Dearing played a role in the region’s cleanup following last May’s tornado, mobilizing geospatial resources to capture and share high resolution aerial imagery that helped homeowners and officials assess storm damage quickly and accurately. When it comes to advising the region’s next generation of leaders, Dearing believes that connections are vital. “Get out there and actively connect with fellow founders, entrepreneurs, and community leaders,” he says. “While your challenges may feel unique to your organization, chances are others have faced similar hurdles and can offer valuable perspectives and solutions.”
2026 QUESTIONNAIRE
What advice would you give to the next generation of St. Louis entrepreneurs or leaders? Get out there and actively connect with fellow founders, entrepreneurs and community leaders. While your challenges may feel unique to your organization, chances are others have faced similar hurdles and can offer valuable perspectives and solutions. One of St. Louis’ greatest advantages is its deeply collaborative culture—leaders, peers and even potential customers are approachable, accessible and genuinely willing to help. Tap into that network, share openly and you’ll find the exchange of ideas can accelerate your growth and impact.
What’s a risk you took in business that didn’t pan out—but taught you something valuable? Many years ago, we launched a new software product on our platform with the expectation that hundreds of users would download it on day one. The reality was humbling—market demand simply wasn’t there. That experience became a powerful lesson in the importance of truly understanding your market before launch. I learned how to better identify target customers, uncover the real reasons they would buy and assess whether they were ready and willing to make a purchase decision. The takeaway: deeply understand your market. Know exactly how your product or service will help your customer, whether by saving time, saving money or providing something they don’t have today. Then build a business plan that aligns tightly with those needs and motivations.
What do you do when you’re feeling stuck or uninspired? When I’m feeling stuck or uninspired, I turn to the people who bring our work to life—our employees and our customers. Sitting down with team members helps me understand their “why”—why they chose this profession, what inspires them and the impact they’re striving to make. Those conversations remind me of the passion and purpose driving our organization. Speaking with customers gives me insight into their challenges and how our team is helping them overcome obstacles, achieve goals and succeed. Outside of work, woodworking is my reset button. It clears my mind of the noise, allows me to focus and helps me recenter so I can return to work with clarity and fresh perspective.
Who in your company (or industry) deserves more recognition for their impact? Many people in our organization are truly deserving of recognition for their dedication and excellence. We operate 365 days a year, with team members in the field nationwide—flying aircraft, operating sensors and meeting the high demands of our clients. Equally important is our support staff—maintenance crews, schedulers and production teams—who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep operations running smoothly and deliver exceptional value to our clients. Working weekends, evenings and holidays is never easy, yet our team consistently shows up with commitment, professionalism and pride. They are the true heroes of our operation.
What’s a local organization, nonprofit, or initiative that more people should know about—and why? I am proud to be engaged with two nonprofits making a significant impact on the geospatial industry. First, Gateway Global and the leadership of Zekita Armstrong-Asuquo have created incredible opportunities for youth across our region. She is building the future geospatial workforce and transforming young lives through access, education and inspiration. I also want to recognize T-REX, a cornerstone of St. Louis’ tech innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. They have been an invaluable asset to the geospatial community, fostering collaboration, growth and opportunity. T-REX played a pivotal role in helping my former startup thrive in St. Louis, and their impact can be seen in countless other success stories across the region.
2025 QUESTIONNAIRE
PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
What has you most excited about the future of your company or industry? I am bullish on St. Louis and am excited to see the opening of the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency campus in North St. Louis in 2025, and hosting the GEOINT Symposium in May of 2025. It will be a big year for St. Louis and our geospatial community.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why? For geospatial to be common language and understanding, and the importance of geospatial data, sensors, and innovation that will help us all better understand and solve our region’s, country’s and world’s most pressing challenges
What’s the toughest business challenge you’ve had to overcome (excluding the pandemic) and why? The toughest challenge is bringing the entire metro together to build common goals and priorities to make St. Louis the global leader in geospatial. There are so many talented and passionate leaders – getting them all to come together and build a 20 year roadmap was truly challenging, but special and rewarding.
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MENTORS & PEERS
To whom or where do you go for sound business advice? There are many outlets I go to. There are leaders in my GeoFutures Coalition that I lean on for business advise. I look to leaders who have built industry clusters here, like the Plant & Life Sciences industry cluster, to learn from them. There are so many great leaders we have here in the region to be able to lean on and their willingness to give their feedback and advice is invaluable.
Do you have a business mentor? If so, who and why? The CEO / founder of the first startup I worked for out of college, Mark Munsell, has been a mentor of mine for years. Seeing him move from the private sector to the public sector, being a leader at NGA and helping shape the future of our industry. But he has always been there for me to learn from, and there to answer questions and provide advice.
What piece of advice has had the most significant impact on your career? A colleague of mine, Jim Reiss, taught me the value of partnerships and how important those are not only to build your business, but help you build lasting relationships that will last a lifetime.
If you could have dinner with any two area business leaders, who would you choose and why? Andy Taylor and Penny Pennington. I have had the privilege of working with Mr. Taylor and witnessing his generosity and philanthropy to grow the geospatial sector. I would love to learn more about his passion for St. Louis and what he sees as the future of our region. For Penny, I have not had the opportunity to meet or work with her. I would love to learn more about her leadership style and how she balances leading a Fortune 500 company, but also finding time to serve in other leadership roles around our region for non-profits that are making such a significant impact in our region (like the Danforth Center). Her leadership is profound, and I would love to learn more from her.
Who is the most interesting under-the-radar/emerging business leader in St. Louis and why? One of the most interesting leaders is George Worrall of Deep Grain. Not only is he one of the smartest people I have met at the intersection of agriculture science and geospatial, he has emerged as one of the region’s biggest champions after moving to St. Louis from the UK and taking advantage of everything our ecosystem has to offer. Have a pint with him – you will learn more than you ever imagined from George.
What is one thing you would change about the St. Louis metro area business environment and why? Let’s not be so hard on ourselves—we are all playing on the same team and are all passionate about growing St. Louis. As Jason Hall says, transformation takes time and we need to continue pressing forward, but give ourselves grace when we do not move as fast or far as we want. We will get there—and we will do it together.
BACKGROUND
Where were you born? Hannibal, Missouri
What was your childhood aspiration? To become a cardiologist
What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? Farming. I grew up on a farm and worked on it throughout my youth. It’s the hardest job I have ever had and comes with usually more lows than highs. What I learned from my father in the late 90’s was – if I were to come back and farm, he said that it would need to be done way different and way larger than how our family farm had operated in the past 4 generations. And he encouraged me to go and experience something new away from the farm, which led to me St. Louis.
What educational degrees do you hold, and where were they earned? I earned my Bachelors of Aviation Science and Aviation Management from Saint Louis University, and my MBA from Maryville University.
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
If you were not in your current profession, what would you be doing and why? I would be running a woodworking shop, making custom handmade furniture that will last for generations. I do that as a hobby today, but building something with your hands and seeing others use and enjoy your furniture is truly rewarding.
What is your favorite St. Louis-area restaurant, and what do you typically order there? Hands down, Pappy’s is my favorite. I know it’s a staple, but their ribs are absolutely the best!
What is one item you recently crossed off your bucket list? Going on my first Scouts BSA High Adventure in West Virginia with my daughter’s troop. While it wasn’t originally on my ‘bucket list’—as Scouting recently allowed girls to enter the program—seeing my daughter and her fellow scouts experience some of the best whitewater rapids in the US, among many other scouting activities for a week—that was a bucket list item for sure that I will always remember and treasure.
What is one book you think everyone should read (or podcast everyone should listen to) and why? 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. Most of us will work in a team environment, and this book tells you how to build and grow a highly effective and functioning team (and its a quick and fun read).
What’s your hobby/passion? Woodworking is my hobby. I really enjoy doing something completely different than sitting in front of a computer or going to meetings / speaking in front of others. Working in the shop gives me time to slow down, focus my mind, and create something beautiful.
What is your most prized possession? My family. My wife and I have been married for almost 22 years. We have four wonderful children: Jacobb (20), Jaxon (17), Jules (13), and Jentry (8). I could not be more proud of all their accomplishments and how the positive impact they will make for generations to come.
What would people be surprised to learn about you—a fun fact? I didn’t know this about myself until my son’s friend told me: Brittney Spears apparently follows me on Twitter / X! I don’t know why. Maybe she likes maps?
What is your go-to karaoke song? I cannot sing well at all, so I avoid karaoke at all costs. But if any punk rock songs came on (Blink 182), I would definitely be singing along.
