Governor establishes task force to encourage job growth through innovation, start-ups

Governor Eric Greitens has asked dozens of industry leaders from across the state to come up with new ideas to promote innovation and new technology startups in Missouri.

“Accelerating the growth of good paying jobs is critical to Missouri’s future,” Greitens said in a news release. “Missouri must find smart, efficient ways to support innovation, entrepreneurs, and new technology start-ups. While Missouri has emerged as a hub for innovation in the Midwest, more must be done if we are to remain competitive and reach Missouri’s full potential as a national leader.”

The governor requested a quick timeline for the task force’s recommendations, saying he wanted the task force’s work to be completed by August.

“He’s tending to want actionable ideas as opposed to studies and long-term thinking,” said Bill Turpin, a member of the task force and president of the Missouri Innovation Center. “He’s trying to move the needle and get things moving.”

Members are tasked with finding new ways to bring more jobs and companies to Missouri by way of innovation and entrepreneurship. Drew Erdmann, the task force’s sponsor and the state’s chief operating officer, said the key is to find the industries that Missouri excels in and build on those strengths.

“Why can’t we be the global leader in some things?” Erdmann said. “When you look at agriculture and agritech, why shouldn’t we be? I think there is already world-class institutions to build upon and I don’t think the people of Missouri should sell themselves short.”

St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield and Columbia have already demonstrated those innovative ideas separately. According to Turpin, St. Louis is already attracting business from Israel and Germany.

“The more companies we have in Missouri that sell things globally, the more money we have flowing into Missouri companies and paying taxes and hiring people,” he said.

Turpin said the task force is going to focus on ways to make sure those ideas benefit the entire state and not just each individual region.

“If we’re good teammates, we’ll play together,” Turpin said. “We’ll pass the ball to whoever’s open and we’ll score some more points that way.”

So far, Erdmann said the task force has not benefited from taxpayer money.

“Facilities have been donated and even the lunches have been donated,” he said. “To the best of my knowledge, we have not incurred any cost.”