Jorge Riopedre P’20, Executive Director of Delmar Divine, and Will Withington P’25, ’26, Executive Vice President of Global Operations at Enterprise Mobility, took the stage in Brauer Auditorium this week to share their thoughts about economics in the St. Louis region. Carla Federman, JK-12 History and Social Sciences Department Chair, moderated.
Our guests began by offering a brief introduction of themselves and an overview of the organizations for which they work, and what those organizations do. They outlined their professional history, including their paths to their current positions. Neither grew up in St. Louis, and Federman began the session by asking them how the region compares to other areas they’ve lived.
Withington, who has spent his entire career at Enterprise, confessed that he spent many years “avoiding the mothership.” He and his family lived in multiple states, including Texas, Arizona, and Minnesota, before moving to St. Louis eight years ago. “It’s a great place to raise children. St Louis seems like a big city, but it’s not. It’s easy to get around, the airport is 15 minutes away, downtown is 15 minutes away. It’s a hidden gem.” Withington noted that his commute in San Francisco was routinely two hours and laughs when St. Louisans gripe about rush hour. “It’s a great place to live and do business in,” he said.
Riopedre noted that St. Louis has one of the largest, most intense nonprofit sectors in the country. “Nonprofits make up about 13% of all jobs in the country,” he shared. “It’s not an insignificant portion of the economy. We have something like 16,000 nonprofits in St. Louis. They create jobs and make the community viable and sustainable. You can have all kinds of businesses here, but if it’s not a place you want to live, it’s not worth it.”
The Reputation of St. Louis
Federman said that St. Louis doesn’t necessarily have a reputation for business before asking, “What do you think can be done to change the city’s reputation in terms of business and investment? How can we convince other businesses and young people to come to St. Louis?”
Withington shared that the owners of Enterprise have been big supporters of attracting new people to St. Louis, ensuring we have a workforce. They also focus on helping students who may not be interested in college develop skillsets that don’t require a degree, which strengthens the community. Tax advantages for businesses can help, as does St. Louis’ robust sports and entertainment scene. He said Enterprise partners with nonprofits to help make the region more attractive to people who may move here. Riopedre’s answer centered on immigration: “If you look at thriving metros, what is a common thread? They all have thriving immigration communities.” He spoke about the Mosaic Project, a regional initiative that believes immigrants invigorate our communities. The organization recently announced that St. Louis is the largest growing metropolitan area for increasing the immigrant population by percentage. “We still have a long way to go, but we’re making progress,” he said. “A deeper, more thriving immigrant population is good for the economy and good for business.”
Riopedre did note that “We still have a racism problem in St. Louis, and that’s not good for business. It’s not good for us as human beings, of course, but it’s also not good for business. We are working on and mitigating the unfortunate past we have had in terms of racial equity, and that will attract people.”
Regional Challenges
Federman asked the guest to talk about other challenges the region faces and their thoughts on how we can overcome them. Riopedre spoke about the fragmentation of St. Louis County. “We have 90-plus municipalities, which is horrendous for business,” he said. Withington spoke to the issues with infrastructure, specifically the airport. “We’ve been talking for years about making it a world-class airport. We need to have the ability to get out of here easily and go to other places and also make it easy for people to come to St. Louis.”
“If you could wave a magic wand and get local and state government to change to help economy and business growth, what would you do,” asked Federman. Withington said that for job creation and job growth to happen, St. Louis City needs to be safer. He would like to see more funding for both police and medical resources. Riopedre reinforced his thoughts about racial equity. “Economic success will not happen without addressing our racial disparities,” he said. “This is something the city and the county should be working on, both on their own and with each other as a region, so we can address these challenges in as unified way as possible.”
The Role of Business
Federman continued, “Can you talk about the role you see business playing in the greater community or the responsibility businesses have to the community?” Withington said, “Any business in any county or city has a significant role in being in the community and having their employees involved. Many of our employees are involved in community organizations, volunteering and serving on boards.” He would like to see education for children and families on how we grow our community and help underserved parts. “Sometimes it’s time, and sometimes it’s money,” he said. “It’s a social responsibility of any company that does business in the community. It’s a major part of any business plan for any corporation.”
Riopedre said, “Corporate responsibility is vital to the work of nonprofits; that’s where most of their money comes from. Nonprofits cannot lobby by law, and there is so much that comes from power in politics. Corporations can get seats at the table—we have a great example of Enterprise—but we need more companies that lend their voices to issues in the community. That’s a part of corporate social responsibility.
Nonprofit-For Profit Partnerships
Federman asked the gentleman to explain how those profit/nonprofit partnerships are formed. Riopedre said, “The bottom line for all things is humanity; it’s human relationships, getting to know people as people and understanding what motivates each organization, each company, each person, then moving together toward a common social good. Each company will have an area of particular interest, but you’re trying to build relationships. St. Louis is a big but small community; relationships are the currency. The key is to know people and work with them in a nontransactional way.”
Withington agreed and referenced the culture at Enterprise. “Our foundation and culture was created by Jack Taylor, and he truly believed in giving back to the community. It’s been that way for 67 years, and I’ve been taught that for my whole career. We have a huge foundation, and it’s based on our employees who get involved in nonprofits. They ask for time and donations. We are involved in hundreds of organizations because our employees are involved. Our local folks get involved in local organizations. Sometimes, there are bigger efforts, like making the Arch a better place and improving the museum. It’s relationships and picking up the phone but also our employees’ personal involvement.”
“If you are thinking about students in this group who are interested in going down the business path, nonprofit or for-profit, is there advice you have for them?” Federman asked. Withington said, “Keep an open mind and learn about the companies you’ll have the opportunity to intern with as you move forward into your next level of education. Have fun with what you do. You have to be excited and want to get out of bed every day. Wake up saying, ‘I’m energized.’ If you’re not energized, find a new company. Keep your eyes open to see where you fit in. It might take you a few different jobs, but if you find the right job you’re passionate about, you’ll be a better person and employee, and you’ll make a difference.” Riopedre drove back to relationships. “Make connections with people around you,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to be connected to people smarter than you. Try to connect with them, and they will help you be better and improve your skills. If you don’t build with people, you’re not going to be energized or reach your own potential.” Withington added on an important note: Your ability to communicate with people you work with and your friends is important. The better communicator you are, the better life skills you’ll have. Surround yourself with great people, and you’ll achieve great things.”
Decline or Rise
Federman then asked each to share whether they think St. Louis is on the decline or on the rise, and why. Riopedre thought for a moment and then said, “We’re on the bubble. We could go in either direction. We have a ton of resources, both natural and human, so we have every reason to be successful. The question is an internal one; it’s a decision to be made. Are we going to deal with some of the things I said earlier to create an environment where people want to stay? If we educate you all, and you’re the best and the brightest, and you don’t come back to St. Louis, that’s a problem. Our corporate and political leaders cannot be ‘business as usual.’ The world is changing. Work together and have a purpose and a plan to move forward. If we can do that, St. Louis can be a world-class city.” Withington took a more positive position. “I’ve been here eight years, and I’ve seen so many people move back here. There’s a vibrancy among the top corporations we do business with. How do we make St. Louis better? Corporations and politicians are coming together to consider how we make STL better, how we improve infrastructure and safety and business opportunities. Worldwide Technology and Enterprise Mobility are trying to make St. Louis better. There is a declining population in Missouri, so we’re up against some headwinds, but there’s a force to make St. Louis a better place.”
Riopedre beseeched students to return home at some point. “Come back and serve your community, contribute to the place that gave you what you got to get to where you are,” he said.
“Consider being a part of our community that has so much potential. It’s already good; it can be great. I do see people coming together to recognize St. Louis’ potential. I see corporations and non-profits working well together and really contributing. St. Louis is one of the most philanthropic communities in the US, we have the bio sector with Cortex and Danforth Plant Science Center, we have some gems and are building, we are making incremental but real progress on racial equity. Those things make you feel optimistic.” Withington noted that younger employees working at Enterprise are actively involved with community service. He uses the Enterprise Foundation’s requests as a barometer for how people are getting involved and working to make our community better.
Students were then encouraged to ask their own questions, and they peppered the panel with inquiries about everything from education to starting a non-profit.
Thank you so much to Jorge Riopedre and Will Withington for spending time with our History of St. Louis students this week! Your thoughts and insights were invaluable for this class to better understand our region.