Missouri recruiters will target 8 industries
BYLINE: Christopher Boyce, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Sep. 23--The Missouri Department of Economic Development detailed a plan Friday to recruit companies of various sizes from outside the state to help bolster eight industries.
The department said it will hire eight people to concentrate on bringing in companies in agribusiness, information technology, energy, logistics and trade, life sciences, financial services, transportation and defense and homeland security.
These recruiters will be employees of the department. In addition, the economic development department will contract with five additional experts in other states to recruit businesses to Missouri.
Funding for those five will come from the Hawthorn Foundation, a nonprofit that solicits donations from Missouri industry, chambers of commerce, professional associations and universities to support state economic development.
The department's director, Greg Steinhoff, first announced in March that he hoped to raised $1 million to lure businesses to the state. Deputy director Mike Mills said Friday that fundraising was "about half-way" to that goal.
Steinhoff said Friday the department will start searching for specialists now with hopes that the positions will be filled and active by January.
Steinhoff said similar programs have been employed by many states, but Missouri isn't borrowing from any particular model.
"The world of business recruitment has gotten very competitive and specialized," Steinhoff said. "We have certain industries of strength within the state and we need people to recruit companies within those industries."
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