Regional Business Council

Programs: Quality of life: supporting regional issues to improve the quality of life in the region by engaging in activities which make the region a better place to live and work-supported concordance academy's efforts to help individuals returning to the community from prison. -built relationships between the business community and elected officials in leadership roles to reduce violent crime in the region. - supported better together and the city and county's efforts to provide a more comprehensive approach to the delivery of services. - invested $20,000 in the leadership council of southwestern illinois to support scott air force base and to address regional issues. - strengthened the relationship between the business community and the national geospatial-intelligence agency to ensure the successful completion of their 21st-century campus designated as next nga west. - supported collaborations between city and county agencies, specifically related to economic development, to provide a unified plan for the region's growth. - supported the growth and development of lambert-st. Louis international airport. - worked with civic progress to restructure the st. Louis metropolitan police department with the guidance of former boston police commissioner paul f. Evans. - supported two campaigns to pass proposition p in both st. Louis city and county to generate new revenue for police and public safety. - collaborated in a cross-sector group led by the st. Louis economic development partnership to put together a competitive bid for amazon's new campus to be built in the st. Louis region. - provided leadership and financial support to the st. Louis police foundation to ensure city and county officers received much needed training, equipment, and technology.

philanthropy: to increase the level of giving and involvement of rbc members and the business community in the united way and a myriad of other nonprofit organizations. - raised over $14 million for the united way of greater st. Louis. - collaborated with local foundations and charitable organizations to increase overall philanthropy in the region and among rbc members. - encouraged and facilitated member participation on community boards and commissions to expand rbc members' involvement and commitment to the community. - contributed $50,000 to develop new leadership-level givers through the rbc's matching gift fund for the united way, building capacity for the future of local charitable giving. - implemented the sixth round of it's our region fund grant program allocating $138,000 for 25 capital improvement projects through the "small change, big impact" initiative supporting local non-profit agencies. - partnered with washington university's olin business school and the brown school of social work to sponsor three non-profit executives to complete the certificate in management for non-profit leaders from washington university- developed a new web-platform, givable, that provides non-profit organizations with donations and exposure through daily emails featuring local non-profits. - invested $25,000 in st. Louis college prep, a charter school in st. Louis serving kids in grades 5-9. - invested $25,000 in st. Louis bworks which offers after-school learning experiences in which students take a six-week course where they learn to build a bike or code a computer. - invested $25,000 in st. Martin's child center which is a daycare serving children in north county ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. - invested $10,000 in stl youth jobs, a cross-sector collaborative to connect underprivileged st. Louis youth (16-24) with meaningful employment experiences via a proven model of paid work placement, job readiness and financial literacy training and career support. - invested $10,000 in kingdom house which provides intensive year-round services to low income st. Louis families providing comprehensive programming for infants, youth, families and seniors to address endemic poverty. - invested $30,000 in north side community school, a pre-k through 5th grade public charter school serving 415 students in st. Louis city. - invested in the cultural infrastructure of st. Louis by supporting local arts initiatives and institutions, including the st. Louis symphony orchestra and the arts and education council.

diversity and inclusion: to develop and promote a globally diverse workforce and minority-friendly business community to ensure our region remains relevant and competitive in the 21st century. - filled board seats at civic organizations with members of the young professionals network's leadership 100. - provided $50,000 to the urban league of metropolitan st. Louis to develop the ferguson community empowerment center to provide resources to north county residents. - invested $40,000 in both the hispanic chamber of commerce and the asian-american chamber of commerce to promote minority-owned businesses and diverse professionals.

education reform: to invest in the economic future of our region by advancing opportunities for learning and academic excellence for every child in the region, especially disadvantaged youth. - contributed $75,000 in funding to grow the knowledge is power program (kipp) charter schools network by bringing qualified teachers and principals to st. Louis. - funded summer programming for over 600 students in north county through the ymca of greater st. Louis and globalhack. - allocated $25,000 to help establish a new k-12 education reform organization. - worked with local and state-wide leadership to support the stabilization of st. Louis public schools and the special administrative board. - invested $50,000 to fund the education, economic development, housing, and community outreach programs of better family life to help at risk youth and address issues of crime and policing in the city of st. Louis and north county. - monitored education policy at the state level and worked with the missouri department of elementary and secondary education to improve educational outcomes. - invested $20,000 to promote vocational and technical training through the jennings career prep academy. Talent development: to attract, retain and develop talented young, diverse professionals in the st. Louis region by providing them with valuable opportunities for networking, professional development and community involvement. In addition, to address the gaps in the post-secondary workforce pipeline by supporting organizations and initiatives that provide both technical and soft skills training for high-demand careers that require specialized training such as it, healthcare, manufacturing and the trades. - allocated $50,000 to the urban league of metropolitan st louis' save our sons program to provide job training for african-american men in north county and city. - partnered with the missouri chamber of commerce to educate regional teachers and counselors on the need for skilled workers in targeted fields. - provided technology and professional skills training for under-resourced young adults through a $25,000 investment in npower. - provided $5,000 to sponsor a job fair through venture for america in order to attract, develop and retain entrepreneurial talent in st. Louis- fostered mentoring opportunities with senior leaders from rbc companies for 145 college students across the state through the mentor network, expanding into high need sectors such as information technology. - arranged targeted networking and peer-based learning on best practices in talent development for hr executives in rbc companies. -hosted networking events, civic engagement, and professional development for young professionals in st. Louis.