In Missouri, there’s a lot more happening under the surface than you might imagine. This issue of Missouri Business explores that idea quite literally. Mining has played a huge role in the development of our state. Even today, Missouri continues to be home to one of the world’s largest lead mining districts, producing some of the highest-quality lead on earth.
Read more
TJ Bangs places his hand on the biometric palm scanner. Instantly, the bolted doors in front of him unlock, granting access to one of the most secure places in Missouri—the LightEdge Solutions data center room. Inside, tall racks of computers provide digital cloud storage for banks, healthcare providers, insurance companies, and others. The room is more than 100 feet underground,
Read more
A gem in the Ozarks, hidden from the elements and kept a comfortable 58 degrees year round, Springfield Underground is home to 55 acres of commercial space. Springfield Underground is commercial real estate located 100 feet below ground in a cave. Its unusual location serves as a natural protector for its occupants. Originally a limestone mine, the facility is 2.4
Read more
Three miles into Buick Mine, Joe Vaughn points his flashlight at a rock wall. A vein of silvery-grey ore sparkles in the light. “That’s the lead,” says Vaughn, mine superintendent at Doe Run’s Buick and Brushy Creek Mines. “That’s what we’re after.” Vaughn is 1,200 feet underground, nearly a quarter-mile down. The wall in front of him is pocked with
Read more
Charles Schwab’s most recent generational study shows investors between the ages of 30 and 45 control nearly $3.5 trillion in investable assets. What’s more, over the next three decades, $16 trillion in investable assets is projected to transfer to the next generation. Numbers like this tend to pique financial advisors’ interest. An extraordinary amount of money is set to change
Read more
Missouri derives approximately 82 percent of its electric power from coal, but a new Environmental Protection Agency rule could require the state to shut down more than 21 percent of this generation, significantly impacting costs and reliability. On June 2, 2014, the EPA announced its proposed Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources, dubbed the Clean Power Plan (CPP),
Read more
Deep inside Missouri’s only nuclear energy center, you can actually feel power being generated. Steam pulses through the plant’s giant turbine column—spinning at 1,800 rotations per minute, causing a deafening hum and a slight, but palpable, vibration. “That’s what you’re feeling,” says Barry Cox, senior director of nuclear operations, standing beside the turbines. “They’re just massive, absolutely massive.” Everything feels
Read more