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20) Robert Fraley
Chief Technology Officer, Monsanto
What’s it like to stand at the frontier where cutting-edge science meets a centuries-old practice? “It’s the interface between excitement and terror,” says  Robb Fraley, sitting in his office at Monsanto’s world headquarters in Creve Coeur.

Since working with a team of scientists to splice a foreign gene into a petunia in 1981, Fraley has, among other things, helped roll out both pest-proof cotton and Roundup-immune soybeans. Along the way, he’s watched Monsanto—a chemical company once known for developing everything from rubber gloves to herbicides—go from plunging stock prices in 2002 to the present, where Monsanto now stands as the world’s largest seed and biotechnology company (last year it boasted more than $8.6 billion in sales). In so doing, he’s planted the seed of a new industry that’s just beginning to sprout.

“Where we’re at in the ag biotech field today feels an awful lot like what it must have been like in the 1960s with computers,” he says. “We’re just starting to enter a period where these tools are going to change not only how we grow crops and how we produce food, but in many cases how we deliver health and nutrition and provide fuel for the planet.”

Having cornered the genetically modified seed market, Monsanto stands to take its place as the Microsoft of a rapidly developing industry. The company’s success has been particularly good for Fraley: In January the National Academy of Sciences awarded him its prestigious Award for the Industrial Application of Science. Last November, he earned nearly $6.7 million after selling a large share of stock. But Monsanto’s success has not come without controversy. In May Vanity Fair ran a biting article about the company’s oft-criticized practice of suing farmers for what the company claims is illegal use of its patented seeds.

Through it all Fraley leads the company’s R&D charge, believing that genetically modified seeds can not only secure the world’s food and fuel supply, but also alter the region’s economy. “It’s clear that biotechnology is changing a lot of the fabric of the area,” says Fraley, whose office on Monsanto’s 500-acre campus is surrounded by genetically engineered plants. “In many ways, it sets the blueprint for what’s possible for the bistate region and much of the future economic opportunity for St. Louis.”

In 2009: As the company continues to develop new products, progress and controversy are bound to ensue.

21) Wm. Lacy Clay
U.S. Representative, Missouri, 1st District
With his reelection this year, Wm. Lacy Clay leaves little doubt that the skills of the father have passed down to the son. Since assuming the seat once held by his father, Rep. Clay has distinguished himself as the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives. Closer to home, he’s become a strong advocate for electoral reform and has co-sponsored legislation that would crack down on predatory lending. He’s also developing a reputation as a pol undaunted by a scrap, as when he told Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., that Cohen, who is white, would not be joining the Congressional Black Caucus, a historically African-American group.

In 2009: Expect Rep. Clay to expand his influence both at home and on the Hill.

22) Bill DeWitt Jr.
Managing Partner and Chairman,
St. Louis Cardinals
(Rank in 2006: 5)
Two sets of letters dominate Bill DeWitt Jr.’s bio: G.W.B. and MLB. As a longtime fundraiser for President Bush, DeWitt’s friendship with G.W.B. increases his national pull. As a one-time St. Louis Browns batboy, DeWitt has loved the MLB since childhood. That said, a third set of letters demands mention: M.B.A. Baseball has changed, the Harvard grad said before the new Busch Stadium opened: “Now it’s about entertainment, meals, convenience, quality, amenities.” For proof of his prowess as a balance-sheet slugger, one need only consult Forbes magazine, which notes that since DeWitt’s investor group bought the Cardinals, the team’s value has increased from $150 million to $484 million.

In 2009: DeWitt will remind the Cardinals—forcefully—that the team’s new stadium was built to house winners.

23) Joe Edwards
Mayor of the Delmar Loop
(Rank in 2006: 22)
Can Joe Edwards get his own star on the Walk of Fame already? Since opening Blueberry Hill, it seems like the ponytailed developer has altered the scenery along Delmar just about every year—whether redeveloping The Pageant or handpicking boutiques to fill his properties. More recently, he’s expanded his sphere of influence to include Washington Avenue, where he recently opened Flamingo Bowl. These successes in the rearview mirror, Edwards’ biggest project is yet to come—the Moonrise Hotel, a 125-room boutique hotel on Delmar with a restaurant and rooftop patio.

In 2009: Besides the Moonrise Hotel’s spring opening, Edwards continues to push for a vintage trolley system. And with the success of Flamingo Bowl, you have to wonder if he has bigger plans for Washington Avenue.

24) Jack Oliver III
Chairman, Bryan Cave Strategies
If George W. Bush’s presidency ever gave you pause, you might want to ring up Jack Oliver III. The man Time magazine once dubbed the “Brigadier of Bucks,” Oliver managed Bush’s $240 million reelection committee and helped raise more than
$1 billion for W’s two presidential campaigns. His division at Bryan Cave gives “strategic counsel” to corporations looking to improve their governmental relations. Recently, he’s raised more than $500,000 for McCain, while also co-chairing ONE Vote ’08, an offshoot of Bono’s antipoverty campaign.

In 2009: Oliver credits a couple of treks to Africa with refueling his fire to serve others. We’re thinking that fire will involve burning a few elephant party chits and becoming its next homegrown star.

25) Ron Kruszewski
President and CEO, Stifel Nicolaus
If wealth is power, then Ron Kruszewski (pronounced Kru-chef-ski) is right at home on this list. Under his leadership, Stifel Nicolaus has grown in the past decade to become the nation’s 12th largest brokerage firm, earning a whopping $793 million in revenue in 2007. Kruszewski is also on the board of directors of the Angelica Corporation and Downtown St. Louis Partnership, Inc. Most recently, he helped the city and The Cordish Companies reach an agreement for funding Ballpark Village.

In 2009: Look for Kruszewski to make more headlines as Ballpark Village begins to take shape. He’s remained central to negotiations with the mayor, Cards president Bill DeWitt III and The Cordish Companies VP Blake Cordish. And this September, Kruszewski bought 150,000 square feet of office space at Ballpark Village.

26) Rex Sinquefield
Founder and President,
Show-Me Institute
Growing up in a St. Louis orphanage, Rex Sinquefield learned the power of ideas. But it was one idea in particular that gave him power: “You can’t beat the market.” Ever since, Sinquefield’s pioneering index funds have changed the way America invests. Now he’s come home to share both his fortune and his convictions. Through his think-tank and multiple PACs, Sinquefield is changing the political conversation. Is he powerful enough to wipe out state taxes, earnings taxes and the minimum wage? No way. But he is powerful enough to have his questions taken seriously.

In 2009: He’ll be playing chess on several boards at once—at his new chess center in the CWE, on the national political circuit, in the St. Louis Public Schools and in the Missouri legislature.

27) Michael Roberts
Chairman and CEO
Steven Roberts
Chairman and COO,
The Roberts Companies
(Rank in 2006: 21)
City aldermen–turned–entrepreneurs, Michael and Steven Roberts oversee one of the largest—and most diversified—business ventures in St. Louis. With $125 million in total revenue last year (a 27.5 percent increase from ’06), the brothers have defied the economy’s slump—an impressive feat, considering their empire consists largely of real-estate holdings. As other developers circle their wagons, the Roberts brothers are pushing ahead with the Roberts Tower, a LEED Gold–expected luxury high-rise that is scheduled for completion next year and will be the first of its type in the Midwest. Equally impressive: It will be the first residential high-rise to be built downtown in 40 years.

In 2009: The Robertses will have built it (green), but with the housing market in the doldrums, will they come?

28) Pete Rahn
Director, Missouri Department of Transportation
Forcing St. Louisans to find a new way around town, redirecting traffic from businesses, causing you to miss that important meeting—this is the power of Pete Rahn. There’s no question that Highway 40 needed a makeover, but MoDOT’s four-year, $535 million approach is enough to make Ty Pennington blush. Though the project’s design-build method, meant to shave years off construction time, is a state first, the novel approach hasn’t insulated it from a bevy of local critics. Still, only time will tell where the project leaves the road—and Rahn’s legacy.

In 2009: As the project enters its final phases—shutting down Highway 40 from I-170 to Kingshighway for an entire year—look for a rise in side-street traffic, Metro use and our stress levels.

29) Rev. James T. Morris
Pastor, Lane Tabernacle CME Church
(Rank in 2006: 41)
When former fire chief Sherman George was demoted last year, Rev. James T. Morris stood on the steps of City Hall and told a crowd, “There is a time to pray, and then there is a time to get up off your knees and go to work.” Morris put those words into action this year by running for state representative. His prayers were answered in April when the Missouri Ethics Commission disqualified his opponent, Sam Coleman, and left the door wide open for Morris to step into dual roles of politician and preacher.

In 2009: A supporter of stem-cell research, an opponent of the death penalty and an advocate for the poor, the shepherd of Lane Tabernacle CME Church will have a new pulpit from which to preach.

30) August A. Busch IV et famille
Beer Barons Emeriti
(Rank in 2006: 4)
Baseball, beer and the Busches.

Decade after decade, that trio of B’s loomed large in the Lou. Then, in 1995, August Busch III sold the St. Louis Cardinals to an investment group led by Bill DeWitt Jr. That came as a gigawatt shock to many St. Louisans, but not even the gloomiest local doomsayer would have predicted the drama of this past July, when the Belgian-Brazilian corporation InBev bought Anheuser-Busch itself—lock, stock and 122-megabarrel production.

Admittedly, the $52 billion deal came as less of a surprise to industry analysts. Last February, for example, The Wall Street Journal mentioned InBev–
A-B merger discussions, stating “reports of the talks surfaced as long as a year ago.”

Be that as it may, the deal raises intriguing questions for the family. Namely, can the Busches, sans brewery, continue as bona fide power brokers? Conversely, will the family morph into merely moneyed also-rans—outfoxed by a company based in Belgium?

Also in question is how the acrimonious pas de deux will affect the Busch dynasty’s dynamic. For instance, when soon-to-be-former A-B president and CEO August A. Busch IV was publicly fighting the sale, his uncle, Adolphus A. Busch IV, came out in support of the acquisition. Meanwhile, Andrew D. Busch, another uncle, publicly spoke in favor of A-B’s continued independence. “There are obviously conflicting opinions inside the Busch family,” an industry analyst waggishly observed at the time. One kept expecting a Cousin Aloysius or an Aunt Arabella to chime in.

In any event, shed no tears for August IV. The son of August III and great-great-grandson of A-B’s founder, Adolphus Busch, “the Fourth” has signed on to advise InBev CEO Carlos Brito. His contract’s terms include a $10.35 million payout and then a monthly salary of $120,000 through 2013. (That annualizes to approximately $1.4 million—roughly his A-B pay, excluding bonuses and the infamous corporate “other compensation”—but really, who’s counting?) Moreover, if this new brew goes skunky, the former prince of Pestalozzi and Seventh can always sign with Budejovický Budvar—the spunky Czech Republic brewery that long fought A-B for rights to the Budweiser trade name in the European Union.

In 2009: August A. Busch IV will keep a low profile at InBev until he can see how the foam settles with the A-B sale.

31. Richard Callow
President and Founder, Public Eye Inc.
(Rank in 2006: 14)

Who did the Cardinals tap when they needed help lobbying for Busch Stadium tax breaks? Richard Callow. And who did Devlin attorneys Ethan Corlija and Michael Kielty enlist when they found themselves staring down the lens of the national media? That was Callow. And who will ramp up his operations as he prepares Mayor Francis Slay for his reelection bid? Yes: Callow, again. Love him or hate him—and really, the city seems pretty much divided on this one—it’s hard to deny that when the powerful need to hit just the right note, they head to Callow for voice lessons.

In 2009: Expect Callow to get in high gear to earn Mayor Slay a third term.

32) Steve Lipstein
President and CEO, BJC HealthCare
(Rank in 2006: 16)
Steve Lipstein oversees a vast healthcare empire. The figures alone are sick: With more than 26,000 employees, BJC is the city’s largest employer. It earns an estimated $2.8 billion in net revenue per year. The organization boasts 13 medical centers—including such gems as Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals—and an affiliation with Washington University’s renowned School of Medicine. That kind of reach changes—and saves—thousands of lives every single day. There’s nothing sick about that.

In 2009: The BJC Institute of Health—a joint project between Washington University and Barnes-Jewish—continues to rise at the corner of Euclid and Children’s Place. When it opens in late 2009, the 11-story building will house five new research centers that will investigate diseases like cancer, diabetes and more.

33) Kenneth and Nancy Kranzberg
Philanthropists
(Rank in 2006: 24)
While the Kranzbergs show significant support for Wash. U. (ever heard of the Nancy Spirtas Kranzberg Studio for the Illustrated Book or the Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library?) and most of the city’s major arts institutions, local artists often toast the couple for their support of … local artists. “They buy,” one insider tells us. “I know people for whom that’s made a big difference.” Between Nancy’s forthright commentaries on KMWU, her own show on KDHX and their commitment to first-rate second-tier endeavors—the Sheldon, Jazz at the Bistro, Laumeier Sculpture Park and Grand Center (home to the new Kranzberg Cultural Arts Center)—the couple feels like St. Louis’ very own patrons of the people.

In 2009: Kranson Industries/TricorBraun, which Ken chairs, brought in $740 million in 2007—up from $541 million in 2006. As its revenue grows, so do our area institutions.

34) Kevin X. McGowan
Founder and President, Blue Urban
First there’s the power of vision: Kevin McGowan early on saw a loft district where others saw only addled buildings. Then there’s the power of scope: He saw the need for an integrated infrastructure for downtown’s newfangled development. The power of the hard sell: He’s auctioned condos as five-minute impulse buys. The power of scale: He’s the largest developer in the city. And the power of sheer arrogance: He once described the ideal boss as “a benevolent dictator.” (Luckily, there’s also the power of Irish charm, and McGowan’s got it in spades.)

In 2009: McGowan’s restless drive will push him beyond his new Ohio office to the national projects his brothers never wanted.

35) John and Alison Ferring
Philanthropists
John Ferring runs the St. Clair–based custom aerosol packaging provider Plaze Inc., which is capable of manufacturing 75 million aerosol cans per shift and last year earned an estimated $144 million in revenue. But Ferring and his wife, Alison, an artist and docent, have made their most substantive impact on St. Louis as philanthropists: at least $1 million to SLAM and the Contemporary, an endowed medical chair at Wash. U. and Children’s Hospital and at least $100,000 to Teach for America. The Ferrings also walk the walk when it comes to donating their time: John chairs the board at the Contemporary and is the past chairman of Forest Park Forever, while Alison’s on the board at COCA and is a past board member for the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis.

In 2009: Fundraising insiders say the couple is capable of even larger gifts and that in the coming years we’ll learn how—and where—they really want to leave their mark.

36) Kim Tucci
Co-Founder and President,
The Pasta House Co.
A classic connector, Kim Tucci spends his days shuffling between roles: As a commissioner for the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, he’ll chat with Mayor Slay. As chairman of The Billiken Club, he’ll meet with Father Biondi. As a member of the Loop Trolley Company, he may squeeze in a coffee with Joe Edwards. And that’s to say nothing of his informal duties for Sen. Claire McCaskill (example: she used Tucci’s office to prep for debates during her campaign). Oh, and yeah: He also runs The Pasta House, which this year expects to exceed $65 million in revenue.

In 2009: With two new grandsons, Tucci’s keeping a sharper eye on his time. But that hasn’t stopped The Pasta House from growing; new restaurants are opening in Illinois and Missouri.

37) Timothy Eberlein, M.D.
Director, Siteman Cancer Center
People used to call it “The Big C,” whispering as if it were contagious. Though still a killer, cancer these days is often a chronic disease—and a sobering number of St. Louisans have Siteman to thank for that. As surgeon-in-chief at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and a director of the Association of American Cancer Institutes, Tim Eberlein runs the Siteman Cancer Center well. He’s also a creative thinker, forging partnerships with the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Danforth Plant Science Center to develop plant-based treatments. And really, if saving lives isn’t power, what is?

In 2009: He’ll be empire-building, continuing to extend Siteman’s reach to its St. Peters and West County outposts, while urging colleagues to join him at the frontiers of nanomedicine and robotic surgery.

38) Anna Crosslin
President and CEO,
International Institute of St. Louis
(Rank in 2006: 43)
After 30 years with the International Institute, securing grant money is less of a challenge these days for Anna Crosslin. Still, a quick scan of the attitudes that prevail on AM talk radio makes it clear that xenophobia is alive and well and that Crosslin’s job can’t be easy. Widely respected, she’s tough enough to deflect that negativity and keep millions of dollars flowing in for everything from resettlement programs to English classes to flu shots. She’s also creative enough to nurture intercultural understanding through events like the Festival of Nations.

In 2009: Now that Crosslin’s in her late fifties, there’s been speculation about who will take over for the “Godmother of the International Institute.” It will be interesting to see what sort of legacy she prepares to leave behind.

39) Brent Benjamin
Director, Saint Louis Art Museum
(Rank in 2006: 42)
His museum may not have wowed you in recent years with get-your-tix-early exhibitions, but since his 1999 arrival Brent Benjamin has been doing what museum directors get paid big bucks to do: making expansion dreams come true. SLAM is now breaking ground on a $125 million expansion—the most significant addition to what is arguably the city’s most significant institution. Regardless of your take on the design—modern (too modern?) but modest (too modest?)—credit the man at the top for marshalling the people, plans and green ($100 million so far) to make it happen.

In 2009: More of the same—the expansion won’t be completed until 2011. And while SLAM recently implemented an early retirement program to reduce its staff size during construction, the less-anticipated departures of a handful of curators and the head of development and external affairs could have Benjamin’s board concerned about morale.