last weekend there was literally 40,000 people coming through enterprise center for some Disney or something show with multiple shows throughout the day
last week the dome was busy with monster truck and the weekend before it was packed for the auto show and 3 weeks before that some catholic youth conference had like 20,000 college kids running around downtown.
Can you give an example of such an “amenity rich” building with enough square footage?
Sc4mayor did. Forsyth Pointe.
Ok, so “plenty” means one building that doesn’t have that much square footage and already has two anchor tenants locking down highest profile floors.
Or is it 3 anchor tenants? Is BW moving in their too?
Try again.
They've been very public about moving to a hybrid/remote work environment and you're acting like they're going to need the same amount of space they have on their campus right now AFTER divesting a business unit that will maintain it's HQ on that campus in Ferguson. 102,000sqft is not a small amount either. I don't understand your obsession with "highest profile floors," they've been on a suburban office campus in North County for much of their 133 year history.
Clayton and/or Forsyth Pointe was my guess. Probably won't happen considering the timeline, and who cares. It was just some idle speculation. 190 Carondelet is another high quality building, though I don't know how much space is available there. I have heard rumors connecting Brown Shoe to a few floors there though...
Why don't you tell us where they're going to go since you seem to know exactly how much square footage they need...
last weekend there was literally 40,000 people coming through enterprise center for some Disney or something show with multiple shows throughout the day
last week the dome was busy with monster truck and the weekend before it was packed for the auto show and 3 weeks before that some catholic youth conference had like 20,000 college kids running around downtown.
Even with all that convention traffic the city has done a horrible job with infrastructure and beautification downtown.
Thanks for labeling my comment an “obsession” as if Fortune 500 companies don’t prioritize swanky digs (Post notwithstanding). Have you seen the primary executive office in Ferguson? It’s a gorgeous building worthy of a Fortune 200 company.
And 190 Carondelet is anything but “amenity rich”. There’s no gym. There’s no coffee. There’s no cafeteria. Its “amenity deck” isn’t usable most of the year. It does have the square footage, I’ll give you that.
Ok, so “plenty” means one building that doesn’t have that much square footage and already has two anchor tenants locking down highest profile floors.
Or is it 3 anchor tenants? Is BW moving in their too?
Try again.
They've been very public about moving to a hybrid/remote work environment and you're acting like they're going to need the same amount of space they have on their campus right now AFTER divesting a business unit that will maintain it's HQ on that campus in Ferguson. 102,000sqft is not a small amount either. I don't understand your obsession with "highest profile floors," they've been on a suburban office campus in North County for much of their 133 year history.
Clayton and/or Forsyth Pointe was my guess. Probably won't happen considering the timeline, and who cares. It was just some idle speculation. 190 Carondelet is another high quality building, though I don't know how much space is available there. I have heard rumors connecting Brown Shoe to a few floors there though...
Why don't you tell us where they're going to go since you seem to know exactly how much square footage they need...
Should also be noted that they’re about to buy a $7b company so probably even HQ staffing as pre climate tech sale
^ You really think they're going to move a bunch of National Instruments jobs from Austin to STL? They also completed this past quarter the $3 billion dollar sale of their InSinkErator division to Michigan based Whirlpool.
My money is on new construction in Clayton. I spoke to a high-level Stifel exec last week and asked him how working downtown was these days and his reply was “when Cardinals aren’t playing it’s like a 3rd world country down here.”
It got me thinking, the best way to affect change downtown would be if DeWitt simply announced an option to buy 100 acres somewhere in metro area if things don’t change.
I’d bet my next paycheck you’ve never even met a high-level Stifel exec.
Then you’d lose $400.
Wish I could divulge his name. Btw, Ron K’s office in the 801 Local/Uncle Julio’s office is in Frontenac, not DT STL.
His office is at the HQ and in Frontenac location 5 min from his house, its a benefit of being the CEO...its like how my HQ is in Dayton Ohio but the CEO works in the Miami beach location.
I don't think Emerson is going to relocate their HQ from Ferguson to a place like Chesterfield. That would be bad optics and Lal Karsanbhai and his team seem too savvy to do something like that. For that reason, I wouldn't discount the possibility of Emerson moving their HQ downtown or somewhere else in the city of St. Louis.
They have 3 more years in Ferguson... Wherever they end up, I'd say it's greater than 50% they go someplace brand new. And yes, those offices are absolutely beautiful. Even with the big M&A activity they're taking on now, I think they'll choose to go someplace aesthetically pleasing. Beyond that, it's BPV's opportunity to really win here or keep meddling on as a bunch of parking lots.
Meanwhile, EMR staying in STL is the best news possible for St. Louis Lambert Int'l. I'd say the company is probably the biggest proponent to Lambert, and their continued existence in STL helps Lambert continue to move forward - especially as the New Terminal discussions continue and progress.
Or: Without EMR, Lambert would seriously suffer. Thank God they're staying.
My money is on new construction in Clayton. I spoke to a high-level Stifel exec last week and asked him how working downtown was these days and his reply was “when Cardinals aren’t playing it’s like a 3rd world country down here.”
It got me thinking, the best way to affect change downtown would be if DeWitt simply announced an option to buy 100 acres somewhere in metro area if things don’t change.
I’d bet my next paycheck you’ve never even met a high-level Stifel exec.
Then you’d lose $400.
Wish I could divulge his name. Btw, Ron K’s office in the 801 Local/Uncle Julio’s office is in Frontenac, not DT STL.
You can. You aren’t because you don’t actually know anyone.
They have 3 more years in Ferguson... Wherever they end up, I'd say it's greater than 50% they go someplace brand new. And yes, those offices are absolutely beautiful. Even with the big M&A activity they're taking on now, I think they'll choose to go someplace aesthetically pleasing. Beyond that, it's BPV's opportunity to really win here or keep meddling on as a bunch of parking lots.
Interesting thought. With 3 years on the lease, they would need to lock in a location for a new build fairly soon. That's got to be about the shortest feasible timeline for a new signature office building to be designed and built.
^Indeed. That's another reason I'm thinking BPV3 is feasible for EMR. It's a site that's already prepped. Maybe there are things going on behind the scenes we just don't know about. Honestly, I'd think they'd be open to it depending on signage opportunities and long-term tax breaks, specifically earnings taxes.
Sure, downtown isn't quite as vibrant as in the past but I wouldn't say Clayton is much better in terms of liveliness. Since the pandemic Clayton has really become a ghost town, especially after 5 PM. As for Emerson, my "bet" would be they stay in Ferguson - a lot of room to build whatever they want to and it's close to the airport.
I actually see downtown being a stronger possibility than most would imagine. Emerson's CEO is on the board of Greater St. Louis and GSL is hyper focused on improving downtown, so I would imagine a downtown office will at least be considered. Also, Lal's quote in the Journal also seems to allude to more than just finding the best physical office space "We are actively exploring locations in the area, and we are eager to work with business and civic leaders to bolster the strength of the St. Louis region."
I'm not holding my breath on this, but I for one would really like to see Missouri sweeten the incentive pot for Emerson (or any other company) wishing to locate downtown. To not play favorites, they can do the same for KC and to a lesser extent COMO and Springfield. Seems to me that a strong downtown STL (and others) would greatly benefit the state.
^Couldn’t agree with you more about Clayton. I’ve worked there for years and can confirm Clayton really sucks. It was always sleepy pre-COVID, but post-COVID it’s dead.
^Very much agree. The significance of remaining in STL was certainly not so they could just pit Westport Plaza and the Chesterfield Flats into a bidding war over who will provide the most real estate benefits. Also, reminder that EMR was one of the big backers of the STL Tech Triangle winning that $25MM Federal grant and have been putting their support into Ranken Technical College for quite some time.
Sure, downtown isn't quite as vibrant as in the past but I wouldn't say Clayton is much better in terms of liveliness. Since the pandemic Clayton has really become a ghost town, especially after 5 PM. As for Emerson, my "bet" would be they stay in Ferguson - a lot of room to build whatever they want to and it's close to the airport.
I actually see downtown being a stronger possibility than most would imagine. Emerson's CEO is on the board of Greater St. Louis and GSL is hyper focused on improving downtown, so I would imagine a downtown office will at least be considered. Also, Lal's quote in the Journal also seems to allude to more than just finding the best physical office space "We are actively exploring locations in the area, and we are eager to work with business and civic leaders to bolster the strength of the St. Louis region."
I'm not holding my breath on this, but I for one would really like to see Missouri sweeten the incentive pot for Emerson (or any other company) wishing to locate downtown. To not play favorites, they can do the same for KC and to a lesser extent COMO and Springfield. Seems to me that a strong downtown STL (and others) would greatly benefit the state.
All good points and I agree with the positive notions. I think the GSTL Inc move helped solidify and centralize their organizational goals for regional rebuilding, and have no doubt Hall and his team were a big part of the conversation as well. I've been working an interview series with regional stakeholders and the positivity of the business community seems way more ambitious and positive than the general public would like to carry, it seems. I've got big bets on a City location not just because of my own personal wishes but this region is dying for good news (there's some solid business momentum in my estimation though I feel many see it as one step forward, two steps back) and some important RBC members seem to have a more altruistic sense of what they can do to move the community forward, and that includes Downtown strength. I think everyone recognizes that it is key to a strong region as it's our front door to the region. But it will take pressure on political leaders as well to partner in making it the best version of itself it knows it can be.
Sure, downtown isn't quite as vibrant as in the past but I wouldn't say Clayton is much better in terms of liveliness. Since the pandemic Clayton has really become a ghost town, especially after 5 PM. As for Emerson, my "bet" would be they stay in Ferguson - a lot of room to build whatever they want to and it's close to the airport.
I actually see downtown being a stronger possibility than most would imagine. Emerson's CEO is on the board of Greater St. Louis and GSL is hyper focused on improving downtown, so I would imagine a downtown office will at least be considered. Also, Lal's quote in the Journal also seems to allude to more than just finding the best physical office space "We are actively exploring locations in the area, and we are eager to work with business and civic leaders to bolster the strength of the St. Louis region."
I'm not holding my breath on this, but I for one would really like to see Missouri sweeten the incentive pot for Emerson (or any other company) wishing to locate downtown. To not play favorites, they can do the same for KC and to a lesser extent COMO and Springfield. Seems to me that a strong downtown STL (and others) would greatly benefit the state.
All good points and I agree with the positive notions. I think the GSTL Inc move helped solidify and centralize their organizational goals for regional rebuilding, and have no doubt Hall and his team were a big part of the conversation as well. I've been working an interview series with regional stakeholders and the positivity of the business community seems way more ambitious and positive than the general public would like to carry, it seems. I've got big bets on a City location not just because of my own personal wishes but this region is dying for good news (there's some solid business momentum in my estimation though I feel many see it as one step forward, two steps back) and some important RBC members seem to have a more altruistic sense of what they can do to move the community forward, and that includes Downtown strength. I think everyone recognizes that it is key to a strong region as it's our front door to the region. But it will take pressure on political leaders as well to partner in making it the best version of itself it knows it can be.
That's good to hear, as it seems like other cities seem to have one or two strong leaders within the business community that tend to step up. Thinking Dan Gilbert in Detroit, H&R Block in KC, Bridgestone in Nashville, all came in and helped change the face of their downtowns. Not that Edward Jones or Enterprise investing millions to help the Arch ground reno isn't valuable, but it doesn't necessarily help the liveliness of downtown. Here's hoping Emerson (or whatever companies you are betting on) come through.
