American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts Continue
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), September 10, 2005 - The American Red Cross is responding to an unprecedented natural catastrophe and devoting every resource to this humanitarian relief effort. The American people can be confident the Red Cross will spare no effort to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of Hurricane Katrina survivors.
- Since Hurricane Katrina slammed ashore, the Red Cross has provided 1.6
million overnight stays to survivors in 702 shelters across 17 states
and the District of Columbia.
- On Friday, the Red Cross housed almost 98,000 survivors in 468
shelters.
- The Red Cross has served more than 6.7 million hot meals and more than
6.2 million snacks to survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
- Nearly 40,000 trained Red Cross disaster relief workers from all 50
states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have responded to help their
neighbors in need.
- More than 154,000 people have registered on the Red Cross "Family Links
Registry," which is helping reconnect loved ones separated by Hurricane
Katrina. To register go to www.redcross.org or call 1-877-LOVED-1S.
- The Red Cross is fulfilling urgent needs, turning donations into help
faster than ever before. Our goal is for everyone touched by Katrina to
be safe and comforted.
American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people.
You can help the victims of this and thousands of other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need.
Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
Express Scripts to Build New Headquarters at University of Missouri-St. Louis
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), September 10, 2005 - Express Scripts, Inc. plans to build its new corporate headquarters on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL). The company will break ground on the new headquarters later this year, with occupancy expected in March 2007. Express Scripts will be the highest-ranking Fortune 500 company with its corporate headquarters on a university campus.
The location will promote collaboration between Express Scripts, one of the largest companies headquartered in St. Louis, and the region's largest university. Early opportunities for joint initiatives include health-economics research and information technology, key strengths for both organizations.
UMSL and Express Scripts also align well in the value the two organizations place on people, specifically their employees, customers, students and alumni. For Express Scripts, "Our People Are Our Product" is a fundamental tenet of its value proposition. The company relies on the expertise of its 11,000 employees to make the use of prescription drugs safer and more affordable for more than 55 million Americans. More than 75% of UMSL's graduates still live and work in the region -- supporting the unofficial campus tagline, "We Educate St. Louis."
In an announcement, George Paz, president and chief executive officer of Express Scripts, said, "Our expansion to UMSL aligns Express Scripts and our employees with the business, research and civic resources that will help strengthen and grow our company. We envision a flourishing collaboration that will serve as a model for public/private initiatives throughout the United States."
"The move to UMSL will facilitate an unprecedented opportunity for employee education and growth. It will enhance our position as an employer of choice for a diverse and best-in-class workforce," added Paz.
"Express Scripts is the type of company we had in mind when we began developing UMSL's business, technology and research park. It's a growing company whose needs meld with UMSL's academic strengths and diverse connections to the region," said UMSL Chancellor Thomas F. George.
Express Scripts chose the UMSL site because it met the company's site search criteria and included, in addition, a unique opportunity to collaborate with a university. The UMSL-Express Scripts collaboration expands opportunities to share complementary information technology and research expertise, increases professional development and recruitment opportunities, and aligns two key institutions for the benefit of the greater St. Louis region.
Over the next 18 months, Express Scripts and UMSL will build their collaborative relationship as the physical structure of the new Express Scripts headquarters takes form on campus.
The company will continue to have a strong presence in Maryland Heights, where its customer-contact center and pharmacy operations are located. The Maryland Heights facility, which is just nine miles west of the UMSL campus, will continue to employ 1,600 people after the headquarters relocation.
Express Scripts evaluated several attractive locations for a new, larger corporate headquarters in Missouri, Illinois and elsewhere in the country. The new headquarters will house 1,100 Express Scripts employees and have a total of 320,000 square feet, with room to expand, if needed, for future growth.
"Strong support from Gov. Matt Blunt, the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the Missouri General Assembly, University of Missouri President Elson Floyd, UMSL Chancellor Thomas F. George, St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley, and the St. Louis County Economic Council was critical to making this unique and exciting collaboration between Express Scripts and UMSL possible," said Paz.
The Express Scripts headquarters will be designed and developed by NorthPark Partners ESI as part of a development at UMSL and near Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, called University Place/NorthPark: A University of Missouri-St. Louis Business, Technology and Research Park. NorthPark Partners ESI is an alliance, whose members will include affiliates of McEagle Properties and Clayco. The general contractor is a Paric Clayco joint venture.
"After receiving very attractive proposals from other developers, we selected NorthPark Partners ESI because of its innovative approach to the site, its creative building design and the strength of the McEagle and Clayco team," said Paz.
The company's architectural consultant on the project is Christner Inc., its real estate advisor is Grubb & Ellis/Krombach Partners, and its legal advisors are Husch & Eppenberger.
Pinnacle Entertainment Breaks Ground on Downtown St. Louis Casino Resort
ST. LOUIS, (BUSINESS WIRE), September 10, 2005 - Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. broke ground Wednesday on its casino, luxury hotel and spa project in downtown St. Louis. The Company's $400 million development is one of the most ambitious construction projects in St. Louis and will create a unique destination resort in the shadow of the famed Gateway Arch.
Pinnacle's site is adjacent to the St. Louis convention district and the Laclede's Landing entertainment district. The world-class resort will open in 2007 and will include a 90,000-square-foot casino, a 200-room luxury hotel, spa, business center, fine restaurants, and 12,000-square-feet of meeting and convention space. The project is estimated to create 4,500 jobs: 700 construction jobs, 1,300 permanent jobs, and an additional 2,500 ancillary service jobs in the region.
"We scheduled this ground breaking long before Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. Our thoughts and prayers are focused on the victims of the hurricane, including our own employees and their families," said Daniel R. Lee, Chairman and CEO of Pinnacle Entertainment. "Nevertheless, our plans for downtown St. Louis are ready, our contractor is chosen and it is time to begin building the foundations.
"Our ceremony today is therefore not so much a celebration as a commemoration of the investment we are making in the City of St. Louis. We will build a destination here that will help to lead the revitalization of the City's urban core. We will also rebuild our property in Biloxi, Mississippi, which was severely damaged by the hurricane. As in St. Louis, we intend to be a good neighbor and an important contributor to the revitalization of the Gulf Coast region," Lee said.
The Company recently announced the selection of McCarthy Building Companies of St. Louis as the general contractor. Marnell Corrao Associates of Las Vegas leads the design team, which will incorporate open space and a contemporary ambiance for this project in a design inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. The project will feature a soaring tower with a dramatic light feature that will become a new icon along the St. Louis riverfront.
Pinnacle also recently announced the acquisition of the Embassy Suites Hotel adjacent to the site and approximately 3 acres of additional land in the area, giving the Company the opportunity to master plan an 18-acre redevelopment area north of the Gateway Arch.
The Company said it will attach the Embassy Suites to the new casino and luxury hotel through an elevated pedestrian walkway, incorporating it directly into the new project. "This purchase is an important piece in our ability to master plan a new entertainment district and community in downtown St. Louis," Lee said.
The Company was selected for two St. Louis-area projects in early 2004 by the City and County of St. Louis, and then by the Missouri Gaming Commission in competitive bid processes that included applications from several gaming companies. In addition to the downtown project, the Company plans to build a $375 million casino, hotel and entertainment complex in the Lemay community of St. Louis County.
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