What St Louis Professionals Need to Know This Week

How a 60-Minute Netwinar Sparked 523 Referrals That Changed Lives

It might not end up in the Guinness Book of Records (then again, who knows?), but I was thrilled to lead an event that delivered results unlike anything I’d ever seen before.

As the number of participants poured into my Netwinar on Zoom, I became increasingly nervous.

The Zoom waiting room kept ticking up… 37, 45, 56. My excitement suddenly turned to panic. Soon, sixty people were ready to log into my netwinar, and I knew Zoom only allowed 50 Advanced Polls.

This wasn’t your typical Zoom webinar with hundreds of attendees. This was a netwinar (“net winner” = part webinar + part networking) where every participant needed time to speak, connect, and complete their polls for each other.

Needless to say, I was in trouble …

CAREERS
💼 St. Louis at Work

Workplace Highlights in Greater St. Louis

The metro area’s unemployment rate stood at 4.0% in August 2025. The labor force has contracted notably, with a year-over-year reduction of approximately 8,700 workers. Employers continue to report significant skills shortages in areas such as healthcare support, logistics operations, and advanced technical roles.

🔥 Top Job Postings

• Sr Sales Rep IV - Valent U.S.A LLC at Valent BioSciences
  💵 $98.6K – $132K a year | 📍St. Louis, MO (Apply)

• Sales Business Partner, Sales Consultant (Home Improvement) at 2020 People
  💵 $100K - $150K/yr | 📍St. Louis, MO (Apply)

• Director Business Development for Consumer Packaged Goods at Tata Consultancy Services
  💵 $180K – $220K a year | 📍St. Louis, MO (Apply)

👀 Top Job Seekers

• Benita Routman, Physician & Advanced Practice Recruiter
  👉 Currently looking for new opportunities |📍St Louis, Missouri (Profile)

• Kalinda Dixon, Registered Behavioral Therapist
  👉 Eagerly seeking new job opportunities in the healthcare field | 📍 St Louis, Missouri (Profile)

• jim fuhrmann, Custom Rollform Products
  👉 Looking forward to the future |📍Greater St. Louis (Profile)

• STLPA is in need of professional and liaison services with state-level governmental officials, agencies, and elected representatives on behalf of itself, the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (Link)

• Saint Louis Public Schools needs Beaumont Tornado Restoration (Link)

• Multi-Trade On-Call Services for County Housing Properties needed for County Housing of St Louis County (Link)

• The City of Springfield needs EMBROIDERED AND SCREEN-PRINTED APPAREL (Link)

• Food Requirements for The Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, Springfield, Missouri (Link)

• City garners $250K grant to help bring down energy prices (More)

• Arch Grants expansion signals new investment in St. Louis entrepreneurs. Nonprofit opens larger HQ, launches inclusive lending fund and awards $1.5 million in new startup grants (More)

• St. Louis Development Corporation launches business recovery survey (More)

• Homepage & recent impact: In 2023 SLCF and its donors granted $86.4 million, and 81 % of that stayed in the St. Louis metro area. (More)

• Grant opportunities: Their “Workforce Development Grant” cycle was announced 30 June 2025 — targeted at organizations helping adults in specific high‐need ZIP codes in St. Louis City / County / St. Clair Co., Illinois. (More)

• Grant portal & detailed info: SLCF Grants (More)

• Offers grants, forgivable loans, capacity support for neighborhood‐based organizations and CDCs. SLDC Grants & Resources (More)

What are the top challenges of doing business in St Louis?

1. Rising Costs & Inflation - Many local businesses in St. Louis are still grappling with higher input costs (materials, labor, transportation) while consumer spending remains stretched.
2. Workforce Shortages - Employers across St. Louis continue to face difficulties attracting and retaining skilled workers, particularly in manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality sectors.
3. Commercial Real Estate & Downtown Revitalization - Declining foot traffic and office vacancies in downtown St. Louis are creating challenges for small businesses and investors trying to sustain growth and community engagement.

🤝 11/13 St. Louis Business Networking Event (Register)
🤝 11/14 The Afterparty @ Bourbon Friday (Register)
🤝 11/14 The Friday Group Weekly Networking (Register)
🤝 11/18 NOVEMBER CHAMBER NETWORKING LUNCHEON (Register)
🤝 11/19 Just Narratives For Racial Equity 2025: A Race Forward Convening (Register)
🤝 11/20 MAC Business Development Group Meeting (Register)
🤝 11/29 8th Annual Small Business Saturday (Register)
🤝 11/29 Cannapreneur: MO and IL Workshop (Register)
🤝 12/17 Women In Business (Holiday) Meet Up (Register)

🤝= In Person, 💻 = Virtual