More than one of the five individuals recognized for their contributions to the corporate and nonprofit industries at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 23rd Annual Salute to Excellence in Business luncheon mentioned trees.
“We need to be willing to plant trees, knowing we will never be able to sit under their shade,” said Beyond Housing President and CEO Chris Krehmeyer, who received the Excellence in Community Impact Award.
It was a message nearly identical to that of Entrepreneur of the Year Rodney Boyd later in the program. What was striking about the aligned messages was that Boyd’s remarks were also featured in a video prepared weeks before the actual luncheon, which was held Thursday afternoon at The Ritz-Carlton St. Louis.
“My experience is that if you are working in innovative spaces, you are better off if you have a combination of different ways of thinking, different backgrounds and different experiences.”
Jeremy Williams, 2025 Salute to Excellence Corporate Executive of The Year, Head of Climate LLC, Digital Farming and Commercial Ecosystems for the Crop Science division at Bayer
“It isn’t important that people remember Rodney Boyd – it really isn’t,” Boyd said. “It is important for me to build the kind of infrastructure around planting some trees and building some bridges so that 50 or 60 years from now – when my name is forgotten and just on a headstone – people will be sitting under those trees, enjoying the shade, eating the fruit and traveling across those bridges to get wherever they need to go.”
Boyd could not have known what Krehmeyer would say in his remarks – and Krehmeyer could not have known what Boyd would say in his video. The serendipity of it all made the root of their messages even more impactful for the sold-out audience that included elected officials, community leaders in business and nonprofit sectors and some of the brightest of this region’s most influential change agents.
“It gives me great hope to know that there are people looking out for us,” said 5 On Your Side morning anchor and sports director Rene Knott, who served as master of ceremonies for this year’s Business Salute. “That there are people willing to give back to their communities – which brings us here today.”
Krehmeyer, Boyd, Michelle Tucker, Dr. Jeremy Williams and Larry Thomas renewed the commitment of giving back to the region that led them to be recognized.
“Now that I’m retired from Edward Jones, many have asked, ‘Are you leaving St. Louis?’,’” said Thomas, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his four-plus decades of service at Edward Jones. “My answer is unequivocally, “No. I love this place, and I will continue to stay very much engaged.”
He proved the opening remarks true, which were given by his former employer Edward Jones, who served as the title sponsor for the 23rd Annual Salute to Excellence In Business.
“In addition to being a tireless champion for the St. Louis community, he has been a pioneer in helping shape the financial service industry for more than three decades,” said Everett Johnson, principal of operations for Edward Jones. “As the first Black general partner for Edward Jones, he has made it possible for many of us to walk through the doors that he has opened.”
There was also a call for diversity and inclusion – which could be seen as an act of defiance based on the current political climate – from the honorees and co-presenting sponsors: The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, The Regional Business Council and Greater St. Louis Inc.
The purpose of Greater St. Louis Inc. is to get St. Louis growing inclusively, inclusively, inclusively,” said Interim CEO Dustin Allison. “We tried doing it the other way. It didn’t work out, did it? We must make room at the table for the people and the voices who haven’t always had a seat.”
It was a sentiment expressed by Krehmeyer as he accepted his reward.
“In order for our region to be everything that we want it to be, it has to invest in the people and places that have been left behind for far too long,” he said.
Corporate Executive of the Year, Dr. Jeremy Williams made a case for diversity as an operational advantage – and a critical element for success.
“My experience is that if you are working in innovative spaces, you are better off if you have a combination of different ways of thinking, different backgrounds and different experiences,” said Williams, who is Head of Climate LLC, Digital Farming and Commercial Ecosystems for the Crop Science division at Bayer. “Diversity is a driving force for better business outcomes.”
Non-Profit Executive of the Year Michelle D. Tucker promised more of herself in moving the region forward. She asked the audience to do the same.
“We make things happen together,” said Tucker, who serves as President & CEO of The United Way of Greater St. Louis. “I know you all are committed to the community – and I thank you for that. I’m going to ask one more thing of you. Find one more thing that you can commit to, grab a hold of it and make a difference. Because right now people need our help.”
Her ask was something that Krehmeyer had already said he has every intention of fulfilling. He said his motivation comes from a George Bernard Shaw poem that was left on the office door by his predecessor when he took helm of Beyond Housing 33 years ago. He shared an excerpt that he paraphrased.
“The more I live, the harder I work. Life is no brief candle, but a splendid torch that I have to hold for this moment,” Krehmeyer said. “I want to make it burn as brightly as possible until I hand it off to the next generation.”
Those words have sustained him as he continues his work for the greater good of the region.
“I still have some fuel left in the tank – and I plan to keep planting a whole bunch of trees,” Krehmeyer said. “I hope you guys will join me.”
For more photos of the 23rd Annual Salute to Excellence in Business, go the photo gallery.