‘Build St. Louis’… Not So Much

Standing high on the 10th floor of the Centene Corporation building under construction at Forsyth and Hanley in Clayton, The Associated General Contractors of St. Louis (AGC) highlighted the plight of the industry as the community observed "Build St. Louis Day 2009". The annual event recognizes the contributions of St. Louis construction workers to the economic growth of the community. This year's opening ceremony took place Oct. 13 at the construction site of the new Centene Corporation headquarters building.

Charlie Dooley, St. Louis County Executive discusses the serious unemployment situation in the construction industry at the annual Build St. Day event at the Centene Center project in Clayton.  Scott Wilson, SM Wilson president and chairman of the board of AGC and Leonard Toenjes, President of the AGC look on.  The annual event recognizes the contribution the 450 AGC members make to the St. Louis economy.

A consortium of banks led by U.S. Bank funded the construction loan to build Centene Center, the $186 million headquarters for one of St. Louis' largest public companies. The building, which will also be home to Armstrong Teasdale, one of the area's largest law firms, took four years to get off the ground. Published reports in the St. Louis media say that it is one of just a few large-scale developments nationwide to receive financing in the midst of the tight credit market.

The theme of this year's observance is Build Now for the Future. 2009 is a year unlike any other for "Build St. Louis Day". The construction industry has experienced the most severe downturn in its recent history, with unemployment of skilled tradesmen at 16.5% — nearly double the unemployment rate for the general public. And man-hours are down 30% compared to last year, forcing many firms to layoff workers in every field.

During the ceremony, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley recognized the role of St. Louis construction workers in keeping St. Louis strong by issuing a proclamation that declared Monday, October 12 through Monday, October 16, 2009 "Build St. Louis Week." In his remarks he noted that the current economic downturn of the industry will have a widespread and very severe impact on St. Louis County if the situation does not improve.

"We are extremely proud of the role St. Louis construction workers have played in strengthening our economy but today, private lending institutions need to work collaboratively with contractors and owners to seek creative solutions to release funds for projects," said Leonard Toenjes, AGC president. "'Build St. Louis Week' gives us a chance to draw attention to the current situation, and let the workers and our member companies know that we are working on a solution. "

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