September 14, 2026

Dear Members,

I’ll admit it—I’m a little disappointed when I hear that some people skip my letter or skim past our newsletter. And never mean to scold.

I understand. We are all busy, inboxes are overflowing, and there is never enough time in the day. But I want you to know something about what lands in your inbox from SLC3 each week: we put a great deal of thought into making it worth your time.

When I write this letter and help develop our newsletter, I’m writing on behalf of the owners we serve and for our entire AEC community. Our goal is simple: to be of service to this industry.

Through our four pillars—Innovation, Education, Equity Empowerment and Collaboration—we work to bring you information that matters. We look at what is happening throughout the St. Louis region, what owners are talking about, what is affecting our workforce and businesses, where our industry is headed, and what you need to know to prepare for what’s next.

Sometimes we educate. Sometimes we advocate.

Sometimes we connect you to an opportunity, a person, a project or an idea. And sometimes we simply make sure you know what is happening in your own backyard.

This week, I especially hope you’ll take a look at the people leading SLC3.

We are highlighting our current Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Officers—individuals and organizations that understand something fundamental about our industry: we are stronger when we work together toward common goals.

Their companies invest. These leaders give their time. They lend their voices, experience and perspective because they believe a strong, collaborative AEC community benefits all of us.

Next month, we will elect new officers and welcome new Board members as part of our leadership transition, which occurs approximately every two years. I’m excited about the next chapter and incredibly grateful to those who have helped guide us to this point.

If you are not yet an SLC3 member, I hope you’ll consider joining our mission.

If you are a member, I hope you’ll continue investing in it—not only financially, but through your participation, advocacy, ideas and presence. Show up. Get involved. Bring someone with you. And yes…maybe even read the newsletter. 😊

There is a lot happening at SLC3, and what we are building for 2027 has me incredibly excited. New conversations. Timely education. Stronger connections. Bigger ideas. And programming designed around what our industry needs now and where it is headed next.

Trust me—you’re not going to want to miss what’s coming.

Now, if someone could just arrange for a little fall weather in St. Louis, I’d appreciate that too.

Best regards,

Warmly,

Kelly

Kelly Jackson

Executive Director

St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers (SLC3)

AT A GLANCE...

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

News & Updates

New Construction-Apprenticeship Program Begins Today

Regional Aerospace Investments Strengthen the Metro East Economy

St. Louis Aldermen Approve Comprehensive Data-center Regulations

St. Louis-Area Producer Plans Full-Scale Low-Carbon Cement Plant

Training & Education

Alignment: The Best Projects Start with Everyone Moving in the Same Direction

Building Giants: The Amazing Engineering Behind Skyscrapers

ALL EVENTS

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UPCOMING PROGRAMS & EVENTS

Other Events In Our World!

MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

Member Highlight: Gerald Beckmann Named Interim Airport Director

St. Louis Lambert International Airport has named Gerald Beckmann Interim Airport Director, bringing nearly four decades of airport experience to the role. Beckmann began his career at Lambert in 1988 as a Project Engineer and most recently served as Deputy Director of Planning and Development, overseeing engineering, planning, environmental operations and IT.

Throughout his tenure, Beckmann has helped lead major infrastructure projects, including the reconstruction of Runway 11-29, and is currently involved with the Airfield Maintenance Campus and Consolidated Terminal Program. His deep institutional knowledge and extensive background in engineering and development position him to help guide Lambert through an important period of investment and transformation.

With major capital improvements underway at Lambert, Beckmann’s appointment puts an experienced project and engineering leader at the helm as work continues to shape the future of one of the St. Louis region’s most important infrastructure assets.

Member Highlight: S. M. Wilson & Co. Welcomes Back Maggie Farrell

SLC3 member S. M. Wilson & Co. is welcoming Maggie Farrell back to Team Wilson as Community Engagement Manager. In her new role, Maggie will lead the firm’s SKILLED® Construction Career Education program and community engagement efforts, helping connect students and communities with opportunities in the construction industry.

We’re excited to see S. M. Wilson continue investing in workforce development and meaningful community connections—and we look forward to seeing the impact Maggie will make in her new role.

Congratulations to Maggie and the entire S. M. Wilson team!

Member Highlight: Horner & Shifrin Welcomes Carrie O’Neill, PE

SLC3 member Horner & Shifrin is growing its transportation leadership with the addition of Carrie O’Neill, PE, and the O’Neill & Company team. Carrie joins Horner & Shifrin as Vice President, Regional Manager, leading the firm’s Salt Lake City office and bringing more than 30 years of transportation engineering experience to the team.

With deep expertise in traffic and transportation infrastructure—including personally designing more than 500 traffic signals—Carrie’s addition expands Horner & Shifrin’s capabilities and strengthens the firm’s platform for serving transportation and municipal clients.

Congratulations to Horner & Shifrin, Carrie, and the entire team on this exciting next chapter!

Second Friday Coffee at JEMA

What a great time last Friday and a great tourn out for our 2nd Friday Coffee Networking event at JEMA! Beautiful office and loads of great company! Over 40 in attendance to connect on a great Friday morning! What's better than coffee, connections and a great start to Friday! SLC3 members came together on Friday, September 11, for another successful Second Friday Coffee & Networking, generously sponsored and hosted by JEMA at its St. Louis office. Thanks to our owner members for showing support!

- Read More and Check Out Photos

NEWS & UPDATES

New Construction-Apprenticeship Program Begins Today

Status: Confirmed workforce program

Dates: September 14–October 16

The Missouri Works Initiative begins a new St. Louis Apprenticeship Ready Program in Construction today. It prepares participants to enter registered building-trades apprenticeships.

Why it matters to SLC3 members: St. Louis’ rapid construction-employment growth is increasing the need for dependable craft-worker pipelines. The program may help contractors recruit and prepare the next generation of skilled workers.

Regional Aerospace Investments Strengthen the Metro East Economy

Status: Confirmed investments highlighted at the 2026 Global Aerospace Summit

Regional aerospace leaders highlighted Boeing’s $1.8 billion St. Louis-area expansion and $200 million MQ-25 facility, Gulfstream’s investment of more than $30 million at St. Louis Downtown Airport and West Star Aviation’s continued growth at St. Louis Regional Airport.

Why it matters to SLC3 members: Aerospace expansion creates continuing demand for advanced-manufacturing facilities, specialized construction, engineering services and skilled labor. Boeing is also an important SLC3 owner member, making this especially relevant for member communications.

St. Louis Aldermen Approve Comprehensive Data-center Regulations

Status: Passed by the Board of Aldermen

Final vote: September 11

The Board voted 13–0 to establish zoning regulations governing where and how data centers can operate. The framework addresses energy consumption, noise, lighting, land use and neighborhood compatibility. Aldermen also unanimously passed separate legislation prohibiting City tax incentives for data centers.

Why it matters to SLC3 members: These measures will directly affect the location, design, entitlement process and financing of future data-center projects in St. Louis. They provide clearer development rules but introduce significant environmental and operational requirements.

St. Louis-Area Producer Plans Full-Scale Low-Carbon Cement Plant

Status: Development agreement signed; facility is planned

Announced: September 9

Mississippi Lime Company and Fortera signed an agreement to develop a commercial facility capable of producing more than 300,000 tons of low-carbon ReAct cement annually. The process would capture carbon dioxide from lime production and convert it into cement.

Why it matters to SLC3 members: This is a major regional materials and sustainability story. The project could expand domestic cement production while giving owners, designers and contractors another lower-carbon material option.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Chaminade Plans New Science and Competitive-Swimming Facilities

Status: Proposed

Chaminade College Preparatory School plans to demolish an existing campus building and replace it with a science center and competitive swimming facility.

Why it matters to SLC3 members: The proposal represents potential education, laboratory and athletic-facility work while reflecting continued private-school investment in specialized STEM spaces.

$10 million-plus youth golf and sports complex advances in North St. Louis

Status: Moving forward; construction has not yet been confirmed

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis is advancing plans to redevelop a former Superfund site into a youth golf and sports complex. The facility would be located along the Brickline Greenway route.

Why it matters to SLC3 members: The project connects environmental remediation, recreation, youth development and neighborhood investment. It also demonstrates how the Brickline Greenway may attract complementary development.

Owner Perspective Series | Week 3

Alignment: The Best Projects Start with Everyone Moving in the Same Direction

A well-planned project can still struggle if the project team isn’t aligned. That’s why the Construction Industry Institute (CII) identifies Alignment as one of its Best Practices for improving project performance.

Alignment isn’t about everyone agreeing on everything. It’s about ensuring owners, designers, contractors, construction managers, and key trade partners share a common understanding of the project’s objectives, priorities, risks, and measures of success before work begins.

Today’s construction environment makes alignment more critical than ever. Labor shortages, long equipment lead times, inflation, and aggressive schedules leave little room for misunderstandings. When project teams have different expectations, the result is often rework, delays, disputes, and unnecessary costs.

High-performing projects create alignment by asking important questions early:

What does success look like for the owner?
What are the project’s biggest risks?
Which decisions must be made now to avoid delays later?
Where are the schedule constraints?
How will changes be communicated and resolved?

When everyone understands the same goals, teams spend less time reacting to problems and more time delivering solutions.

Alignment also builds trust. It creates an environment where difficult conversations happen early—before they become expensive issues in the field.

Construction Curiosities - Week 3

Building Giants: The Amazing Engineering Behind Skyscrapers

Modern skyscrapers are more than just tall buildings—they’re engineering masterpieces designed to move, flex, and withstand the forces of nature. Here are three fascinating facts about the giants that shape our skylines.

🏙️ Skyscrapers Are Designed to Move

It may sound surprising, but tall buildings are supposed to sway.

As wind pushes against a building, the structure is engineered to flex slightly rather than resist every force. This controlled movement reduces stress on the building and helps prevent structural damage.

Depending on its height and design, the top of a skyscraper may move several inches—or even a few feet—during strong winds. Most occupants never notice because the movement is slow and carefully controlled.

Why it matters: A building that’s too rigid is actually more vulnerable. Engineers intentionally design flexibility into tall structures to improve both safety and longevity.

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CALL FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERS? TIME TO HELP...

Much of the work we do is driven by member volunteers, and right now our committees could use a few more voices and helping hands. Committee service offers an opportunity to influence priorities, collaborate with peers, and support initiatives that impact the industry and our region. If you’re willing to get involved—even in a small way—we invite you to sign up.

Committee Info

HELP US KEEP THE PICTURE CURRENT

The construction and development landscape across the region continues to move quickly—and keeping our information accurate and relevant matters.

We’ve recently updated our construction and development listings to reflect new projects, changes in scope, and activity across the greater St. Louis area. These updates help ensure that our members have access to timely, useful insight into what’s being built, redeveloped, and planned throughout the region.

That said, no one has a better pulse on what’s happening than the people working in it every day. If you’re aware of a project that’s underway, planned, or evolving—or if you notice something that needs to be updated—we invite you to share it with us. Your input helps strengthen the resource for everyone.

Keeping this information current is a collaborative effort, and we appreciate your help in making it as accurate and valuable as possible.