An entrepreneur in the field of investment advising and two senior corporate executives – the director of diversity, inclusion and gender balance at Nestlé Purina PetCare and the senior director of internal communications and community relations for Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals – are the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2016 Business Performer Award recipients. They will be recognized at the St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Business Networking & Awards Luncheon on Thursday, November 17.
Marvin Mitchell is the President and Founder of Compass Retirement Solutions and is in the top 1 percent of retirement advisors nationwide. He is also the first member of his family to go to and graduate from college.
His grandmother, Betty, was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. She passed away with very little money due to bad financial advice. That family tragedy then became the main influence in his decision to become a financial advisor.
At 21 years old, he founded Compass Retirement Solutions, and he has been in business for 10 years. He describes the goal at Compass as being able to protect his clients assets in retirement and making sure they get a better, more reasonable return.
Mitchell has often been described as passionate. He focuses on ensuring that his clients are able to enjoy a worry-free retirement. He cares deeply for each and every one of his clients, and this comes through in his work.
A generous contributor to many organizations, he believes it’s his duty to give back from all the blessings he has received due to hard work and dedication
Mitchell hosts a weekly radio show “Rethinking Retirement” on KTRS every Sunday. He is a speaker, coach, and trainer certified by the John Maxwell Company and a top 5 finalist for National Advisor of the Year. He is the author of “Protecting your Retirement Nest Egg: What the Wall Street Brokers and Bankers Don’t Want you to Know.” He is also a 2016 recipient of the St. Louis County NAACP’s Legacy Award.
When Annette Morris accepted an internship with Purina through a Saint Louis Public Schools work-study program, she could not have envisioned that it would be her place of employment for the next 39 years.
From that internship, Morris has ascended the ranks and currently serves as director of diversity, inclusion and gender balance at Nestlé Purina PetCare Company. She is responsible for developing and executing business inclusion strategies in the areas of workforce, culture, community and marketplace.
“For me, it was important to find a connection linked to continued success, which is why I caution that you don’t always have to leave an organization to expand your career,” said Morris.
The merger of Nestlé with Purina in 2001 resulted in a greater focus on gender balance within company ranks. Nearly half of the company’s workforce is female.
“When you think about Nestlé being the largest food company in the world with operations in 190 countries, women continue to face difficult workplace challenges in those environments,” Morris said. “We intentionally encourage women to take more leadership opportunities in the company, recognizing the impact they make.”
The St. Louis native holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lindenwood University and is a graduate of Leadership St. Louis.
“By targeting diverse groups and organizations through e-recruiting efforts, we hope to engage highly qualified talent interested in joining Purina,” Morris said.
“Receiving this special award means that we are on the right track and have the right vision to continue growing along our diversity and inclusion journey.”
Joanna Schooler has survived business spinoffs, acquisitions and corporate changes in her 20-year career in public relations and communications. With each shift, she’s managed to weather the transitions and excel, particularly in management and external engagement roles that ensure she has a hand in maintaining the company’s commitment to the community.
Schooler now serves as senior director, internal communications and community relations for Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. In this position, she also develops programs that partner with local nonprofit organizations that make an impact in the community. And she consistently finds ways to leverage corporate resources to serve unmet needs in the St. Louis area. Several of the programs she’s developed use Mallinckrodt employees as professional mentors and volunteers with local nonprofit groups.
In a recent interview, Schooler said she considers her community work to be a vital part of her personal job description. When Mallinckrodt recruited her for a management position 10 years ago, the move was an opportunity to come home, after spending much of her career in other cities. Schooler says she’s benefited from a bench strength of managers and mentors who form the backbone of the city’s business leadership. Now, she’s one of them, a fixture among the city’s cadre of young business leaders and an important corporate liaison to the community.
The 17th Annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon will be held Thursday, November 17 at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, with a networking reception at 11 a.m. and luncheon program at noon. Tickets are $100 for VIP/Preferred seating, $75 for general admission. Call 314-533-8000 or visitwww.stlamerican.com for more information or to purchase tickets.
Morgan Bradley, Tavia Gilchrist and Pat Matreci contributed to this report.
