Missouri is a lot of things. We are a manufacturing powerhouse. We are a leader in health care. We have one of the fastest growing high-tech economies. Oh, and we’re also home to the Stanley Cup. And although we are all those things, we are also something else that we often take for granted. Missouri is mostly a giant farm.
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By now I’m sure you’ve heard about the tornado that struck Jefferson City on May 22. The storm’s path took it straight through the heart of the city. As it entered town, the tornado demolished part of the Riley Auto Group’s dealership campus. From there it proceeded northeast through businesses, homes and apartments before crashing through the city’s downtown historic
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I’d like to begin by paying respects to Jo Frappier, the former president of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who passed away in January. Jo was a transformative leader. Throughout his career, Jo protected the free enterprise system and amplified the voice of the state’s business community. While it’s been more than 20 years since he retired, Jo’s
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We need Missourians to let their elected officials know that Missouri cares about this issue. Lawmakers need to know that we are watching when they accept trial attorney donations. We need them to turn away this money and focus their efforts on reforming our court system.
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I’ve been thinking about our state slogan. For more than a century, Missouri has been the Show-Me State. That stands as one of the more unique state slogans and has been widely adopted and adapted across Missouri. While outsiders are often mystified by it, Missourians know that being the Show-Me State is meant as praise of our healthy skepticism. It
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On behalf of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, I would like to wish you a happy Independence Day. As a state that’s long been a mecca for barbeque and fireworks — the mainstays of this holiday — it’s safe to say that no place celebrates the Fourth of July better than Missouri. There is something special about fireworks
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Happy 95th anniversary! The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry was founded on April 6, 1923. To celebrate our anniversary, our staff in Jefferson City threw a small party on April 6. We ate the cake pictured on the cover of this magazine. In truth, we could have used a much bigger cake. That’s because this anniversary is dedicated to
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This summer I had the pleasure of serving on the Governor’s Innovation Task Force. It was an honor to be chosen by Gov. Eric Greitens to work alongside many of our state’s top doers and most creative business minds. Our task force was charged with finding ways to bolster economic innovation and help startups thrive here. We hosted workshop meetings
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The people who know me best understand that I don’t like big gifts. When shopping for me, my family and friends know to look for something small. It should be something that’s simple and yet very useful. But most important, it should be plastic and wallet-sized and sport a Bass Pro Shops logo — a gift card to one of
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On the topic of Missouri’s transportation system, it’s easy to be a pessimist. Over the decades, our state’s hilly geography and numerous rivers led to the construction of thousands of bridges. Today, 860 of them are in poor condition. Our primary artery, Interstate 70, is crowded and expected to become even more congested in the coming years. Road fatalities climbed
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Missouri Business 