A new initiative to highlight the best and brightest in the region launched this morning and will be unveiled at a special edition of Venture Café from 5 p.m. – 8 pm today (March, 14).
STLMade and its theSTL.com website debuted on the morning of the unofficial St. Louis celebratory “314 Day.” According to the website, its mission is “to showcase the individuals and accomplishments found in every corner of the region that are moving the area forward, helping to create more opportunities for all and addressing our challenges.”
Below is a Q&A that provides more insight on the STLMade movement:
What is the STLMade movement?
STLMade is a movement which recognizes that St. Louis is experiencing a renaissance and believes it’s high time we told our story. The movement exists to shine a light on the amazing things our innovative, tenacious, big-hearted people are doing to move the St. Louis region forward. The goal over time is to help improve perceptions about our region among our residents, and create internal advocates among our citizenry that will help attract new talent and investment to the area.
What is theSTL.com?
theSTL.com is the digital hub of the movement and showcases stories about what’s working well, what St. Louis has to offer, and how people, businesses and institutions are affecting change in order to create more opportunities for all. In addition to the site, stay up to speed on the latest stories by following us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Why does St. Louis need this movement?
The St. Louis region is competing with many other Midwest cities that have crafted compelling stories to promote themselves to prospective residents and investors. Now it’s our time to tell our story.
The renaissance in St. Louis is already happening – it’s driven by innovators, thinkers, doers and makers – but many St. Louisans are not seeing the collective impact. That’s why we need to give voice to the movement and shine a light on the people, innovations, and ideas that are driving growth and change in our region, so that residents and non-residents alike can see the renaissance for themselves.
Who is behind the STLMade movement?
The STLMade movement originated with a large group of leaders representing members of The Regional Business Council, The St. Louis Regional Chamber of Commerce, Civic Progress, and other regional businesses, institutions and civic entities, who recognized the need for a unified narrative for our region. Through extensive research and conversations with hundreds of individuals around the St. Louis area, the group curated the STLMade movement to create a platform to lift up the voices of the people and build awareness of how the individual contributions of many are moving the St. Louis region forward.
What does the future of the movement look like?
Today’s kickoff marks the start of a multi-year marathon to tell the stories that will shape perceptions of our region over the long run. theSTL.com will continue to populate with new stories, the social buzz will continue to generate new story leads and we look forward to announcing additional news from the movement later this year.
A special edition of Venture Café entitled “STLMade: Meet the Movement” will provide more insight on STLMade and its website theSTL.com. The event takes place today (Thursday, March 14) from 5 – 8 p.m. at The Cortex Building, 4240 Duncan Ave. 63110. For more information, visit www.theSTL.com.
