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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015
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Continued from A1 impact cited for any of the four sites. In fact, it was cited as negative impact for the other three sites that, if one of them is selected, St. Louis city would lose this earning tax revenue. Interesting, both the North St. Louis and Fenton sites were cited for “minor to moderate, long-term benefit in reduction of crime.” However, according to FBI crime data, St. Louis has a violent crime index of 15.95 per 1,000, compared to 0.99 for Fenton. Fenton is at about one-fourth the national median for violent crime, while St. Louis is nearly four times more violent than the national median.
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provide capital where others may have not done as much,” he said. “It’s something that I’ve been fortunate to be able to do in my lending and private equity career.” On Friday, November 20, Fowler will receive The St. Louis American Foundation’s 2015 Corporate Executive of the Year award at the 16th annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon, which will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis. The networking reception begins at 11 a.m., and the luncheon program at noon. At Bank of America, Fowler is one of four managing directors of BAML Capital Access Funds (CAF), a division focused on private equity investing in emerging and underserved U.S. markets. Fowler’s team manages capital for the bank but also for some public pension funds. CAF has managed and advised on more than $2 billion of capital since 2002. Fowler said the CAF team focuses on “double bottomline investing” – seeking both economic and social impact returns. “What we’ve been able to do on a national basis for the last several years is invest in private equity funds that are targeting these underserved markets and communities and
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers analyzed the potential environmental impacts – meaning everything from socio-economical to biological changes – caused by the proposed construction and operation of the “Next NGA West Campus.” The study showed that the other three locations would have minor to moderate environmental benefits from the relocation. In fact, much attention has been given to the Illinois site in St. Clair County as being North City’s biggest competition. However, the study showed that there are no “major environmental benefits” associated with the site, but there is a “potential major negative impact.” “A previously identified archaeological site” listed on the National Register of
Historic Places (NRHP) is located within the footprint of the St. Clair County site, the study found. NGA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and St. Clair County are currently reaching out to the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office and local interest groups to determine how to mitigate the impact. The North St. Louis site also had a major impact. Within its footprint, there are known historic properties listed on the NRHP. The construction of the project would require the demolition of the Buster Brown-Blue Ribbon Shoe Factory and homes within the footprint of the St. Louis Place Historic District. The city and NGA are currently reaching out to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office, and local
historic interest groups. All four of the sites had “minor to moderate” negative environmental impacts. For North St. Louis, one impact would be losing approximately $64,200 in property tax because the federal agency is not required to pay property tax. This would be offset exponentially by the retention of the earnings tax, however. For North City, the study also listed “displacements” as negative. “The city of St. Louis is working on agreements with local community members for property purchases and relocations,” it states. “All relocations and displacements would occur in compliance with the Missouri relocation statutes, which require fair compensation for relocated individuals.” The St. Louis Development
Corporation (SLDC) recently asked the Board of Aldermen to approve a list of more than 300 properties for eminent domain. That process has stalled because apparently the first bill submitted listed all of these properties. But in order to move forward, a bill for every single property would need to be introduced to the board, said an alderwoman who sits on the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee. Developer Paul McKee Jr. owns a majority of those properties, and he recently released a statement saying that he aims to finalize negotiations with the city soon. On October 8, Mayor Francis G. Slay’s office announced that the city delivered a briefing book to the NGA, summarizing
the city’s proposal for a $1.6 billion facility in North St. Louis. Here is a link to the briefing book: https://www. stlouis-mo.gov/government/ departments/mayor/documents/ nga-briefing-book.cfm. A final edition will be distributed later in the year that will respond to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Included in the briefing book is a letter to the NGA from Slay. “The NGA is vital to our city’s economic health, and its relocation to North St. Louis will reinvigorate a significant urban area of our community,” Slay stated. “Conversely, losing the NGA would be a devastating blow to our city’s economy. The many benefits to the future of both St. Louis and NGA are immeasurable, promising and exciting.”
actually helping to create jobs throughout the country,” he said, “and helping to create wealth for ethnic minority and women professionals.” Throughout his career, Fowler has combined his concern for the local community with his expertise in private equity, said Ed Powers, also a CAF managing director, based in New York. “Craig always seeks out excellence and builds great relationships,” Powers said. “He is a relentless promoter of St. Louis and always finds a St. Louis connection no matter where he is in the country. He’s a great teammate, devoted family man and role model.” Outside of his day job, Fowler said he has been working on an initiative with the Billion Dollar Roundtable (BDR), which was created in 2001 to recognize corporations that achieved spending of at least $1 billion annually with minority- and woman-owned suppliers. These Fortune 500 companies want to make sure their diverse suppliers are growing as they grow – so they can continue to supply them on a national and global basis. Fowler is on a team, called the BDR Triad, that is helping to build up these minorityand women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs). “The corporations refer their top-performing MWBEs to us,” Fowler said, “and then we evaluate what their growth needs and strategies
are. Are they planning to grow organically or through acquisitions?” Then they develop the best type of capital for them, he said. “Craig Fowler is a valued contributor to the BDR Triad,” said Bev Jennings, head of global supplier diversity & inclusion at Johnson & Johnson. “Supported by large corporations, this BDR Triad model has the potential to create access to capital and enable a new generation of strong and well-capitalized MWBEs who long-term may develop into strategic partners.” Fowler joined Bank of America in 1997 as an investment officer with the bank’s Small Business Investment Company. In this role, he made mezzanine and equity investments in small and minority-owned businesses throughout the Midwest. “Being a person who has always been communityminded, the economic development aspect appealed to me,” he said. Before joining Bank of America, Fowler was a corporate relationship manager and vice president with Mercantile Bank (now US Bank), lending to small and middle‑market companies. During his 15 years in commercial banking, he said he became somewhat of a specialist in private, federal, state and local programs geared toward economic development. “I developed a strong network working with minority
business owners,” Fowler said. “And I was able to do a lot in that area to help start and grow businesses.” His current position has allowed him to go from having a strong local and regional network to a strong national network, he said. “It is a continuation of my work with minority businesses in the Midwest,” he said. Fowler serves on the board of the National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC), the industry association for investment companies dedicated to investing financial resources in an ethnically diverse marketplace. However, Fowler is also tireless in his work to grow minority business locally. In 2006, Fowler helped to found the Center for the Acceleration of African-American Business, and he still sits on its executive leadership team. He also served on the board of the St. Louis Local Development Company, the city agency that oversees the SBA 504, Micro Loan and Urban Enterprise Loan
programs. And he is a board member of various private equity portfolio funds’ advisory boards. He also runs a mentorship program for young men called Destination Manhood, which is mother initiated. He and his wife of 32 years, Regina, have been blessed to have raised “two healthy, smart and independent children,” he said. Their daughter, Erin Fowler, has completed her first year at a law firm in Chicago focused on labor and employment law. And their son, Andrew Fowler – who won a national journalism award for feature reporting as a St. Louis American intern – just relocated to New York after accepting a video journalist position at Business Insider. Craig Fowler holds a BS in business administration from the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University, and he is a graduate of the Venture Capital Institute. As an alumnus, he said he supports the university’s efforts in entrepreneurship. Fowler encourages students who are
interested in becoming an entrepreneur to learn business through internships or working with a large company. “There’s a need for entrepreneurship more so than when I was in college,” he said. “I was educated to some extent to go work for a corporation. Those opportunities have changed. There is more of a need for individuals to look at other avenues. For those who have the mentality to start their own companies, they should explore it.” The 16th Annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon will be held Friday, November 20 at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, with a networking reception at 11 a.m. and luncheon program at noon. Tickets are $100 for VIP/ Preferred seating, $75 for general admission. Call 314-533-8000 or visit www. stlamerican.com for more information or to purchase tickets.