Partnerships and flexibility key to St. Louis’ industrial market growth

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the sold-out MWM STL Industrial Summit on October 10th, hosted at Artori Group! The event was hugely successful, filled with insightful discussions, fantastic networking, and an electric atmosphere.

A special shout-out to our sponsors: ARCO Construction Company, EQT Exeter, The Bank of Missouri, McConnell & Associates, Poettker Construction Company, Carmody MacDonald, Terracon, and Lawrence Group, who helped make this event possible.

Panel Highlights:

Moderated by Dan Merlo, CCIM, of Intelica CRE, the expert panel featured industry leaders:

  • Christy Wirth, SIOR, CCIM (Cushman & Wakefield)

  • Matt Sander (ARCO Construction Company, Inc.)

  • Ben Haas (EQT Exeter)

  • Stephen Davis, MBA (St. Louis Development Corporation)

  • Matthew Hrubes, CCIM (CBRE)

 The panel dove into several key issues and trends shaping the industrial market across the St. Louis Metro East and West regions, which encompass Missouri and Illinois. Despite a national slowdown in large industrial developments, St. Louis continues to perform strongly.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Market Resilience: St. Louis maintains a low vacancy rate, with increasing demand for smaller, more flexible industrial spaces. Though more significant developments have slowed nationwide, the region remains a hub of activity.

  2. Tax Incentives: Matthew Hrubes underscored the critical role of cities in offering tax incentives to attract high-quality industrial projects. Public-private partnerships are essential to fostering successful developments, ensuring that these projects benefit local communities.

  3. Growth in 2025: While some projects were put on hold in 2024, panelists shared optimism for a busier 2025. The region is poised to take advantage of new developments, partly thanks to its strong infrastructure and growing regional collaboration.

  4. Evolving Industrial Spaces: Ben Haas and Matt Sander discussed the shift toward more significant, more adaptable industrial spaces, reflecting the needs of modern tenants. This trend is shaping the future of construction and design across the market.

The conversation also emphasized the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors and innovative approaches to industrial development.

Looking Ahead:

As momentum continues to build in the St. Louis industrial market, partnerships and forward-thinking strategies will be key to future success. Companies like ARCO Construction and EQT Exeter are shaping what’s next for the region.

We’d like to extend a big thank you to Marissa Almiron with SAM for the excellent video recap and Drew Edelstein with Lawrence Group for capturing the event’s photos.


We hope to see you all again at our upcoming MWM + DBIA MAR Holiday Party on December 10th for a fun Happy Hour at Mission Taco Joint in Kirkwood from 4-7 PM. Be sure you are subscribed to our MWM Connections newsletters to receive event invites, updates and other CRE news.