We cold-called. We pleaded. We promised anonymity. And we got a mixed bag of responses. Some politely declined. Some were disgusted by our nerve—and told us so. Some gave up the information so willingly, you’d think we’d asked for their middle name. (We probably could have pushed for their bank balances, but even we have our limits.)
In some cases, we didn’t have to ask; we just had to know where to look. The salaries of city and state employees are public record, as are tax documents for nonprofit organizations. And lucky for us, public corporations are required to reveal executive pay to the feds, which ultimately becomes public information as well.
The results of our prying present an interesting snapshot of St. Louis’ distribution of wealth (Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols makes more than twice as much per game than a member of the clergy makes in a year), but, most important, they can safely satisfy your fiscal curiosity without exposing you as a nosy neighbor.
Your secret’s safe with us.
St. Louis Salaries
Lawmakers and Court Shakers
Matt Blunt
Governor
Missouri
$120,087
Francis Slay
Mayor
City of St
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$116,142
Federal district-court judge
$162,100
Public defender
St. Louis County
$33,792 (starting)
Lawyer
Private practice
$350,000
(23 years of experience)
State court reporter
$27,276 (starting)
Lifesavers and Health Nuts
Joe Mokwa
Chief
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
$101,720
Sergeant
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
$51,000 (11 years)
Special agent in charge
Department of Defense
$131,000 (18 years)
Firefighter
St. Louis Fire Department
$38,706 (3 years)
Paramedic
St. Louis Fire Department
$33,176 (minimum)
Paramedic
Private company
$16.22/hour (3 years)
Lori DeRosear
Director
St. Louis Psychiatric Rehab Center
$152,028
Research nurse
$44,000
Emergency physician
Clayton
$160,000 (13 years)
Pharmaceutical sales rep
$98,000 (15 years)
$70,000 (bonus)
Pharmacist
$105,000 (20 years)
Massage therapist
$39,000 (14 years)
Personal trainer
$65,000 (7 years)
Physical therapist
Pro Rehab
$45,000 (3 years)
Medical transcriptionist
$36,000 (15 years)
Do-Gooders
Dan Buck
CEO
St. Patrick Center
$101,490
Social-work counselor
$32,000 (6 years)
James Cloar
Executive director
Downtown St. Louis Partnership
$252,838
Power Players
August A. Busch IV
Vice president
Anheuser-Busch
$900,000
$986,000 (bonus)
Hugh Grant
President and CEO
Monsanto
$1,037,115
$2,205,000 (bonus)
G.L. Rainwater
Chairman and CEO
Ameren
$650,000
$507,000 (bonus)
George Paz
CEO and president
Express Scripts
$571,154
$270,000 (bonus)
Ronald Schaich
Chairman and CEO
Panera
$415,385
$400,000 (bonus)
Neil Smit
President and CEO
Charter Communications
$1,200,000
$1,200,000 (bonus)
Maxine Clark
CEO
Build-a-Bear Workshop
$351,346
$878,365 (bonus)
Play-Makers
Albert Pujols*
First baseman
St. Louis Cardinals
$11,000,000
David Eckstein*
Shortstop
St. Louis Cardinals
$2,333,333
So Taguchi*
Right fielder
St. Louis Cardinals
$550,000
Isaac Bruce*
Wide receiver
St. Louis Rams
$4,700,000
Marshall Faulk*
Running back
St. Louis Rams
$4,000,000
Orlando Pace*
Defensive end
St. Louis Rams
$6,021,000
Mind-Molders
High-school math teacher
$44,000 (5 years)
Mark Wrighton
Chancellor
Washington University
$507,000
Edward Macias
Executive vice chancellor and dean
Washington University
$348,500
Stuart Jenkins
CEO
The Principia
$140,445
Tom Hoerr
Director
New City School
$180,810
Eileen Griffiths
Teacher
New City School
$60,254
The Rev. Lawrence Biondi, S.J.
President
Saint Louis University
$0†
Joseph Weixlmann
Provost
Saint Louis University
$212,000
Richard Meyers
President
Webster University
$310,188
Benjamin Ola. Akande
Dean
Webster University
$159,550
Ralph Dacey Jr.
Professor of surgery
Washington University School of Medicine
$840,639
Scott Fosko
Chair, dermatology
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
$549,122
John Tracy Watson
Professor of orthopedic surgery
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
$450,000
William Berry
Chair, psychology department
Webster University
$145,645
K. Daniel Riew
Professor of orthopedic surgery
Washington University School of Medicine
$1,093,170
Nature’s Nurturers
Peter Raven
Director
Missouri Botanical Garden
$290,395
Shannon Smith
Director of horticulture
Missouri Botanical Garden
$118,330
Luther Williams
Director of education
Missouri Botanical Garden
$176,351
Jeffrey Bonner
President and CEO
Saint Louis Zoo
$360,000
(4 years)
Zookeeper
Saint Louis Zoo
$28,634 (starting)
Curator
Saint Louis Zoo
$20,634 (starting)
Jean Steck
Executive director
The Judy Ride Foundation
$65,000
Last August, Jean Steck became the first paid employee of The Judy Ride Foundation, which hosts the Judy Ride and Tour de Judy fundraisers. Three years earlier, she left her position as deputy director of City Museum, where she made $13,000 more. A costly move, sure, but Steck wanted to stay in nonprofit work, and the downtown funhouse was transitioning to for-profit. And even though talk of salaries is a touchy subject for some, Steck is of the firm opinion that nonprofit organizations shouldn’t be cagey about opening their books. “I’m big on transparency,” she says.
Keith Jozsef
Magician/illusionist
$45,500 (11 years)
Pulling rabbits out of hats is the only job Keith Jozsef has had since high school, and as long as he can keep conjuring gasps from audiences, it’s the only job he ever wants to have. Since he went pro 11 years ago, his popularity and take-home pay have steadily increased, but he never knows exactly what’s going to happen—he’s an illusionist, not a psychic. “It’s always a crapshoot because you never know what kind of work you’re going to do,” he says, “but, for being a local performer who never drives more than a half hour for a gig, I’m very satisfied.”
Animal Lovers
Veterinarian
Brentwood
$150,000 (26 years)
Pet groomer
(salon owner)
$54,000
Gary Abelov
Pet-behavior specialist
$69,000 (23 years)
Mass-Media Messengers
Reporter
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
$66,092
(30 years)
Broadcast-operations engineer
Local television affiliate
$52,000 (26 years)
Senior television producer
Local television affiliate
$50,000
(8 years)
Radio show host
Local AM network
$96,000 (19 years)
David Lange
Sign maker
St. Louis Signs
$30,000
Freelance photographer
$50,000 (23 years)
Section editor
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
$70,000 (20 years)
Graphic designer
$35,000 (5 years)
Matthew Halverson
Managing editor
St. Louis Magazine
$34,000 (5 years)
Service Specialists
Eva Jones
Tailor
St. Louis Suit Co.
$24,960
($12/hour, 5 years)
David Werner
Real-estate agent,
city of St. Louis
$57,000 (2 years full-time, 3 years part-time)
Lamarr Powell
Car salesman
Huey’s Honda
$96,000 (8 years)
Accountant
$123,000 (24 years)
Locksmith
Kirkwood
$50,000 (20 years)
Mail carrier
Delmar Loop
$48,000 (20 years)
Computer programmer
$52,000 (7 years)
Floral designer
$27,000 (3 years)
Building Barons
Plumbing-company owner
$75,000
Paul Loveland
Owner
Loveland Electric
$100,000
Custom-home builder
$125,000 (29 years)
Interior decorator
$55,000 (16 years)
Roofer
$30,000
Architect
$125,000 (partner, 15-plus years)
Masters Of Movement
Flight attendant
$60,000 (13 years)
Airplane captain
$144,000
Parking-lot attendant
Clayton
$27,000 (18 years)
Cabdriver
Central West End
$36,000 (3 years)
Valet supervisor
$26,000
Tow-truck driver
$36,000 (9 years)
Nightlifers
Eric Brenner
Executive chef, owner
Moxy Bistro
$65,000
(10 years’ experience)
Bartender
$45,000 (1.5 years)
Bouncer
$100/night
Barista
$11.75/hour
(3 years)
Heavenly Creatures
Professor of theology
$60,000
Member of the clergy
$33,530 (plus housing and utilities)
Catholic nun
(with teaching duties)
$35,554 (20 years)
Culture-Keepers
Robert Archibald
President
Missouri Historical Society
$366,900
W.R. Adams
Executive director
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
$209,500
Stephanie Riven
Executive director
COCA
$130,000
Dance instructor
$32,000
Kelly Lamb Pollack
Development director
COCA
$72,100
Ballet dancer
Alexandra Ballet Company
$750-$1,000 per performance
Willie Akins
Jazz performer
$100, local gig
$350, out of town
Mark Sparks
Principal flutist
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
$163,381
(5 years with SLSO)
Curator
Saint Louis Art Museum
$53,000 (starting)
Installation technician
Saint Louis Art Museum
$25,500 (starting)
Cynthia Bohnenstiehl
Center administrator
Wildlife Center of Missouri
$45,000
For most people, salary is only part of a compensation package; throw in 401(k) and health benefits and you’re looking at thousands of dollars more per year. Not so for Cynthia Bohnenstiehl. What you see is what she gets. But that’s OK with her. The money wasn’t what attracted her to the job in 2004. “There’s so much satisfaction here on a regular basis,” she says. “I’m part of an organization that saves lives every day.”
Marc Mendolia
Wedding consultant
Andre’s West
$50,000
(1 year)
Four years of event planning in college made a gig as a wedding consultant seem like a natural progression for Marc Mendolia, but, truth be told, it was the student loans that made him take the job. It’s a sales job, he says, so it’s up to him just how quickly he pays off those loans, but considering that he started with a base salary of $24,500 and ended the year at roughly $50,000, he’s well on his way. “What I made this year—for hospitality—it’s above average,” he says.
Justin Stewart
Lead singer of Groovethang/owner of Authentic Music Productions
$63,000 total/ $25,000 from the band
(eight years in the band)
When Justin Stewart founded Steely Dan cover band Groovethang in 1997, he had no fiscal expectations, no lofty hopes of a two-comma salary. “We did it because we wanted to make music,” he says. “If we happened to make money, then cool.” He had 25,000 reasons to feel cool last year, but the fringe benefits of controlling his own occupational destiny and never punching a clock were worth a lot more. “The most profitable business is doing something you love,” he says. “That $25,000 I made from the band feels like $75,000.”
* Source: USA Today
† SLU writes a single check to the Jesuit community for the living expenses of Jesuits at the University
