^ I think Brown Shoe will stay, but working with HOK and U.S.E. doesn't indicate to me that they're staying - both companies work in many places.
That is not what I suggested. Reread what I wrote. I suggested that anything is possible.Grover wrote:^ I think Brown Shoe will stay, but working with HOK and U.S.E. doesn't indicate to me that they're staying - both companies work in many places.
Yes, both firms do work in other places. However, Brown is trying to get a similar deal to Centene's. Centene landed its deal with the help of U.S. Equities of Chicago - which is a developer and real estate consultancy firm.
USE certainly could have had Centene bolt for another city; and USE could do the same with Brown if local negotiations turn sour for their client. But I am confident USE's abilities to negotiate and consult for their client (Centene) helped seal the deal between the city and Centene allowing Centene to stay in the region, which is why Brown has hired the same team, as alluded to in the St. Louis Business Journal.
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^ No problem, I was responding specifically to this:
No big deal, and I see you point.
I doubt Brown would have hired HOK (a St. Louis-based architectural firm) and U.S. Equities of Chicago (a firm that seems to be planting roots in St. Louis) to help in their new HQs endeavor if they really planned to bolt.
No big deal, and I see you point.
Grover, you left out the disclaimer,
Also, the point you responded to in no way suggested that Brown's hiring of HOK and USE automatically meant they were staying put as you suggested.
Point was, if Brown had immediate intentions to bolt St. Louis, why would they have hired the same team which got Centene impressive results? I think Brown intends to stay, but apparently Brown wants the same tax breaks etc. as Centene. If they do not get it, they might bolt.
"While anything could happen - a move to Dallas or Madison - I doubt Brown would have hired HOK (a St. Louis-based architectural firm) and U.S. Equities of Chicago (a firm that seems to be planting roots in St. Louis) to help in their new HQs endeavor if they really planned to bolt."
Also, the point you responded to in no way suggested that Brown's hiring of HOK and USE automatically meant they were staying put as you suggested.
Point was, if Brown had immediate intentions to bolt St. Louis, why would they have hired the same team which got Centene impressive results? I think Brown intends to stay, but apparently Brown wants the same tax breaks etc. as Centene. If they do not get it, they might bolt.
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While the Centene headquarters remains unresolved, Brown Shoe also is exploring its options. The company is considering whether to expand at its current headquarters site in the 8000 block of Maryland Avenue in Clayton, to move elsewhere in the St. Louis region, or to move out of state. Brown Shoe, which has about 600 corporate employees in Clayton, has scouted real estate in both Dallas and Madison, Wis. A spokesperson from Brown, Dorothy Bell, said no updates were available on the headquarters project. "We don't have anything new to report," she said.
Bob Clark, chairman and CEO of Clayco, the development and construction firm hired by Brown Shoe to oversee its new headquarters facility in partnership with U.S. Equities Realty of Chicago, said he expects a decision to be made within weeks.
http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/ ... ocus5.html
Is that an error? Did they mean Centene? I haven't seen it mentioned before that Brown Shoe has hired Clayco.Moorlander wrote:Bob Clark, chairman and CEO of Clayco, the development and construction firm hired by Brown Shoe to oversee its new headquarters facility in partnership with U.S. Equities Realty of Chicago, said he expects a decision to be made within weeks.
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Brown Shoe to stay in Clayton
By Gail Appleson
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/10/2008 12:00:00 AM
Brown Shoe Co. is staying in Clayton and moving its Famous Footwear chain here from Madison, Wis. to create an expanded headquarters.
The company's decision puts to rest speculation that it might leave the St. Louis area.
All of the approximately 270 Madison-based employees will be offered jobs and relocation assistance. The relocation is expected to begin during the second quarter and be substantially completed by the end of the third quarter.
Brown said its growth plan anticipates relocating or creating 500-700 new jobs in the community over the next several years.
"It is our first choice to redevelop our Clayton site into a world-class mixed use development anchored by the future Brown Shoe and Famous Footwear corporate headquarters," Ronald Fromm, chief executive and chairman, said in a statement. "Our ability to do this will be contingent upon us working with state and local governments on the planning and approval processes associated with a development of this type. Ultimately, decisions about our physical space will be driven by what is right for our customers, employees, shareholders and the community."
Brown Shoe owns a 12-acre property in Clayton that houses its current headquarters and two adjacent office buildings.
Famous Footwear is a value-priced family shoe store chain with about 1,074 stores in 50 states. It has been in Madison since 1960, when it opened its first store as Neils Factory Outlet Shoes in the city. In the mid-1970s, the company renamed the stores Famous Footwear. Brown Shoe bought the company in 1981.
"As part of the strategic earnings enhancement plan we announced in 2006, we determined that creating one greatly connected footwear company is the right thing to do for our business, said Fromm in a statement. "We believe it will further enable us to attain our goal of doubling our rate of profitability while doubling our sales."
In January, Famous Footwear employees received information about relocation procedures, severance packages and other answers to questions that employees might have about the company's intention to consolidate all of its divisions into one location, WISC-TV in Madison reported.
SOURCE
By Gail Appleson
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/10/2008 12:00:00 AM
Brown Shoe Co. is staying in Clayton and moving its Famous Footwear chain here from Madison, Wis. to create an expanded headquarters.
The company's decision puts to rest speculation that it might leave the St. Louis area.
All of the approximately 270 Madison-based employees will be offered jobs and relocation assistance. The relocation is expected to begin during the second quarter and be substantially completed by the end of the third quarter.
Brown said its growth plan anticipates relocating or creating 500-700 new jobs in the community over the next several years.
"It is our first choice to redevelop our Clayton site into a world-class mixed use development anchored by the future Brown Shoe and Famous Footwear corporate headquarters," Ronald Fromm, chief executive and chairman, said in a statement. "Our ability to do this will be contingent upon us working with state and local governments on the planning and approval processes associated with a development of this type. Ultimately, decisions about our physical space will be driven by what is right for our customers, employees, shareholders and the community."
Brown Shoe owns a 12-acre property in Clayton that houses its current headquarters and two adjacent office buildings.
Famous Footwear is a value-priced family shoe store chain with about 1,074 stores in 50 states. It has been in Madison since 1960, when it opened its first store as Neils Factory Outlet Shoes in the city. In the mid-1970s, the company renamed the stores Famous Footwear. Brown Shoe bought the company in 1981.
"As part of the strategic earnings enhancement plan we announced in 2006, we determined that creating one greatly connected footwear company is the right thing to do for our business, said Fromm in a statement. "We believe it will further enable us to attain our goal of doubling our rate of profitability while doubling our sales."
In January, Famous Footwear employees received information about relocation procedures, severance packages and other answers to questions that employees might have about the company's intention to consolidate all of its divisions into one location, WISC-TV in Madison reported.
SOURCE
Brown Shoe headquarters to remain in St. Louis
Brown Shoe Co. Inc. is keeping its headquarters in St. Louis, relocating its Famous Footwear division from Madison, Wis., redeveloping its Clayton office complex and relocating or creating 500 to 700 new jobs in St. Louis over the next several years.
Brown Shoe was considering whether to expand at its current headquarters site in the 8000 block of Maryland Avenue in Clayton, to move elsewhere in the St. Louis region, or to move out of state. Brown Shoe had scouted real estate in both Dallas and Madison.
The company said all of the approximately 270 Madison-based employees will be offered jobs and relocation assistance. Those employees who choose to stay in Madison will be offered severance packages including at least one and a half weeks of compensation per year of employment, with a minimum of four weeks; outplacement assistance; and job fairs.
Brown Shoe expects the Famous Footwear division relocation to be substantially completed by the end of the third quarter. The company expects to incur pre-tax expenses of $25 million to $30 million, or 37 cents to 44 cents per diluted share, to implement the transition. Famous Footwear is one of the largest footwear retailers with 1,100 stores nationwide.
Brown Shoe owns a 12-acre property in Clayton, which houses its current headquarters and approximately 650 employees, and two adjacent office buildings not currently in use. The company said it has engaged Clayco and U.S. Equities Realty as well as local and state government officials in creating a public-private partnership to assist in redeveloping its Clayton complex.
"As part of the strategic earnings enhancement plan we announced in 2006, we determined that creating one greatly connected footwear company is the right thing to do for our business," Brown Shoe Chairman and CEO Ronald Fromm said in a statement. "We are committed to implementing this decision in the right way for our customers, employees, shareholders and the communities in which we live and work."
Brown Shoe's growth plan anticipates relocating or creating 500 to 700 new jobs in the community over the next several years. The company said it is eligible for more than $43 million in economic development benefits related to training and job creation and redevelopment of the Clayton site.
MORE
Brown Shoe Co. Inc. is keeping its headquarters in St. Louis, relocating its Famous Footwear division from Madison, Wis., redeveloping its Clayton office complex and relocating or creating 500 to 700 new jobs in St. Louis over the next several years.
Brown Shoe was considering whether to expand at its current headquarters site in the 8000 block of Maryland Avenue in Clayton, to move elsewhere in the St. Louis region, or to move out of state. Brown Shoe had scouted real estate in both Dallas and Madison.
The company said all of the approximately 270 Madison-based employees will be offered jobs and relocation assistance. Those employees who choose to stay in Madison will be offered severance packages including at least one and a half weeks of compensation per year of employment, with a minimum of four weeks; outplacement assistance; and job fairs.
Brown Shoe expects the Famous Footwear division relocation to be substantially completed by the end of the third quarter. The company expects to incur pre-tax expenses of $25 million to $30 million, or 37 cents to 44 cents per diluted share, to implement the transition. Famous Footwear is one of the largest footwear retailers with 1,100 stores nationwide.
Brown Shoe owns a 12-acre property in Clayton, which houses its current headquarters and approximately 650 employees, and two adjacent office buildings not currently in use. The company said it has engaged Clayco and U.S. Equities Realty as well as local and state government officials in creating a public-private partnership to assist in redeveloping its Clayton complex.
"As part of the strategic earnings enhancement plan we announced in 2006, we determined that creating one greatly connected footwear company is the right thing to do for our business," Brown Shoe Chairman and CEO Ronald Fromm said in a statement. "We are committed to implementing this decision in the right way for our customers, employees, shareholders and the communities in which we live and work."
Brown Shoe's growth plan anticipates relocating or creating 500 to 700 new jobs in the community over the next several years. The company said it is eligible for more than $43 million in economic development benefits related to training and job creation and redevelopment of the Clayton site.
MORE
I'm very glad to see a company like Brown Shoe staying and expanding in the St. Louis area but part of me thinks it would have been nice to see them buy up a couple of old warehouses downtown and "return to their roots". 
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650
700
+270
1620
Roughly 1620 jobs in a new mixed use tower. Interesting...
700
+270
1620
Roughly 1620 jobs in a new mixed use tower. Interesting...
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It would be nice to see them expand into downtown, but I'm glad they're staying in the area anyway.
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Moorlander wrote:650
700
+270
1620
Roughly 1620 jobs in a new mixed use tower. Interesting...
Brown Shoe Co. has decided that St. Louis is the right fit after all.
After considering a move out of the area, Brown Shoe will stay put, and move Famous Footwear from Madison, Wis., to its 12-acre Clayton campus.
On top of 650 jobs already in Clayton, Brown Shoe will transfer 270 Famous Footwear jobs and expects to create another 230 to 430 positions over the next several years.
Looks like the 270 is included in the 500-700 new jobs.
1620-270=1350
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/busine ... enDocument
Friday, April 18, 2008
Brown Shoe anchors $568 million project
St. Louis Business Journal - by Lisa R. Brown
COPYRIGHT © 2008 ST. LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL
Brown Shoe Co. is expanding its headquarters in Clayton within a massive $568 million mixed-use development that will be one of the largest commercial developments under way in St. Louis County.
The state approved subsidies this week for Brown Shoe's planned new global headquarters, on the heels of the company's two-year search effort that could have meant the loss of one of St. Louis' oldest and largest public companies. The state's approval moves forward Brown Shoe's plans for a headquarters that will anchor a mixed-use project with 1.25 million square feet of office space, 300 condos, a hotel and 70,000 square feet of retail space on the 12.5 acres where the company is based at 8300 Maryland Ave.
The project's development team, including Clayco Chief Executive Bob Clark, traveled to Jefferson City this week to make the case for $6 million in tax credits for the project. Details for the mixed-use project were presented to the Missouri Development Finance Board on April 15. The board, led by Chairman and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, unanimously approved the tax credits. Additionally, Brown Shoe's request for $8 million in BUILD bonds for construction was approved.
"You could sit on this board for five years and not see a project as good as this," Kinder said.
Clark said the project is in the earliest design stages and still must go through a variety of zoning and other approvals. "We are winding our way through what is a very complex process," Clark said. "Brown Shoe's goal and objective is to bring their people together in one place."
Clayco, a developer and general contractor, and developer U.S. Equities Realty of Chicago, the 50-50 co-developers on the project, also will make a total cash contribution of $12 million to cover infrastructure costs related to the development. Clayco and U.S. Equities Realty plan to own the development site and will ultimately lease more than 300,000 square feet of office space back to Brown Shoe. David Hutkin, principal of St. Louis-based Hutkin Development Co., will have a minority ownership stake in the development and will oversee the retail portion...
...Plans call for Brown Shoe's employees to continue working out of the company's current 70-year-old headquarters building while construction is under way next door on a 15-story, 650,000-square-foot building. The campus, designed by St. Louis-based Forum Studios, will accommodate Brown Shoe's future growth needs and several hundred thousand square feet of additional office space will be available for lease by outside tenants.
Brown Shoe's building will be constructed on the site of a vacant office building at 8500 Maryland Ave. Brown Shoe bought two buildings, at 8400 and 8500 Maryland, from Sara Lee Corp. in January 2007 for $11.5 million. Construction on that building is expected to span two years and be completed in mid 2010. The company will keep the shoe sculpture that sits outside its current headquarters.
After the first phase is completed, Brown Shoe's existing 223,574-square-foot headquarters building and the 8400 Maryland building will be razed to make way for the second phase of development, which will include two office buildings totaling 600,000 square feet of office space, a hotel, a 2,000-car parking garage and as many as 300 condos. "It will be a landmark project," Clark said.
Brown Shoe also is negotiating with the Clayton School District to acquire several adjoining parcels that total about an acre on the campus of Clayton High School for the second phase. The development team has presented its request to the Clayton School District but has not yet received approval from its board...
...."Clayton is convenient, close to the airport, has great restaurants, and the work force is hard working and no nonsense," Sullivan said. "St. Louis has forward momentum. It added up as the right fit for Brown Shoe."
read more here
No brick!!!!
Anyone have an opinion on this?
My thoughts on this are:
1. Wow, that's a lot of money and a lot of development that Clayton gets
2. Wow, that's a lot of shoes they have to sell
3. If they can pull this off without the "red" brick/blue glass I'll be surprised
1. Wow, that's a lot of money and a lot of development that Clayton gets
2. Wow, that's a lot of shoes they have to sell
3. If they can pull this off without the "red" brick/blue glass I'll be surprised
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I think it's interesting that the HQ will be on the far west side of the development. This is a large undertaking and will totally transform Maryland Ave. from Forsyth west to the inner belt. It wouldn't surprise me if the strip on the north side of the road (where Wild Oats will soon leave a large void) were to be redeveloped soon after. With AutoHaus BMW relocating to S. Hanley, I can see Mini of STL deciding to move a few years later as they don't need all of that showroom space.
It is not a $568 million mixed-use project. 
It is a $248 million office and parking garage project with a possibility of future phases, the makeup of which will be determined by market forces that noone can predict. It is good that the local papers want to be positive, but the way all of the various new ground-up development projects in the region are being reported is really starting to annoy me, e.g. Ballpark Village, Lumiere Place, Centene, Bottle District, and so on. Let's stick to the facts, and realize that the developer has a very stong incentive to greatly exaggerate the makeup of future phases - phases to which they are completely uncommitted.
It is a $248 million office and parking garage project with a possibility of future phases, the makeup of which will be determined by market forces that noone can predict. It is good that the local papers want to be positive, but the way all of the various new ground-up development projects in the region are being reported is really starting to annoy me, e.g. Ballpark Village, Lumiere Place, Centene, Bottle District, and so on. Let's stick to the facts, and realize that the developer has a very stong incentive to greatly exaggerate the makeup of future phases - phases to which they are completely uncommitted.The project looks nice to me and brings up again questions regarding where and how downtown Clayton can/ should expand beyond its present boundaries. Yes, I do understand that there is still significant development potential within downtown Clayton. It is hardly fully built out, with many parking lots still in existence. That said, the time seems to quickly approaching when the traditional Clayton triangle will be built out (or at least built out to the point that Clayton residents will be willing to stomach) particularly if Clayton continue to push for more high-rise/ high-density residential development rather than just office.
One of Clayton’s greatest strengths, other than its geographic position near the center of the region’s population is its surrounding residential neighborhoods. Those residential areas north, south and east of Clayton insulate and support the downtown area with upper middle class residents. Downtown St. Louis would be in a far better position if now and in the past had it been surrounded by such neighborhoods (and not surprisingly, downtown is now working to provide itself with such a firebreak). Cannibalizing these neighborhoods for the expansion of the Clayton CBD does not make sense given that the area is already linked to suburban-style low density strip retail development to the south and west which provide better alternatives (from a planning perspective) for densification. We are already seeing a trend toward redevelopment in these areas with projects like the Boulevard, the hotel developments at Clayton and Brentwood, and even the Meridian development.
This map shows some of the potential expansion areas (along with a little dreaming about what future Metrolink expansions in the area could look like). The four identified expansion areas are generally home to lower density suburban style development yet are well linked with downtown Clayton to function as part of an expanded mid-county CBD. With the Brown Shoe project, the Ladue/ Clayton western expansion areas seems like a logical extension of the CBD; so too the Enterprise property to the south.
Given the recent planning activities of places like Creve Coeur and Chesterfield, both seeking to develop downtown like areas, along with the improvements in downtown St. Louis and the ever-present specter of suburban office parks, Clayton faces far more competition for regional offices and corporate HQ’s. If it wishes to remain highly competitive, planning must look beyond its own boundaries and work with municipalities like Ladue, University City, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood to envision how these communities can work together to link a larger “downtown mid-county” in the future. With the recent Cross-County Metrolink expansion, the transit spine of such a high-density district has been laid.
One of Clayton’s greatest strengths, other than its geographic position near the center of the region’s population is its surrounding residential neighborhoods. Those residential areas north, south and east of Clayton insulate and support the downtown area with upper middle class residents. Downtown St. Louis would be in a far better position if now and in the past had it been surrounded by such neighborhoods (and not surprisingly, downtown is now working to provide itself with such a firebreak). Cannibalizing these neighborhoods for the expansion of the Clayton CBD does not make sense given that the area is already linked to suburban-style low density strip retail development to the south and west which provide better alternatives (from a planning perspective) for densification. We are already seeing a trend toward redevelopment in these areas with projects like the Boulevard, the hotel developments at Clayton and Brentwood, and even the Meridian development.
This map shows some of the potential expansion areas (along with a little dreaming about what future Metrolink expansions in the area could look like). The four identified expansion areas are generally home to lower density suburban style development yet are well linked with downtown Clayton to function as part of an expanded mid-county CBD. With the Brown Shoe project, the Ladue/ Clayton western expansion areas seems like a logical extension of the CBD; so too the Enterprise property to the south.
Given the recent planning activities of places like Creve Coeur and Chesterfield, both seeking to develop downtown like areas, along with the improvements in downtown St. Louis and the ever-present specter of suburban office parks, Clayton faces far more competition for regional offices and corporate HQ’s. If it wishes to remain highly competitive, planning must look beyond its own boundaries and work with municipalities like Ladue, University City, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood to envision how these communities can work together to link a larger “downtown mid-county” in the future. With the recent Cross-County Metrolink expansion, the transit spine of such a high-density district has been laid.
Bahaha.Moorlander wrote:"Clayton is convenient, close to the airport, has great restaurants, and the work force is hard working and no nonsense," Sullivan said. "St. Louis has forward momentum. It added up as the right fit for Brown Shoe."
Anyway, the project looks nice. It's wonderful that Brown shoe chose to stay in St. Louis and now they're planning on investing millions of dollars in the area. That's a positive, no doubt.
I'm bummed that they aren't moving downtown and contributing to that area, but beggars can't be choosers. This is a sweet deal and I'm willing to embrace it.
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jlblues wrote:It is not a $568 million mixed-use project.
I can agree that it is in phases, and that the whole thing cannot be guaranteed. With that, I wouldn't be too conveniently negative on its prospects.
I can add that Ron Fromm is rather committed to the entire buildout, and the company has the resources to see it through without digging into the bottom line. Plus, with the plans for the buildout, the majority of the Hell that is the commercial/residential real estate market will be ending in conjunction with its timeline.
Trust me, the company has strategic interests in the buildout, including the 70,000 sq.ft. of retail and the residential components.
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Clayton gets closer look at brown shoeClayco is partnered with U. S. Equities and Hutkin Properties in the project. They would buy property from Brown Shoe, build a new headquarters campus and lease it back. Hutkin would secure high-end retail businesses.
The development "footprint" is to include the existing Brown headquarters, along Maryland Avenue just north of Clayton High School.
The project first needs approval of the plan commission and aldermen.
Clark said the expansion would:
— Nearly double the existing 630 jobs to over 1,300 jobs by 2012.
— Improve infrastructure for the community.
— Establish a "signature entrance" to the west side of Clayton.
— Solve traffic safety issues by providing a road to the community center that does not go through the high school parking lot.
The first phase, which could begin this fall, includes demolition of the 8500 Maryland Building — part of the existing Brown Shoe headquarters — and construction of a new headquarters building plus a 2,100-space public garage. The office building would have two sections, one six stories tall and one 18, joined by an atrium.
If the economy permits, a second phase would include:
— Condominiums or apartments in high-rise towers, one 18 stories and one 16.
— Two office buildings, one 14 stories and one eight.
— A second garage, with 2,170 spaces.
— 70,000 square feet of retail space.
— A 14-story residential tower, which could be a hotel, depending on the market.
Conveniently negative?Gone Corporate wrote:I can agree that it is in phases, and that the whole thing cannot be guaranteed. With that, I wouldn't be too conveniently negative on its prospects.
Ron is 56. Will he be around long enough? Maybe the next guy won't be so committed.Gone Corporate wrote:I can add that Ron Fromm is rather committed to the entire buildout, and the company has the resources to see it through without digging into the bottom line.
There is no timeline.Gone Corporate wrote:Plus, with the plans for the buildout, the majority of the Hell that is the commercial/residential real estate market will be ending in conjunction with its timeline.
What strategic interests could a shoe company possibly have in 70,000 sf of retail and mid-rise residential buildings, unless they are planning on becoming a real estate development company as well?Gone Corporate wrote:Trust me, the company has strategic interests in the buildout, including the 70,000 sq.ft. of retail and the residential components.
Two office buildings, one 14 stories and one eight.
what's wrong with one building 22 stories?
