Although the year 2020 was challenging, unpredictable, and at some points frustrating, North County Inc. did not let this stop us from navigating our way to continuing our work to help increase the long-term sustainability and growth necessary for the prosperity of North St. Louis County.
With your support, NCI was able to have a successful and productive year advocating, initiating, planning, and collaborating efforts for economic development, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and transportation within North St. Louis County. We had many accomplishments, some of them including:
- Working with regional partners to help businesses increase resiliency during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Developing a North County economic development collaborative conversations cohort to work on cooperative initiatives to advance small business assistance and growth opportunities in community
- Advocating for equitable public education and for increased funding of early childhood education
- Advocating for the passage of the Medicaid expansion ballot initiative
- Celebrating and promoting the expansion and investment of health care providers to enhance access to and quality of care in North County
- Helping bring the $278 million dollar investment for the I‐270 north reconstruction project to fruition
- Continuing to share the authentic stories of people, places, and progress in our area through the True North marketing initiative
Want to know more about our work in 2020? Connect to the 2020 Accomplishment page on our website.
I would like to thank NCI’s 2020 Chairperson, Dr. Elizabeth Gassel-Perkins, for her contributions to our organization that made it possible for us to accomplish so much this past year. Please enjoy this short video from Dr. Perkins reflecting on the work NCI completed in 2020.
Looking forward, we send a big welcome to our new 2021 Chairperson, Dr. Scott Spurgeon, superintendent of Riverview Gardens School District. He has served on the NCI board since 2014 and on the executive board since 2017 as vice-chair and secretary of the organization. He succeeds Dr. Elizabeth Gassel-Perkins, the campus president and chief academic officer for St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley.
“It gives me great pride to serve as the chairperson of NCI, and I am looking forward to a productive year to come,” said Dr. Spurgeon. “There is crucial work to be done, including our continued advocation for economic, healthcare, education, transportation, and community development in North County. Additionally, we must continue our work around equity, and sharing stories about people, places, and progress with the True North campaign. I’m excited to work with the amazing leaders from around North County that volunteer their time on our board of directors to reach each of our goals to support a thriving community for North St. Louis County.”
We are extremely pleased to have Dr. Spurgeon serve as our board chair. He is an outstanding education and community leader, and we are confident that he will effectively guide and ensure the continued advocacy work NCI does on behalf of the North County community.
As we jump into 2021, all of us here at NCI look forward to taking on the new year with you as a unified voice for this thriving community. We will continue to offer educational webinars to assist the area’s small businesses with navigating through these challenging times and access resources currently available to help them keep their doors open. NCI plans on advancing the True North positive perception marketing campaign and asks you to help us by following True North County on social media and sharing great news about the advancements of those living in and doing business here in North County. We will continue to advocate for policies that benefit the entire community in an equitable and inclusive manner. NCI’s 2021 Policy Agenda can be found here.
I would personally like to invite you to get more involved with NCI through one of our committees. If you are interested in participating with one of our groups, please be sure to call us at 314-895-6241
We welcome input from all of our members and encourage each of you to connect with us regularly. Let us know what is happening, your accomplishments, and ways we can help share your “good news” with our other members. Are you getting our monthly eNewsletter? This is a great way to stay on top of what is happening with other members and around the community. If you aren’t receiving please call Rob Gassel at 314-895-6241 and let him know. Also, please follow us on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn social media platforms.
A Warm Welcome to Our New Board Members
Jennifer Alberts
Emerson YMCA
Rep. Gretchen Bangert
State of Missouri
Rita Heard Days
St. Louis County Council
Mayor Tommie Pierson
City of Bellefontaine Neighborhoods
Chief Jim Usry
Pattonville Fire Protection District
Tamara Lackland
Commerce Bank
Sharon Neumeiester
iFM Community Medicine
A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Retiring Board Members
Chief Dave Dotson
Pattonville Fire Protection District
Sr. Karl Mary Winkelmann
Trinity Catholic High School
Senator Gina Walsh
Missouri State Senate
Dr. Mark Tranel
University of Missouri-St. Louis
Hazel Erby
St. Louis County
Bob Cerame
Paul Cerame Auto Group Inc.
Thomas P. Schneider
City of Florissant
Save The Dates For NCI 2021 Events
44th Annual Leadership Breakfast
Friday, September 17, 2021 7:30-9:30 am
Annual Golf Tournament
Monday, October 18, 2021
