The Arch City Report

Earlier this year, Dominion Voting Systems, the company that won more than $800 million in settlements from lawsuits against 2020 election deniers, was acquired by a St. Louisan. This week, we talk to the buyer of the company to learn why he’s still raising issues of trust and transparency in marketing the newly renamed company.

Happy holidays from all of us at The St. Louis Business Journal!  On April 17th, the Art City Report offered a look into the early makings of Mayor Cara Spencer's administration, a brief forecast of an upcoming event on advanced manufacturing. But the real reason this episode is special is because of Nathan Rubbelke's reporting on what we call the Saviors of South King's Highway. Br...

The Trump Administration’s crackdown on wokeness has put some of America’s elite academic institutions in crisis. But here in St. Louis, Chancellor Andrew Martin has become one of the leading voices for reform. This week, he sits down with the Arch City Report to explain whether doing so raises WashU’s profile for the better. 

A major downtown stakeholder is waging a campaign to get the FBI to change how it tallies crime statistics for St. Louis. It’s part of a wider series of efforts to revive downtown. This week, we offer details from an event focused solely on those topics . 

This week's guest, Ron Kitchens, the new CEO of Greater St. Louis Inc., discusses his vision for the organization and the St. Louis region. He emphasizes the importance of job creation and economic growth, the need to reframe the national perception of St. Louis, and the role of private sector investment in revitalizing the community. Kitchens also shares insights from his previous experience...

Episode 47 EXTRA: Hear the full, hour-long discussion between St. Louis Mayor, Cara Spencer and Business Journal Editor Erik Siemers in front of a live audience. 

Lambert airport is poised to get its biggest makeover ever, with a new $3 billion terminal. But one thing that won’t be part of it is a place where all rental car companies can operate, maybe walkable from that new terminal. Right now, rental car companies operate from six separate facilities a shuttle ride from the airport. We talk about how Enterprise Rent-a-Car wants a fix for that as part of t...

Downtown St. Louis suffered a major loss last week when one of its highest-profile tenants announced it was leaving. But one of the leaders trying to turn the neighborhood around says everything is going just fine. This week, we go inside that story and some other mixed messages on the status of downtown St. Louis.  The conversation explores the recent announcement of Peabody Energy's move fr...

Since it was established in 2002, the city’s Cortex innovation district has been home to more than $2 billion in construction. This week, the CEO of the district tells us whether to expect more projects in coming years.  Episode Summary: The conversation explores the Cortex Innovation District's development, the importance of eminent domain, current projects, demand for lab space, community e...

St. Louis is again seeing fewer construction projects this year. The city for 2025 is roughly on target to match permit totals for last year, but those were down significantly from the past. The government’s development chief talks about why, and what’s being done to turn it around. Show Summary In this conversation, Otis Williams discusses the current state of development in St. Louis, highlighti...

Homebuilders say the city of St. Louis’ permitting process and regulatory requirements have made building there too expensive and time consuming. This week, we explain how and why Mayor Cara Spencer is taking action to change city bureaucracy as it battles to rebuild tornado-wracked north St. Louis.

Data centers, the plumbing of the internet age, have been around for decades. But one project in Midtown St. Louis has attracted fierce opposition. This week, we find out why this project is different. The conversation explores the contentious proposal for a new data center in St. Louis, highlighting the opposition from community organizations and the Missouri Workers Center. The discussion delves...

Lambert airport hasn’t had a flight to London since 2003. The airport’s director recently said that getting one back represented the proudest moment of her career. She talked with us about how the new deal with British Airways came together, with flights to begin in April, and what it means for the region.

The $1.1B north-south MetroLink expansion has given way to what is projected to be a significantly less expensive alternative. This week, we speak with the leader of the region’s transit authority, Bi-State Development, to hear how the modes of transportation shifted with the political winds. 

The America’s Center Convention Complex is, to many people, their gateway to the Gateway to the West. This week, we speak with the new CEO of tourism agency Explore St. Louis to learn about convention strategy and crafting a brand for St. Louis.

A year ago, the St. Louis metro area’s population grew solely to an increase in the foreign-born population. A year later, the trends has shifted backward. We speak with St. Louis’ most prominent demographer, Ness Sandoval, to discuss the recent population trends in the region, focusing on the decline of the foreign-born population and the African-American demographic. He highlights the concept of...

In this episode of the Arch City Report, Jim Wild from the East West Gateway Council of Governments discusses the strategic planning efforts aimed at addressing population decline and various regional issues in St. Louis. He emphasizes the importance of collaboration among different sectors, the need for a common vision, and the significance of timing in initiating these plans. The conversation al...

This week's conversation delves into Missouri's Senate Bill 3, which proposes a property tax freeze for certain counties. St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann discusses the implications of the bill, its constitutionality, and the potential consequences for local governance and taxation. The discussion highlights the need for uniformity in tax laws across counties and the challenges...

In this episode, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe sits down with Business Journal reporter Jim Drew for a candid conversation about his rapid-fire reforms, putting the St. Louis police back under state control, fighting for economic growth, and tackling the state’s toughest challenges head-on. From his personal journey growing up in North St. Louis to his vision for Missouri’s future, Kehoe opens up a...

St. Louis financial services giant Edward Jones will be making a big decision about the future of its local workforce later this month. Join us as we go over the details of what to expect.

A grand jury’s indictment against St. Louis County Executive Sam Page is just the latest bit of political turmoil to hit the St. Louis region. This week we ask, does this political climate create make St. Louis a good place to do business? 

The exits of large firms from downtown have made all the headlines in recent years. But new data show that occupany rate downtown continues to decline? This week, we have the story of several smaller firms whose departures might help explain why. 

This week, we get into what we know about why Boeing machinists overwhelmingly voted down a new contract offer. We’re also three weeks away from a big interview with Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe, so we’re asking state lawmakers: What should we be asking him?

As St. Louis’ struggling downtown pushes toward reformation as a residential hub, we look back 20 years ago, when the neighborhood was in the middle of an earlier renaissance, and ask: Can this one stand the test of time?   We also discuss public broadcasting, and what President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill has cut from the budgets of Nine PBS and St. Louis Public Radio.  

St. Louis was in line to get a new $6 billion public company — until the deal recently collapsed. The company, Evolution Metals, said it would be based in The Hill neighborhood and help build a U.S. battery and magnet supply chain to rival China’s. We’ll take you inside what actually happened.  Plus, trouble for a company that’s already traded on Wall Street. The stock of Clayton-based Centene Cor...