International Feel

Asked how hard it has been to attract the talent to this Midwestern locale, Miller says it has been surprisingly smooth.
        "St. Louis is not Boston," he says, "but we've actually been able to bring people from Boston fairly easily. They enjoy living in the area."
        Reuters America, the news and financial information giant, has discovered the same phenomenon, as the firm followed on its 2001 acquisition of bankrupt St. Louis-based Bridge Information Systems with the decision to consolidate its business service center (BSC) and customer relationship management center (CRMC) operations for the Americas in St. Louis. That entailed the closing of facilities in Hauppage, Long Island, N.Y., and Chicago. It also put the city in rare metropolitan company: Other business service centers are in Amsterdam, Nicosea (Cyprus), Singapore and London, while the only other CRMCs are in Sydney, Geneva and London. Glenn Elliott, senior vice president--real estate services for Reuters America, says that a formal study of several cities' ability to attract new people was the first step toward putting St. Louis in such rare worldwide company.
        "What we saw was that the St. Louis area offered an existing group of very talented people ... but also a large untapped pool of highly capable people we could draw from in the future. It also offered a campus-like setting that was more horizontal than vertical. It offers more amenities like fresh air. It had those elements, and also had a cost structure that was attractive to a business in an increasingly competitive environment where cost control is a focus."
        Asked how the merging of company cultures has affected the merging of operations, Elliott says it is a case of fortuitous timing.
        "As part of a larger process of embracing change, we're in essence asking our employees to come together and work in a new environment to pursue the goals the organization has. Sometimes a new environment serves that well, regardless of what city it's in. One thing we hope to do in St. Louis is to rethink how some of those assets can be reformatted to inspire some of that cultural environmental change."
        Deborah Grossman, Reuters' executive vice president and senior site officer, says, "The group here has employees who have a real can-do attitude, who want to get on top of some of the projects, get in there and get it done. That's a high level of energy, and that bodes well for this site too."
        The faith the company has shown in the community is a long way from where it was two years ago, when Bridge had declared bankruptcy.
        "For St. Louis, the other option was those assets wouldn't have been bought, or bought and Reuters shut down the operation," says Grossman. "They didn't do that, and much to their credit, they've taken a hard look at what they bought, and at maximizing the value. The impact has been pretty dramatic."
        As for the high attraction rate from cosmopolitan locales around the globe, Grossman, who has worked in St. Louis for most of her adult life, professes little shock.
        "I wasn't surprised, because I love it here," she says. "We were thrilled about the high level [of acceptance], because it enables us to shortcut the process. For us, being able to retain people who have been with Reuters for a longer time and bring them to St. Louis, that's great. I think it's been really wonderful to see the melding of the organizations. The way they have no one solid background enables them to pick up and look at things in a different way."
        Among the attributes drawing those employees are the city's 12 colleges and universities, strong visual and performing arts scene, and affordable residential real estate, says Grossman, who calls her city "an open and friendly town." That description extends to community and state officials.
        "From the governor to the mayor to the local chamber of commerce," she says. "That reflects the Midwest mindset, and that's something that's served this campus pretty well too. 'How can we get this done?' serves the goal that Reuters has of improving customer service, and that point hasn't been missed by some of the decision-makers."
        The media company's presence may grow even further as consolidation unfolds, in the very city where Joseph Pulitzer began his own empire. Elliott says the spirit of St. Louis is a perfect fit for the spirit of Reuters.
        "One unique aspect of working at Reuters is there is an esprit de corps that exists there," he says. "People believe they're doing important things that impact the news markets and news media, and it's an affiliation that is constantly strengthened by the investment Reuters makes in its people. I think the fact that people were willing to relocate speaks to many issues. We think a nice partnership has been created between the community, the people we've engaged, the assets we bring and the way we do business. It's an important venture going forward, that we're glad we're in."