Jim Smith

Jim Smith is an integral part of the Chase Park Plaza’s recent revitalization. Not only did he revive a dormant historical landmark that closed in the early 1990’s, but he also restored the Tenderloin Room and added the hipster nightspot – Café Eau. The Chase now ranks among the region’s top event facilities, including the Khorassan Room where MGA’s annual fall networking event is hosted each year since the venue’s reopening.

Currently, the Chase is undergoing a $20 million renovation to upgrade the hotel space while simultaneously introducing The Private Residences at the Chase Park Plaza, yet another phase to the hotel’s illustrious life.

“I felt it was my turn to continue the legacy,” said Jim about his devotion to the Chase. “This is not just another real estate project. We’re in the hotel business, restaurant business, the movie theater business and the apartment business. You can get whatever you want right here at the Chase. I feel fortunate to be involved in this property, which is a part of history.”

CORTEX: Center of Research, Technology and Entrepreneurial Exchange

Set to become a world-renowned life sciences research center – Cortex is the collaborative work of five premier educational and research institutions, including Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis University, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, University of Missouri-St. Louis and the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

A non-profit organization, the first building for Cortex earned the Silver Pre-Certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System for Core and Shell Development (LEED-CS). Two key tenants include, Stereotaxis, a company advancing interventional cardiac care through magnetic navigation, and Washington University’s Center for Applied Nanomedicine, developing microscopic particles that are delivered via the bloodstream to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

“This award recognizes the effort and commitment it took to turn a great concept into a reality,” said Larry Chapman, 2007 MGA President. “These institutions created an environment in St. Louis not previously available. Cortex’s proximity to the intellectual capital of the research hospitals and universities makes it ideally suited to collaborate with and evolve innovative technologies.”