The leader of Greater St. Louis Inc., the region’s organization promoting business development and economic growth, will step down from that role in the coming weeks, the organization announced Monday.
Jason Hall has served as the CEO of Greater St. Louis Inc. since it formed four years ago when five local economic development organizations merged into a single entity. He will be moving to the Columbus Partnership as that organization's CEO.
At GSL, Hall led the development of a 10-year plan for the St. Louis region, dubbed the STL 2030 Jobs plan, which laid out clear goals to develop geospatial, advanced manufacturing and other emerging tech sectors.
“The vision of the STL 2030 jobs plan and the unified leadership of the St. Louis metro’s business community is creating unstoppable momentum and leading my hometown in a bold new direction,” Hall said in a statement. “It has been an honor beyond words to be part of this exciting transformation underway.”
He noted his commitment to still champion the progress of St. Louis, albeit from two states over.
Those who have worked with Hall said his leadership has been critical in positioning the region for success.
“We’re set up well into the future,” said Andy Dearing, lead of GeoFutures, one of the GSL initiatives to grow the local geospatial industry. “However Greater St. Louis Inc. evolves, this is a core tenet, a core innovation sector that we’re going to continue to grow here in St. Louis.”
It’s indicative of the strength of Hall’s leadership that the mission and vision he developed at GSL will endure beyond his role, Dearing said.
“Since Day 1, Jason has said, ‘We’re not building plans to connect dust on the shelf. We’re building plans to take action and see results,’” he said.
Hall has achieved those results through partnerships and collaboration, said Ryan McClure, executive director of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation.
“We’re an example of that,” he said. “We’re grateful for everything that’s been accomplished [at GSL] because it’s helped us accomplish big things, too, like the Millennium Hotel project being under contract.”
Earlier this year, the Gateway Arch Park Foundation went under contract to purchase the long-vacant property next to the Arch grounds, and it is working with the St. Louis Development Corporation and GSL on a plan to redevelop the property. The purchase was part of a directive from Mayor Tishaura Jones to GSL and SLDC to address major vacant properties downtown, including the Railway Exchange building, which was recently condemned.
“Jason Hall has been a pivotal partner for the St. Louis Development Corporation during his tenure at Greater St. Louis Inc.," said SLDC CEO and President Neal Richardson. “Jason's commitment to the region helped the City of St. Louis attract and keep businesses.”
Andy Taylor, GSL founding chair and executive chairman of Enterprise Mobility, praised Hall for helping to unify the voice of the region’s business community.
“Our board, staff, and investors are deeply grateful to Jason for his leadership and his nearly 12 years of service to St. Louis and its business community,” Taylor said. “This is an exceptional opportunity for Jason, and we wish him all the best as he embarks on this new chapter of his career.”
That is a sentiment reflected by some of the region’s top elected leaders.
“Jason worked hard to create a unified vision of what the future of this great region should look like,” said St. Louis County Executive Sam Page in a statement. “Focusing on growing the economy and creating a more welcoming environment for businesses and residents.”
The mayor agreed.
“Jason has been a good friend and a tireless cheerleader for our region for many years and we will miss him dearly,” Jones said in a statement.
But not every civic leader was enthralled with Hall or the organization he led. Board of Aldermen President Megan Green sharply criticized Hall for lobbying for a bill that would dedicate $232 million of the Rams settlement to improvements in downtown and historically disinvested areas of north and south St. Louis.
“I hope this transition leads to continued growth for GSL and success for Mr. Hall in his new role,” Green said in a statement.
Greater St. Louis Inc.’s board of directors will launch a national search to find Hall’s replacement. Dustin Allison, chief real estate investment officer, will serve as the organization’s interim CEO.
“GSL won’t miss a beat during this transition process,” Taylor said.
Rachel Lippmann contributed reporting to this article.
This story has been updated.
