The World Trade Center St. Louis, a division of St. Louis County Economic Council, hosted more than 650 business leaders, representing small- and medium-sized as well as multinational organizations, at the 2012 Growing Global Annual Luncheon on September 28, 2012, at the Ritz Carlton. The region's premier event for the international business community featured James Carouso, counselor for economic affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, as its keynote speaker.
The event honored local leaders and businesses for their collective contributions to economic and international development in St. Louis.
- Co-recipients Bob Fox, chairman of Casa de Salud, and Anna Crosslin, president and CEO of the International Institute of St. Louis, accepted the Global Ambassador award for their lifelong support and care for new international citizens to St. Louis and their recent leadership in advancing St. Louis' new immigration and innovation initiative.
- George Paz, chairman and CEO of Express Scripts, was honored with the Global Business Person award for his leadership in health care and the company's commitment to international business growth.
- Nathan Lakey, president and CEO of Orion Genomics, accepted the Global Growth award for his company's efforts in expanding St. Louis' biotech footprint on a global scale and its scientific contributions to solving world food and medical problems.