The St. Louis Business 500 highlights some of the metro area’s most impactful, innovative, and inspirational leaders, from C-suite executives to under-the-radar entrepreneurs across an array of industries.
Beyond the brief bios below, we created a questionnaire to shed light on some of these leaders’ achievements, aspirations, and interests beyond the office. Click the names highlighted in blue for more interesting insights from some of St. Louis’ top business leaders.
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Colleen Starkloff
Co-founder, Starkloff Disability Institute
It’s difficult to quantify the impact that Starkloff has had on the disability rights movement. Along with her husband, Max (1937–2010), and fellow disability advocate David Newburger, Colleen co-founded the Starkloff Disability Institute in 2003 to help people with disabilities attain economic independence. Over the past two decades, the organization has developed programming to empower job candidates with disabilities and lobbied on their behalf. While Starkloff retired in 2022 after a 50-year career, she continues her advocacy to this day.
Dr. Donald Suggs
Publisher and Owner, St. Louis American
Much has changed in the 40 years since Suggs took the helm at the St. Louis American. One of his first big decisions came in 1984, when he made the paper available free of charge, a move that expanded its circulation to more than 30,000 by the early 1990s. Both Suggs and the newspaper have won myriad awards, and he’s played a key role in the community in other ways, creating the St. Louis American Foundation and serving on numerous boards, including the Saint Louis Art Museum, Greater St. Louis Inc., Grand Center Inc., Urban League, and others.
Tony Thompson
President and CEO, Kwame Building Group
In 1991, Thompson founded what would become the first Black-owned ESOP corporation in Missouri. Previously, he put his engineering background to use during stops at Monsanto and Anheuser-Busch. For more than 30 years, Thompson has worked in both the public and private sectors, on a range of noteworthy projects. He has also remained involved in several civic organizations and recently received lifetime achievement awards from the St. Louis Construction Consortium, as well as 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
CEO and Founder, Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation
Joyner-Kersee’s athletic talents took her around the world, yet the Olympic track and field legend (and six-time gold medalist) never forgot her home in East St. Louis. She founded the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation to give back and lift up children in her hometown community. With Joyner-Kersee at the lead, the organization inspires, empowers, and encourages children with safe and fun activities, from athletics programs to after-school opportunities, summer camps, and more.
Kathy Osborn
President Emeritus, Regional Business Council
Osborn helped launch the Regional Business Council in 2000 with an ambitious goal: to transform the region into a place where anyone can thrive. Today, the RBC is composed of a range of CEOs from some of the region’s largest employers, which together employ approximately 120,000 people and account for $65 billion in annual revenue. After a distinguished career, Osborn announced her retirement last year, but she remains involved with the RBC, working on special projects.
Ken and Nancy Kranzberg
Co-founders, Kranzberg Arts Foundation
What began with the purchase of a $90 painting has transformed into a lifetime celebrating the arts. Today, it’s hard to imagine St. Louis without the Kranzbergs. The couple founded the Kranzberg Arts Foundation in 2006 to promote the artists, venues, and spaces that make St. Louis’ arts scene so vibrant. The nonprofit passionately champions artistic expression and has transformed the heart of the city along the way. Thanks to the Kranzbergs’ leadership, KAF has created residencies, events, spaces, and support for a wide range of artists.
Founder, Oasis
Since it was founded in 1983, Oasis has helped adults over age 50 live rich, fulfilling lives through community building and dynamic programming, such as the Magnificent Theater of Life, a series of presentations and discussions about the “complex life chapter of death and dying.” This nonprofit’s vision was established and led by Mann, who identified a need in our country that continues to build. “The population of people over 60 is growing rapidly, and the need for what Oasis offers and how our programs empower people is growing with it,” she says.
President Emeritus, Missouri Botanical Garden
After serving as director of the National Botanic Gardens in Ireland, Wyse Jackson succeeded Peter Raven as president of the Missouri Botanical Garden in 2010. Over the past 15 years, he’s remained one of the world’s foremost botanists and plant conservationists, leading important work in St. Louis and abroad. While his work has centered on plants, he doesn’t take for granted the support of humans. “Our work is people-centered, both our staff and visitors,” says Wyse Jackson, who recently transitioned to the role of president emeritus. “Our diverse staff has the satisfaction and the challenge of doing critically important work; we want to be sure we treat them with the respect, in every way, that such important work merits.”
Rich McClure
Former President and CEO, UniGroup
For more than a decade, McClure led UniGroup, the multibillion-dollar parent company of Mayflower Transit, United Van Lines, and UniGroup Logistics. His impact on the business community is immeasurable—and his philanthropic efforts are equally noteworthy. He’s served on the boards of multiple nonprofits, co-chairing the Ferguson Commission, as well as chairing the boards of the United Way of Greater St. Louis, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and Civic Progress. In 2024, the United Way of Greater St. Louis recognized McClure for his outstanding service.
Tom Schlafly
Chairman, The Saint Louis Brewery; Senior Counsel, Thompson Coburn
Few have done more for the local craft brewing scene than Schlafly—who just happens to be a successful attorney (as senior counsel at Thompson Coburn) and a minority owner of the St. Louis Blues. Schlafly co-founded The Saint Louis Brewery, brewer of Schlafly Beer, in 1991 and still serves as its chairman. Today, it spans several area locations and is the largest American-owned brewery in the state. He’s also a trustee of the Saint Louis Art Museum and serves on the board of the St. Louis Public Library.
Andy Taylor
Executive Chairman, Enterprise Mobility
Taylor has had an enormous impact in shaping the region. From helping run the family business, which made more than $35 billion in revenue during fiscal year 2023, to donating to local causes and philanthropic endeavors, Taylor continues to play a major role in how St. Louis will look for years to come. Recently, he contributed a founding investment in the Taylor Geospatial Engine, which will work to publicize and bring to market new research relevant to the geospatial industry. Taylor and his wife, Barbara, have also donated millions to Washington University and continue to support St. Louis CITY SC as members of its ownership group.
Anna Crosslin
Former CEO, International Institute of St. Louis
Although she retired from her longtime role as CEO of the International Institute in 2021, Crosslin has maintained a visible presence in St. Louis. She recently served as a member of the St. Louis Charter Commission, a citizen-led board that spent the past two years reviewing and suggesting updates to the city’s constitution. Crosslin’s past work with the International Institute also continues to shape the region’s future, particularly as St. Louis prioritizes attracting immigrants to boost the population and bolster the local workforce.
Bob Fox
Co-founder, Clark-Fox Family Foundation
Along with his wife, Maxine Clark, Fox has been a notable St. Louis philanthropist for decades. In addition to offering generous donations to an array of local causes, Fox has played an instrumental role in the formation of several local organizations. He is a founding member of the board of Washington University’s Gephardt Institute’s National Advisory Council, which prepares students for impactful careers in civic service. Fox, who served in the U.S. Air Force before earning degrees from Drury University and Saint Louis University, served on SLU’s board of trustees from 2006 to 2022. He and Clark are also founding sponsors of Teach For America and KIPP Charter Schools in St. Louis.
Rodger Riney
Founder, Scottrade, Lightchain Capital
Riney is the founder and former top executive of Scottrade, the brokerage firm he sold to TD Ameritrade for $4 billion in 2017—two years after his multiple myeloma diagnosis. After the sale, Riney launched Lightchain Capital to invest in early-stage life sciences startups. Meanwhile, the Paula and Rodger Riney Foundation works to back scientific efforts to better understand and find a cure for multiple myeloma and other cancers. Last year, Riney ranked among the top 1,000 of the nation’s billionaires, with a reported net worth of $3.6 billion.
Tom Stillman
Co-owner, St. Louis Blues; Chairman and CEO, Summit Distributing
After more than 30 years in the beer business, Stillman left the industry last year when he sold Summit Distributing to Keg 1 Missouri. A former lawyer, Stillman spent five years working with the U.S. Department of Commerce, serving as chief counsel for export administration. Stillman headlined a group of investors who bought the St. Louis Blues in 2012. Weeks after the Blues brought home the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 2019, Stillman bought out the club’s minority interest, which was previously held by Sports Capital Holdings.
John McDonnell
Former Chairman, McDonnell Douglas; Founding Chairman, BioSTL
After serving as chairman of McDonnell Douglas, as well as a corporate leader of Boeing after its merger with the aerospace company and defense contractor, McDonnell helped establish BioSTL in 2011 to help make St. Louis one of the nation’s key biotech hubs. Supporting science-focused entrepreneurs has been a passion project for McDonnell, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aeronautical engineering from Princeton and an MBA from Washington University. He’s also served on boards for WashU, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the Saint Louis Science Center, and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
Ozzie Smith
Founder, Ozzie Smith Charitable Foundation
For 19 seasons, The Wizard dazzled baseball fans with his hallmark defensive prowess, which earned him a fast-track ticket to Cooperstown as a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2002. In his post-Cardinals career, Smith continues to have an impact on St. Louis. In addition to launching several businesses, along with founding the Ozzie Smith Charitable Foundation, Smith has lent his voice to several local companies, causes, and civic efforts in advertisements that air locally and nationally. He’s also played a prominent role in ad campaigns aimed toward boosting tourism in the city and state.
Rex Sinquefield
Board President and Chairman, Saint Louis Chess Club
Few have done more for chess in St. Louis and beyond than Sinquefield: His efforts revitalized U.S. chess and transformed St. Louis into a world-renowned chess capital. In 2018, Sinquefield and his wife, Jeanne, donated $50 million to Saint Louis University (the largest gift in the university’s history) to accelerate SLU’s rise as a world-class research university.
Jim McKelvey
Co-founder, Block
McKelvey is a consummate innovator. Along with opening Third Degree Glass Factory and playing a role in growing the Delmar Maker District, McKelvey founded LaunchCode to equip today’s workforce with the skills of the future. McKelvey has also helped grow companies such as Block (formerly Square, which he launched with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey) and Invisibly into nationally recognized leaders. McKelvey also founded SixThirty Ventures and is a general partner with FINTOP Capital.
Founder; Clark-Fox Family Foundation, Build-A-Bear, Delmar DivINe
Years ago, Clark conjured a vision for the former St. Luke’s Hospital on Delmar Boulevard. Inside the hulking, vacant building, Clark wanted to create a place where people could live, work, socialize, and make the kinds of connections that could heal a long-fractured region. The Delmar DivINe became fully operational in 2022 and, since then, has exceeded all plans for collaboration and impact, Clark says. “The infamous [Delmar Divide] is disappearing slowly but surely,” she says. If she could change anything else about St. Louis, it would be to make the region more willing to work together. “Everyone can’t be at the table, but everyone at the table can seek out multiple perspectives that they can bring to the broader group,” she says.
