St. Louis Development Corporation works to promote business opportunities and capabilities of minority (MBE) and woman (WBE) owned enterprises, and works to eliminate barriers for equal economic opportunity for MWBEs in the marketplace. SLDC can assist with MWBE certification, business expansion strategies, technical and business consulting, business incentives and Global Project Tracking system training for construction projects that fall within the St. Louis City limits. Cortex has been tracking Enterprise and Workforce Diversity on projects in the District since 2013. As part of the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District in the City of St. Louis, construction projects within the Cortex District are subject to two City Requirements related to diversity and inclusion.
Mayor’s Executive Order #28 sets goals for inclusion of Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprises on development project teams:
25% participation by MBEs and 5% participation by WBEs on contracts and purchases. Compliance is monitored by SLDC.
St. Louis City Ordinance No. 69427. Projects in Cortex valued at $1 million or more are expected to meet the following goals for workforce participation during construction:
- 25% of labor hours performed by minorities
- 5% of labor hours performed by women
- 20% of labor hours performed by City Residents
- 15% of all hours performed by apprentices enrolled in an approved training program
The order is implemented by St. Louis Area Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE).