised to transform a shuttered ethanol plant in Sauget, Illinois into a production facility for renewable jet fuel. With a landmark investment from a $200 million sustainable aviation fuel fund led by Airbus, the future looked bright.

But after Donald Trump returned to the White House, the Biden-era support for sustainable fuels evaporated, investors lost interest, and Chrysalis was forced to pivot. Erik and Jim break down how changes to federal tax credits, carbon intensity scoring, and the Inflation Reduction Act reshaped the playing field — not just for Chrysalis, but for ethanol producers nationwide. Plus, we explore the company's next chapter: a two-part strategy to restart conventional ethanol production while building new fermentation technology to manufacture biopolymers and surfactants, potentially adding 100 jobs to the Metro East economy.

Then, events director Dana Dhom stops by to preview the St. Louis Business Journal's upcoming events, including the Fast 50 Awards on September 24th at City Winery and the 40 Under 40 Awards on November 5th at FanDuel Sports Live in Ballpark Village — plus a look ahead at upcoming panel discussions on the city-county merger question and the future of downtown St. Louis.

Read Jim Drew's full reporting on Chrysalis Biosciences at bizjournals.com/stlouis.

See the full SBJ events calendar here

rban Chestnut Brewing was one of St. Louis's most beloved craft beer brands — until debt, the pandemic, and shifting consumer trends drove it into bankruptcy. Entrepreneur Brian Travers, who acquired the brewery in early 2025, joins host Erik Siemers to discuss how he's steering it toward stability.

Topics covered:

- How his years as an Urban Chestnut regular during COVID led him to acquire the company out of bankruptcy

- Why he kept the original leadership team, including CEO Dave Wolf, largely intact

- Acquiring O'Fallon Brewing and other regional beer brands to build a larger beverage platform

- Urban Chestnut's expansion beyond German-style lagers with the new Squirrel Works hazy IPA line

- Plans to grow into ready-to-drink cocktails and other beverage categories

- Why brand strength and consolidation, not category growth, will define craft beer's next era

- New locations, including the O'Fallon, Illinois food hall, and wholesale expansion into Tennessee and Chicago

This episode is brought to you by Maryville University and Cass Commercial Bank.

Read more about Urban Chestnut's growth strategy:

Former MLB base factory reopens as food hall near Illinois youth sports complex

What does it take to transform a neighborhood and, ultimately, a city? In this special Arch City Report episode, we share highlights from a live panel featuring Build-A-Bear founder Maxine Clark, WashU executive Brian Phillips and East Loop CID leader Samantha Smugala. Hear the stories behind Delmar Divine, The Grove and the Delmar Loop, plus a candid discussion on whether St. Louis can follow Detroit’s comeback blueprint and what real placemaking success requires.