ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Greater St. Louis (GSL) Inc. CEO Jason Hall will step down from his role in the next coming weeks and depart for a role as CEO of Columbus Partnership, Greater St. Louis Inc. announced on Monday.
"I am deeply grateful to my friend and GSL's founding chairman, Andy Taylor; GSL's entire board and investors; and the amazing staff team," said Hall. "The vision of the STL 2030 Jobs Plan and the unified leadership of the St. Louis metro's business community is creating unstoppable momentum and leading my hometown in a bold new direction with growth and opportunity for all."
"It has been an honor beyond words to be a part of this exciting transformation underway. I will continue to champion St. Louis reaching its full potential from afar, and I look forward to this next phase in my career in metropolitan civic leadership."
Hall tells the Columbus Dispatch he's moving because of the Ohio town's economic success. Hall told the Columbus Dispatch that despite his new home having fewer residents, he's been impressed by its economic success. Hall calls Columbus "the heartland miracle."
He says he looked to Columbus for inspiration during his attempts to get St. Louis to collaborate regionally.
The last U.S. Census put Columbus at 32nd in metro areas by population, while St. Louis clocked in at 23rd. But Columbus is growing while St. Louis is not. In fact, Columbus had the highest percentage of population growth of any U.S. metro during the second half of 2023. The St. Louis metro, during that same period, declined.
Hall has served as CEO of Greater St. Louis since five St. Louis-area economic development organizations decided to combine into one group to attract more jobs back in Oct. 2020.
During Hall's time as CEO of Greater St. Louis, Hall led the development of yhe STL 2030 Jobs plan, a 10-year plan which laid out goals for the St. Louis region to develop its geospatial sector, advanced manufacturing sector and other emerging tech sectors.
Greater St. Louis's board of directors will engage in a national search to identify and recruit an exceptionally qualified CEO to guide GSL into the organization's next chapter.
"Our board, staff, and investors are deeply grateful to Jason for his leadership and his nearly 12 years of service to St. Louis and its business community, both with and prior to the formation of GSL," said GSL Founding Chair and Executive Chairman of Enterprise Mobility Andy Taylor. "Jason was a driving force in creating the GSL vision and enhancing our metro's ability to compete with a unified voice to drive change and economic growth."
"Under his leadership, GSL has put major wins on the board and, in just four short years, is already recognized by our peers as a best-in-class organization."
While the national search process is underway, Chief Real Estate Investment Officer Dustin Allison will serve as interim CEO of GSL.
