Columbia

Missouri, known as the Show Me State, offers a variety of landscapes and communities, each with its own unique charm and appeal. From bustling urban centers to quaint rural towns, there’s a perfect spot for everyone to call home in this Midwestern state. Whether looking for urban conveniences near St. Louis or Kansas City, the picturesque beauty of the Ozark Mountains, or the laid-back atmosphere of charming small towns, Missouri offers several places that provide a high quality of life. The state is also known for its affordability and low cost of living, family-friendly attractions, and economic opportunities. Taking these factors into consideration, here are the top nine places to live in Missouri in 2024.

Charles

Historic Saint Charles, Missouri.

Situated along the Missouri River northwest of St. Louis is St. Charles, one of the best places to live in Missouri in 2024. Established in 1769, the growing community is home to 71,456 residents. The city is rich in history, serving as the starting point of Lewis and Clark’s Westward Expedition in 1804. St. Charles was also Missouri’s first state capital, now preserved in the town’s historic district on Main Street. The area is characterized by its cobblestone streets, brick buildings, and annual festivals, including the Festival of the Little Hills in August, Oktoberfest in the fall, and Christmas Traditions, which will celebrate its 50th season in 2024. The vibrant community also provides urban amenities, such as pedestrian-friendly streets, local restaurants, and vibrant entertainment, along with outdoor recreation. The riverfront boasts the scenic Katy Trail State Park, a great spot for watching wildlife, bike riding, or strolling along the riverbank.

St. Charles also offers an affordable cost of living, 2.5% lower than the U.S. average. Both the average home price of $286,900 and average rental price of $1,090 per month for a two-bedroom apartment are below the country’s averages. The city is also highly rated for its public and private schools, as well as Lindenwood University. With its blend of annual events, storied history, affordability, and educational opportunities, St. Charles is a top place to live in Missouri.

Chesterfield

Burkhardt Historic District in Chesterfield, Missouri. Image credit: Mark Ravenscraft via Wikimedia Commons.

Chesterfield is a great place to live in Missouri due to its suburban location, top-notch schools, and outdoor recreation. Located along the Missouri River, Chesterfield’s 48,503 residents enjoy the city’s well-maintained parks, green spaces, and outdoor gardens, including the 55-acre Central Park and the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House. Chesterfield is also home to one of the best live music venues in the area, The Factory. Additionally, Chesterfield’s convenient location in the greater St. Louis area allows residents easy access to a wide array of cultural attractions and events in the city. 

Boasting a thriving economy supported by diverse industries, including healthcare, finance, and technology, Chesterfield’s upscale community offers residents ample job opportunities and economic stability. In Chesterfield, the median income is $124,551 a year, with an average home price of $448,800 and the monthly rental cost of a two-bedroom apartment for $1,280. The area is also renowned for its highly-rated schools, making it a great place for both families and individuals to live in Missouri. 

Lee’s Summit

Two-story white house at Missouri Town Living History Museum in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

Located in suburban Kansas City, Lee’s Summit is renowned for its outdoor recreation, cultural attractions, and family-friendly community. The city’s 104,689 residents enjoy a high quality of life, including parks, recreational facilities, shopping centers, restaurants, and cultural events. Residents enjoy the outdoors at Longview Lake and Winterset Park Nature Area, and can learn more about the area’s history at Lee’s Summit History Museum. Since the town is situated just southeast of Kansas City, residents have convenient access to the metropolitan area’s employment opportunities, entertainment options, and cultural amenities, all while maintaining its serene suburban atmosphere. 

Lee’s Summit is also renowned for its top-rated schools that are consistently recognized for their excellence in state and national assessments, making Lee’s Summit a great place for families with school-aged children. The median home price in Lee’s Summit is $356,900, while the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,150. With its enticing blend of exceptional schools, quality of life, access to urban amenities, and outdoor recreation, Lee’s Summit is a highly desirable locale for individuals and families alike.

Springfield

Aerial view of Springfield, Missouri.

Springfield is an excellent place to reside in Missouri due to its affordability, high quality of life, and central location in the heart of the Ozarks. The cost of living in Springfield is 16.1% lower than the U.S. average, with a typical home cost of $217,200 and a two-bedroom rental for $890 a month. The city provides its 171,691 residents with a wide array of amenities and attractions to enjoy, such as the Springfield Art Museum, Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, and the Dickerson Park Zoo. The city boasts a strong sense of community and numerous family-friendly activities, such as the Rock’ N Ribs BBQ Festival in April, the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival & Car Show in August, and Winterfest in December.

Springfield’s proximity to the beautiful Ozark Mountains offers endless opportunities for outdoor recreation. In town, residents enjoy fishing and boating at Lake Springfield Park, as well as hiking and bicycling on 70 miles of multi-use trails along the Ozarks Greenways Trail Network. Additionally, Springfield is home to well-known educational institutions, such as Missouri State University. Springfield’s blend of affordability, cultural vibrancy, outdoor recreation, and educational opportunities make it a highly desirable place to live.

O’Fallon

Fort Zumwalt Park in O’Fallon, Missouri. Image credit: Classiv via Wikimedia Commons.

O’Fallon is renowned for its strong sense of community, welcoming atmosphere, and excellent schools. One of the best cities to live in Missouri in 2024, O’Fallon boasts low crime rates, well-maintained neighborhoods, and an extensive park system. For the city’s 93,531 residents, O’Fallon provides ample outdoor recreational spaces and activities for all ages to enjoy. The city’s scenic Fort Zumwalt Park is a local favorite, with its rebuilt War of 1812 fort site overlooking Lake Whetsel. The park is also home to the city’s annual Celebration of Lights in December, while more annual festivals and performances occur at O’Day Park.

O’Fallon is also centrally located near major highways, making it a convenient location in the metro St. Louis area. In O’Fallon, the median home price is $326,900, while the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,135. Supported by a diverse economy encompassing industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and retail, O’Fallon provides residents economic stability with an unemployment rate of 2.2%, well below the national average. The city’s combination of strong community ties, family-friendly environment, recreational amenities, and economic prosperity makes O’Fallon a great place to call home.

Kirkwood

Downtown Kirkwood, Missouri. Image credit: Paul Sableman via Wikimedia Commons.

Kirkwood, a suburb southwest of St. Louis, is a highly desirable place to live in Missouri. The city is centrally located, offers safe neighborhoods, and boasts highly-rated schools. Kirkwood also features many family-friendly activities, such as the Magic House and St. Louis Children’s Museum. Kirkwood also provides a high quality of life to its 29,075 residents, along with its charming downtown area, historic homes, and tree-lined streets. Locals actively participate in the city’s events, festivals, and community initiatives, such as the Route 66 Cars and Guitars Festival in June and the Greentree Festival at Kirkwood Park in September. The city boasts a dozen parks, the Meramec River Greenway Walking Trail, and Grant’s Trail. 

The city is also located near St. Louis along major highways, and also has a train station. Residents in Kirkwood enjoy a median income of $98,637, along with a median home price of $369,700 and a monthly rent price of $1,240 for a two-bedroom apartment. Kirkwood’s blend of small-town charm, outdoor recreation, excellent schools, and convenient location make it a desirable place to live for many individuals and families.

Columbia

The University of Missouri campus in Columbia, Missouri.

Known for its friendliness and affordability, Columbia is one of the best places to live in Missouri. Located centrally in the state between Kansas City and St. Louis, Columbia offers a welcoming atmosphere and a diverse range of cultural and recreational opportunities. The 130,565 residents enjoy hiking on the extensive trails, swimming at the aquatic center, and being outdoors at the city’s many parks. Stephens Lake Park and Finger Lakes State Park are both great options for fishing, boating, and swimming. 

Renowned for its lively downtown area, bustling with local shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues, Columbia fosters a dynamic and engaging urban experience. The city’s educational institutions, including the University of Missouri, provide residents with access to top-tier educational and research opportunities. With a median home price of $269,200 and an average monthly rent price of $970 for a two-bedroom apartment, Columbia is an affordable place to live. With its natural beauty, education opportunities, and central location, Columbia is a great place to live in the heart of Missouri.

Clayton

Downtown Clayton at sunset in Saint Louis, Missouri. Image credit: Morgan Burke via Flickr.com

Bordering Forest Park in St. Louis, Clayton is one of the best places to live for those seeking an affluent area in Missouri in an urban location. The median income in Clayton is $117,593, along with a median home price of $698,800 and an average monthly two-bedroom rental costing $1,350. The city offers its 16,804 residents a high quality of life, a thriving economy, and access to top-notch amenities and services. Downtown Clayton is bustling with upscale shops, renowned restaurants, and cultural attractions, including the annual St. Louis Art Fair in the fall. The city also boasts several parks and trails, including the renowned Shaw Park and the Centennial Greenway. 

Clayton is also renowned for its top-rated schools, safe neighborhoods, and strategic location in the metro St. Louise area near major roads and the Metro, the region’s public transit system. Residents have convenient access to a wide range of transportation options, employment opportunities, and healthcare facilities. With its blend of upscale living, cultural richness, and economic prosperity, Clayton is the perfect Missouri city for individuals and families seeking a sophisticated and fulfilling lifestyle.

Blue Springs

The northern shore of Lake Jacomo in Blue Springs, Missouri. Image credit: Vincent Parsons via Flickr.com

Situated just east of Kansas City, Blue Springs is a friendly community that prides itself on being a neighborly community. Blue Springs is one of the best places to live in Missouri for its friendly atmosphere, city’s parks, affordability, and central location. With excellent schools and safe neighborhoods, Blue Springs is particularly appealing to families looking for a nurturing environment to raise children. The city’s parks and recreational facilities provide ample opportunities for outdoor activities for its 59,634 residents. Blue Springs also boasts several lakes, parks, trails, and will be home to the Blue Surf Bay Waterpark in the spring of 2024. 

The city is an affordable community with a median home price of $269,300 and an average monthly rent cost for a two-bedroom unit of $1,180. Additionally, the city’s convenient location just east of Kansas City provides residents easy access to employment opportunities, cultural attractions, and entertainment options while still enjoying the tranquility of suburban living. With its blend of community spirit, family-friendly environment, outdoor recreational amenities, and proximity to urban conveniences, Blue Springs is a highly desirable destination for individuals and families alike.

Living in the Heart of Missouri

The towns and cities in the Show Me State are the top places to live in Missouri. With its diverse regions and communities, Missouri offers an abundance of opportunities for residents to thrive. From the vibrant energy of its cities to the tranquility of its countryside and the charm of the state’s small towns, Missouri offers the perfect place for anyone to live. With a reputation for affordability, family-friendly attractions, and economic stability, Missouri offers opportunity and high-quality living. Whether an individual is looking for a vibrant place to live or a family seeking exceptional schools, Missouri invites all to experience life in the Midwest.

Originally Appeared Here

Columbia Business School has released its MBA Class of 2023 employment report, the last of the major programs to do so. Columbia photo

Columbia Business School and its M7 peer Harvard Business School had something in common in 2023, and neither was happy about it. In a rarity among elite programs, median pay for both schools’ graduating MBAs declined.

Harvard’s slide was worse — and, sadly for Harvard grads, less rare, happening in 2023 for the second time in three years. But a decline is a decline, and in its newly published employment data, CBS reports total median compensation of $201,780, down from $203,252 the previous year.

If that were the worst of it, Columbia could claim to have escaped largely unscathed in what was inarguably a challenging year for graduate business education outcomes. But CBS also took a big hit in placement rates: Just 84% of the school’s 829 graduates reported receiving an offer three months after graduation last spring, lowest among all M7 schools, and 81% accepted. Both metrics are down 11 percentage points from 2022.

TOTAL MEDIAN COMPENSATION FOR COLUMBIA MBAs 2013-2023

Year	Total Median Compensation	Median Base Salary	Median Signing Bonus	% Getting Signing Bonus	Median Other Guaranteed	% Getting Other Guaranteed
2023	$201,780	$175,000	$30,000	71.7%	$31,000	17.0%
2022	$203,252	$175,000	$30,000	82.6%	$32,150	10.8%
2021	$178,380	$150,000	$30,000	73.8%	$30,000	20.8%
2020	$174,313	$150,000	$30,300	67.7%	$25,000	15.2%
2019	$177,970	$150,000	$30,000	67.9%	$50,000	15.2%
2018	$155,248	$130,000	$30,000	66.3%	$28,500	18.8%
2017	$149,890	$125,000	$25,500	65.7%	$25,000	20.5%
2016	$147,000	$125,000	$25,000	66.3%	$25,000	21.8%
2015	$145,500	$125,000	$25,000	62.4%	$25,000	19.9%
2014	$139,602	$119,400	$25,000	62.3%	$22,390	21.1%
2013	$134,800	$110,000	$30,000	67.6%	$20,000	21.7%

Source: Columbia Business School employment reports

A 2023 COLUMBIA MBA IN PRIVATE EQUITY RECEIVED $715K IN ‘OTHER’ COMPENSATION

Median and average salaries at the leading U.S. B-schools were not all flat in 2023. Stanford Graduate School of Business, Michigan Ross School of Business, Duke Fuqua School of Business, UC-Berkeley Haas School of Business, and others reported notable increases last year in both starting salaries and total compensation.

Not so for Columbia, where the median starting salary remained $175K (after jumping 16.7% in 2022), median signing bonus flat at $30K for a third straight year, and median other compensation down slightly, from $32,250 to $31K. The latter stat, combined with the fact that significantly fewer 2023 grads reported receiving a signing bonus — 71.7%, down from 82.6% — dropped median total pay to just under $202K, down less than 1% from 2022. (Poets&Quants calculates total pay by adjusting data based on how many grads reported bonuses.)

For there first time since 2020, consulting overtook financial services as the top industry for Columbia MBAs, rising to 36.3% of the class from 33.6%. Finance dropped a bit to 35.7%, down from 36.9%; tech cratered to 10.8% from 16%, and has fallen 9 percentage points in four years. Consultants also had the highest median salary of the class, $190K, up from $175K. Investment banking (a subset of financial services, comprising 16.4% of the class) and private equity (comprising 5.6%) were next at $175K, the latter an increase from $162,500 in 2022.

High salaries for the 2023 class were $350K for someone in investment management and $309K for someone in  hardware/software/telecom; the two highest numbers in “other” compensation — which in Columbia’s report includes sign-on, year-end, and other guaranteed comp besides base salary — was $715K for someone in PE and $385,361 for a hardware/software/telecom grad.

DON’T WEEP FOR THE M7: FOR THE MOST PART, THE MONEY KEPT FLOWING IN 2023

In terms of MBA pay, Columbia had a down year — but so did many leading B-schools, including a couple of Columbia’s peers in the M7. Harvard was the worst hit of that group of elite B-schools, with a 2023 class median salary that stayed flat at $175K, median signing bonus that was flat at $30K, and median performance bonus that stayed flat at $40K — and because fewer grads reported receiving the latter two, total compensation for HBS grads was down, to $220,100 from $223,100 in 2022. It was the second time in three years that total comp for Harvard MBAs declined year-over-year. At another M7 school, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, which publishes an annual report very light on details compared to its M7 peers, median salary for the 2023 MBA class was flat at $175K — but more concerning for Whartonites was that in finance, where more than a third of Wharton MBAs found work, median salary grew less than 1% to $175K.

But elsewhere among the top schools in 2023, the money kept flowing. At MIT Sloan School of Management, the MBA Class of 2023 achieved a total compensation median of $217,780, up from $204,700 in 2022; and the 2023 class’s mean salary grew significantly, too, by 5.5% to $168,095 from $159,391. At Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, MBA Class of 2023 employment data showed that median starting salary grew to $175K from $165K; with a median signing bonus stable at $30K, Kellogg’s median total pay grew to $200,500 — up nearly 5% from 2022. And at Chicago Booth School of Business, total median comp grew to $203,430, up 3.5% in one year and 14% in two. Median starting salary for Boothies grew to $180,000 from $175,000, higher than the median $175K at most of its M7 peers.

Then there’s Stanford Graduate School of Business. There’s no other way to say it: Except for placement rates, which declined along with every other B-school’s, Stanford had a great 2023. Average total compensation for its grads reached more than $275K last year, up nearly $20K from 2022, as average base salary grew 3.7% to $189,010. Expected performance bonus grew nearly 9%, to an average of $99,347 — and most impressive of all, signing bonus grew an astounding 25% to an average of $42,249. A year after growing more than 11%, total average compensation for Stanford MBA graduates jumped another 7.7% in 2023, to a new school record $277,268.

COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL MBA JOBS BY INDUSTRY 2015-2023

Industry	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
Consulting	36.3%	33.6%	33.4%	34.0%	32.6%	33.6%	33%	35%	35%
Financial Services	35.7%	36.9%	36.0%	33.2%	34.3%	32.2%	34%	37%	37%
Manufacturing	0.9%	3.2%	4.1%	4.0%	6.8%	6.8%	6%	8%	8%
Media/Tech	12.8%	16.0%	17.0%	19.8%	13.8%	15.7%	16%	10%	10%
Real Estate	3.3%	3.6%	4.5%	1.4%	4.1%	4.0%	4%	4%	4%
Healthcare	2.6%	1.5%	2.3%	3.8%	3.9%	1.8%	3%	3%	2%
Retail	0.8%	0.6%	NA	NA	<1%	1.8%	0%	1%	1%
Nonprofit/Govt.	1.6%	NA	1.4%	1.7%	1.4%	1.6%	1%	2%	2%

Source: Columbia Business School employment reports

COLUMBIA ADDS ‘YEAR-END’ PLACEMENT RATES: 92% OFFERS, 91% ACCEPTS

Did someone mention placement rates? It was in this all-important category that the M7 schools — like every other U.S. and international school that publishes MBA employment reports — had trouble in 2023. Columbia was among the hardest hit.

Only 84% of CBS’s MBA Class of 2023 reported receiving offers by 90 days after graduation, down from 95% in 2022 (and 94% in 2021), and just 81% reported accepting, down from 92% in each of the previous two years. The numbers are the worst on record for Columbia, including even the coronavirus pandemic classes; which explains why the school looked to offset them by including, for the first time, “year end” numbers: By the close of 2023, 92% of the class had job offers, and 91% had accepted.

Other M7 schools had historic trouble finding work last year, too:

• • Harvard Business School’s Class of 2023 employment data showed that 86% of last year’s grads received job offers 90 days after graduation, down from 95% a year earlier, and 80% accepted, down 10 percentage points from the previous year’s 90%.
  • Of MIT Sloan School of Management’s 336 job seekers in last year’s MBA class of 446, 90.2% received job offers by three months after graduation, and 86.9% accepted. You have to go back to 2013 to find another sub-90% job acceptance result for Sloanies.
  • At Chicago Booth School of Business, total job offers at graduation (91.1%, from 93.1%) and three months later (95.6%, from 96.8%) were down year-over-year, while acceptances dropped to 88% at graduation from 90.4%, and to 94.3% after 90 days from 95.6%.
  • At Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, job offers at three months post-graduation fell to 95% from 99%, and acceptances declined from 97% to 92%.
  • At the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, of the 688 students seeking jobs out of a class of 917, 97.2% received job offers by three months after graduation, down just a little from 98.7% in 2022 (and 99% in 2021); and 92.3% accepted, down from 96.2% last year (and 96.8% in 2021)

We’ve saved Stanford Graduate School of Business for last. Stanford may have had great compensation numbers but it had its worst placement numbers in years, with job offers at three months post-graduation sinking to 89%, lower even than the pandemic class of 2020 (91%), and acceptances — normally a lower number for Stanford than most schools because of the high number of entrepreneurs in each class — at just 82%, lower than every class going back to 2016. Even Stanford’s two pandemic classes of 2020 and 2021 managed job acceptance rates of 85% and 91%, respectively. Given the challenging environment, Stanford’s number of MBAs seeking employment was dramatically lower this year: 256 compared to last year’s 309. Just 62% of the class went job seeking, down from 67% in 2022, 66% in 2021, 67% in 2020, and 72% in 2019.

HIGH JOB SATISFACTION FOR THOSE FINDING WORK 

 

Source: Columbia Business School

Columbia’s 2023 employment report provides interesting insights into the motivations of Columbia MBAs as they evolved over the years. As P&Q has reported, the top three reasons the Class of 2020 gave for accepting an offer were job content (14.4%), growth potential (14.0%), and opportunity for advancement (13.6%); in 2021, they were firm culture and people (15.5%), job content (13.4%), and advancement opportunities (13.4%). In 2022, the top three reasons for accepting an offer were firm culture and people (15.1%), company reputation (14.6%), and advancement opportunities (13.0%); last year, 17.5% chose advancement opportunities, 14.3% firm culture and people, and 13.8% company reputation.

Jobs may have been scarcer, but as Columbia’s report shows, those who found work had high satisfaction. As in past years, the school asks grads to rate their satisfaction on a 1-5 scale; in 2023, 94% of students reported their job satisfaction as a 4 or 5 on scale of 1-5. That comports with past years: In 2022, 95% of students rated a 4 or 5; in 2021, 97%; in 2020, 94%; and in both 2019 and 2018, 93%.

Geographically, Columbia MBAs (like their counterparts at other top U.S. schools) mostly stay in the States: 86% of the Class of 2023 stayed in the U.S., exactly the same as in 2022; 4% found work in Asia, down from 7%; 5% in Europe, up from 4%; 2% in Central/South America, same as 2022; 1% in Africa/ME, unchanged in a year; and 1% in Canada.

“At CBS, we have continually retooled how we educate students and have vastly expanded our course offerings to meet the needs of a rapidly changing business landscape,” Dean Costis Maglaras says in an introduction to the new report. “Our curriculum offers a comprehensive range of business courses that delve deeply into fields such as tech fundamentals, applied AI, digital product management, blockchain/crypto, and climate technology. Experiential courses leverage our state-of-the-art campus and co-working spaces, fostering opportunities for students to collaborate in the kinds of cross-functional teams that are essential to modern organizations.

“Students explore the impact of tech and data on valuation and investing, collaborate with leading executives through our private equity program, and participate in consulting projects that enable them to learn from and apply their business skills to real world situations.”

TOP EMPLOYERS OF COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL MBAs 2014-2023

Employer	2023 Hires	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
Alliance Bernstein	0	1	1	3	3	3	3	NA	NA	NA
Accenture	0	1	0	0	1	4	2	NA	NA	NA
Adobe	0	1	2	3	3	8	0	NA	NA	NA
Amazon	18	23	26	22	14	18	23	8	9	12
American Express	0	7	6	4	4	2	5	3	7	5
Anheuser-Busch InBev	0	3	2	2	6	3	4	8	2	3
Apple	0	1	3	7	3	5	2	3	6	3
Kearney	4	1	2	13	11	9	4	9	8	10
Bain	30	33	23	24	29	22	27	28	35	31
Bank of America Merrill Lynch	8	14	8	7	4	5	6	5	9	13
Barclays	4	10	2	3	7	3	2	4	6	4
Bayside Capital	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
BCG	39	44	35	30	28	21	36	28	29	28
Citi	7	9	8	7	6	8	7	11	9	16
Comcast NBCUniversal	0	4	2	2	2	2	4	NA	NA	NA
Credit Suisse	6	8	9	7	8	2	4	7	4	8
Deloitte	17	28	16	21	21	17	21	24	28	17
Disney	0	0	2	0	0	NA	3	NA	NA	NA
EY-Parthenon	4	7	6	11	6	2	1	2	3	2
Estee Lauder	0	1	3	4	7	5	7	4	0	3
Evercore Partners	4	9	6	9	8	3	4	5	5	6
Facebook/Meta	0	5	2	2	6	2	2	2	2	1
Fidelity Investments	0	1	2	2	2	2	3	3	2	4
GE	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	3	3	4
Goldman Sachs	7	17	13	14	15	16	8	15	13	15
Google	14	12	11	14	8	3	7	7	4	14
Greenhill & Co.	0	1	1	1	2	2	1	1	3	2
Guggenheim	3	1	2	6	2	2	7	2	3	1
IBM	0	1	2	4	8	6	10	2	4	8
JP Morgan Chase	9	14	8	6	12	9	14	10	14	11
KPMG	0	1	2	2	4	9	2	NA	NA	NA
L.E.K. Consulting	0	1	4	7	2	5	3	NA	NA	NA
Lazard	5	4	4	5	2	6	2	1	3	1
Lincoln International	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	3	1	1
L’Oreal	0	0	0	0	2	3	2	1	3	1
MasterCard	0	5	2	4	2	4	3	NA	NA	NA
McKinsey	77	78	55	45	45	55	55	62	55	51
Microsoft	0	3	2	0	3	9	5	2	7	4
Moelis	4	3	3	5	4	5	4	NA	NA	NA
Morgan Stanley	18	7	7	6	8	6	11	14	8	10
Oliver Wyman	6	1	2	2	0	5	1	NA	NA	NA
PepsiCo	0	4	2	3	2	2	2	3	2	4
Pfizer	3	3	2	2	4	2	2	6	2	2
PIMCO	0	0	2	4	3	2	0	1	3	2
Prudential Financial	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	4	2	1
PwC Strategy&	15	16	5	14	17	12	14	26	9	23
RBC Capital Partners	0	1	0	1	1	1	3	NA	NA	NA
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	3	2	1
Restaurant Brands	0	1	0	0	2	5	1	NA	NA	NA
Samsung	0	1	2	3	4	5	3	6	5	4
Tishman Speyer	0	1	2	1	0	0	1	1	3	1
Uber	0	1	2	0	0	4	2	NA	NA	NA
UBS	0	3	2	1	4	2	2	4	3	2
Unilever	0	1	0	0	1	1	1	3	2	2
Verizon	0	1	1	0	0	1	4	NA	NA	NA

Source: Columbia Business School employment reports

DON’T MISS THE M7 B-SCHOOLS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW and MEET COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2023

Originally Appeared Here

This is an edition of Capital City Progress, a weekly column that focuses on business, growth and development news in the Columbia area. It is written by Post and Courier Columbia business reporter Hannah Wade.

COLUMBIA — Over a year and a half after Publix announced it would open another location in northeast Columbia, the Florida-based grocery chain has broken ground on the project. 

The southeastern grocer, headquartered in Lakeland, Fla. received the go-ahead from the city to begin clearing land at the corners of Spears Creek Church Road and Earth Road on Jan. 25, according to city permits. 

The $3.3 million buildout will include the 46,000-square-foot grocery store and additional 12,000-square-feet in retail space, permits show. 

Publix is expected to open in late 2024 or early 2025, according to an email from a company spokesperson. It is expected to hire 140 employees when it opens.  

The grocery store chain first announced the location in August 2022 and had an anticipated timeline of early 2024, but progress on the project has been slow-moving. That strip of Spears Creek Church Road, along Interstate 20, has grown rapidly in recent years.

An 8700-square-foot upscale retail plaza, known as Spears Creek Plaza, signed its first tenant earlier this year. A development group purchased 37 acres of land along the road in hopes of building 300 townhomes, according to an Oct. 2023 release from real estate group Colliers.

Mexican restaurant opening in Rosewood

Masa Mexican Street Food, a restaurant from the folks behind the Vista’s COA Agaveria y Cocina, has circled an opening date. 

The restaurant, which also has a Camden location under the same name, is set to open Feb. 5, according to a press release. 

Masa in Camden. Photo provided/City Social

The new spot will join Rosewood’s Starbucks in the newly erected retail and restaurant space at 2811 Rosewood Dr. next to the former Rosewood Baptist Church, which are now apartments.

Masa in Camden opened in late 2020 and serves Mexican food offerings including tacos, quesadillas and burritos. Food items average around $7, with more expensive offerings sitting at $10. The restaurant offers a variety of cocktails and specializes in tiki drinks, according to its Facebook page.

New bank coming to downtown

Chase Bank is set to open a second Columbia location right off of Main Street. 

The national bank chain has its eyes set on Lady Street, under luxury apartments The Palms, according to a city permit issued Jan. 30. The six-story building has been in use as an upscale apartment complex since the spring of 2022, but has long had empty first-floor retail space available. 

The bank will take up nearly 3,000 square-feet of the vacant downstairs space, according to permits. A spokesperson for the company confirmed the location, but did not have an opening date.  

This location of Chase will join the only other Columbia location, at 10134 Two Notch Rd. That freestanding location was announced in early 2023, along with another location on Garner’s Ferry that is set to open in late February. There are 19 other locations of the bank in the state, with plans to open an additional five this year. 

Chase is the retail banking side of JPMorgan Chase & Co., the nation’s largest bank based on loans and other assets.

Originally Appeared Here

COLUMBIA — The Columbia City Council will vote Monday on whether to pass new regulations on short-term rental units in the city.

STRs are housing options offered through apps like Airbnb or Vrbo that are typically seen as alternatives to hotels. The city defines a STR as a “residential dwelling unit, portion of a dwelling unit or room within a residential dwelling unit rented by a transient guest.”

The city council and the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission have been working to draft regulations for STRs since 2018.

The new regulations propose three tiers of STRs that are differentiated by the maximum allowable rental nights per calendar year:

• Tier 1: Up to 30 days
• Tier 2: Up to 120 days
• Tier 3: More than 120 days

Along with the tier structure, proposed regulations also:

• Limit STR licenses to one per property owner or authorized tenant,
• Limit occupancy of dwellings used as an STR to a maximum of eight guests,
• Prohibit dwelling usage for special events,
• Require payment of lodging taxes by property owner,
• Restrict certificate of compliance transfer,
• Stipulate registration and licensure requirements (rental and business),
• Include provisions relating to certificate of compliance posting, safety, rental platform identification, accessory dwelling units as STRs, signage, accessibility and licensure revocation. 

“For my business, I have chosen not to do short-term rentals in Columbia, specifically because of this ordinance,” said Jeff Galen, a real estate owner and president of the Columbia Apartment Association. “But I will tell you that if I was a short-term operator in Columbia, it would put me out of business.”

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Galen said he hopes the city council will turn down the proposed regulations Monday.

“If the city put some realistic, acceptable expectations in their ordinance, then I think it would be a perfect opportunity to do short-term rentals,” Galen said. “And they’re much needed in the city.”

Galen said under these proposed regulations and tiers, he simply would not be able to make enough money to support his business.

Sharon Geuea Jones, chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission, said the new regulations were tailored specifically for the city.

“Most people are going to be able to continue operating more or less the way they currently are,” Jones said. “There’s a very small number of people that are very loud because they have a lot of money tied up in it. They have 10 or more units per host.”

Jones believes there is a huge need for these regulations in Columbia.

“I have a lot of sympathy for folks who have one or two properties that are just trying to offset some of their costs, or that sort of thing,” Jones said. “Folks that are using the lack of enforcement or short-term rental to operate illegal hotels or bed-and-breakfasts, I have no sympathy for.”

The city council will meet at 7 p.m. Monday in Council Chambers. 

Originally Appeared Here

A 113-acre Vancouver property along the Columbia River in the Columbia Business Center has sold for a record-setting $96 million.

The sale is the largest single transaction by price for industrial land on record in the Portland-Vancouver market, according to real estate group Newmark.

“This sale represents the rare opportunity to own an industrial site of scale in a market with a dearth of developable land,” said Nick Kucha, Newmark’s vice chairman.

Newmark and Colliers represented the seller in the transaction, which did not include the 27 buildings at the business center.

Newmark wouldn’t disclose the name of the buyer but said the company has owned a portion of the land since 2006.

“As an 18-year partial owner, they have decided to purchase the property in its entirety to continue their long-term stewardship of the site,” said Alexa Nestlerode, public relations and communications manager at Newmark.

The buyer appears to be Portland development company Killian Pacific. It bought the buildings and half the land at Columbia Business Center in 2006, according to The Columbian’s archives.

The Columbia Business Center is one of Vancouver’s few heavy industrial zones. The property lies between state Highway 14, BNSF Railway and the Columbia River. Tenants there have access to not only the railroad and highway but also the business center’s barge slips.

The Columbia Business Center is a mix of old and new buildings. Some date to World War II when the location was home to the Kaiser shipyards.

The Columbia Business Center, totaling 220 acres, includes light industrial, flex and heavy industrial space, as well as outside storage and assembly space.

Among the business center’s 100 or so tenants are Thompson Metal Fab, Skyline CDL School, Columbia Distributing and Vancouver Steel Painters.

Gennadiy Kovalev, CEO of Skyline CDL School, said he hasn’t heard about the sale. He hopes it won’t impact his business.

“It would be financially destructive to us,” Kovalev said. Commercial driver’s license schools need to be inspected by state and federal regulators, he added. So a move would not be easy.

Kovalev said his school is important to the community because it trains immigrants and people switching careers.

The proposed Interstate 5 Bridge replacement project poses a challenge for the business park. Thompson Metal Fab and other tenants at Columbia Business Center have complained the proposed bridge would hurt their businesses by lowering clearance to 116 feet. They rely on the current bridge’s full 178-foot clearance.

“If the Interstate Bridge Replacement vertical navigation clearance were lowered to 116 feet it would permanently, materially adversely impact the viability of Columbia Business Center for existing and future uses,” Lance Killian of Killian Pacific said in a 2022 letter to the Coast Guard about the bridge project.

For now, the business center will likely remain as is.

“From the depth of our understanding, the buyer intends to continue operating the site in its current condition without disruption for tenants, as they have for the last two decades,” Newmark’s Nestlerode said.

Originally Appeared Here

Columbia Business School has not published its 2023 MBA employment report, unlike every other M7 school — and, indeed, every other major MBA program in the United States. File photo

We have 2023 employment data for most business schools in the United States. But a significant indicator of major decline in the (literal) fortunes of MBAs who graduated last year is what we haven’t seen: Columbia Business School, one of the premier B-schools on the planet, has yet to publish employment data for its 2023 graduating class — and there’s no telling when they intend to break that streak of silence.

Since publishing its MBA Class of 2022 employment report more than 13 months ago in mid-December 2022, CBS has not updated any of its numbers to show how that class’s successors fared in what we know was (and continues to be) a challenging job market. Every other top business school in the United States has published a 2023 jobs report — including all of the other M7 schools. Most published their reports months ago.

Why has Columbia neglected to publish its report? Requests for comment by Poets&Quants have gone unanswered.

Update: A spokesperson for Columbia Business School contacted P&Q after the publication of this story and said staffing issues were behind the delay, adding that the employment report will be published in February. This story has been edited to reflect the nature of the delay.

CBS MAY NOT WANT TO MOVE ON FROM A STELLAR 2022

If other M7 jobs reports are any indicator, Columbia’s report, when published, is likely to show a decline in job placement for Columbia MBAs. In fact the downturn extended well beyond the elite of the elite that comprise the M7: Every other B-school that publishes annual employment reports reported declines, of greater or lesser severity, in job offers and acceptances three months after graduation; some even showed flat salary growth, a rarity even in the teeth of the coronavirus pandemic.

A big drop-off in placement rates or median base salary would be particularly striking for Columbia because in its last employment report, for the Class of 2022, Columbia was on top of the business education world. Median salaries were up $25,000 from 2021, to $175K, and median compensation was up nearly 14% year-over-year and more than 16% from two years earlier, to $203,252. That put Columbia firmly in third place among M7 schools.

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The 2022 employment report capped a terrific year for CBS, which opened the year by opening the doors to a shiny new $600 million building and followed in the fall with another stellar MBA class profile that showed the school avoided many of the problems that had begun dogging its peer schools and others, notably a huge application decline. CBS saw only a comparatively low 5.5% decline in apps in the 2021-2022 cycle.

2023: NOT A GREAT YEAR FOR MOST OF THE M7

We know how challenging the 2023 MBA job market was because other M7 schools had historic trouble finding work for their Class of 2023 MBAs, and that was probably the case for Columbia, too. Harvard Business School’s Class of 2023 employment data showed that 86% of last year’s grads received job offers 90 days after graduation, down from 95% a year earlier, and 80% accepted, down 10 percentage points from the previous year’s 90%. Of MIT Sloan School of Management’s 336 job seekers in last year’s MBA class of 446, 90.2% received job offers by three months after graduation, and 86.9% accepted. You have to go back to 2013 to find another sub-90% job acceptance result for Sloanies.

At Chicago Booth School of Business, total job offers at graduation (91.1%, from 93.1%) and three months later (95.6%, from 96.8%) were down year-over-year, while acceptances dropped to 88% at graduation from 90.4%, and to 94.3% after 90 days from 95.6%. And at Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, job offers at three months post-graduation fell to 95% from 99%, and acceptances declined from 97% to 92%.

Placement rates held up well at one M7 school: the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. However, median salary for Wharton’s MBA Class of 2023 was flat at $175,000 — and in finance, where more than one third of Wharton MBAs found work last year, median salary grew less than 1% to $175K.

Stanford Graduate School of Business, meanwhile, had a strong overall 2023 report, including a total pay average approaching the $300K threshold. But its placement numbers were its worst in years, with job offers at three months post-graduation sinking to 89%, lower even than the pandemic class of 2020 (91%), and acceptances — normally a lower number for Stanford than most schools because of the high number of entrepreneurs in each class — at just 82%, lower than every class going back to 2016. Even Stanford’s two pandemic classes of 2020 and 2021 managed job acceptance rates of 85% and 91%, respectively. Given the challenging environment, Stanford’s number of MBAs seeking employment was dramatically lower this year: 256 compared to last year’s 309. Just 62% of the class went job seeking, down from 67% in 2022, 66% in 2021, 67% in 2020, and 72% in 2019.

‘THE FOLKS I KNEW THERE SEEM TO BE REALLY STRUGGLING’

Columbia’s MBA employment report is so long overdue, MBAs and MBA candidates were already shocked a month ago not to find it available. As user regnadehtmai wrote, “Has CBS published their employment report yet for the class of 2023? If not, what have people heard? Anecdotally, the folks I knew there seem to be really struggling.

“Looks like the reports/news from HBS and GSB confirm how bad the market has been (for those seeking jobs, around ~20% unemployed out of Harvard 3 months after graduation, and I remember ~35% unemployed out of Stanford at the date of graduation).”

The question is, when we see Columbia’s employment report, what will it show in comparison to its peer schools, and what will it add to the already fairly full picture we have of the MBA job market in 2023? At Reddit and elsewhere, expectations are low.

DON’T MISS 2023 MBA CLASS PROFILES & EMPLOYMENT REPORTS and STANFORD NOW IN STRIKING DISTANCE OF $300K STARTING PAY

The post What Does It Say About The MBA Job Market That An M7 School Has Yet To Publish Its 2023 Employment Report? appeared first on Poets&Quants.

Originally Appeared Here

COLUMBIA − The city of Columbia on Thursday released its recommendations for distribution of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. 

The Columbia City Council will vote Monday night on a resolution that will outline the council’s intent to award the $25.2 million in funding.

The first half of the funding is designated for homelessness, community violence, behavioral crisis care, mental health services, and workforce development.

The second half of the funding is targeted to priority areas identified by the community through a survey and focus groups. A full list of organizations to receive the funding and their intended use can be found here. 

Council selected an additional five priority areas for funding consideration for the second half of the funding, which are access to services, affordable housing, mental health access, homelessness, as well as workforce development/support. Some of those selections by council overlap with selections from the public’s selections.

The following summarizes the funding recommendations by priority area:

• Access to services – $1.33 million
• Affordable housing – $8.6 million
• Community violence – $2.17 million
• Homelessness – $5.67 million
• Mental health – $3 million
• Workforce development – $2.5 million
• Workforce support – $1.32 million
• Capacity building – $750,000

Three million, six-hundred thousand dollars of the $25 million has already been awarded. The Columbia Housing Authority received $2 million for its Park Avenue Reconstruction project. Job Point, Moberly Area Community College, and Business Loop Community Improvement District (CID) all received parts of $1.6 million for workforce development programming.

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The Loop’s funds were used for the relocation of CoMo Cooks Kitchen. Carrie Gartner, executive director of the Community Improvement District, said those funds helped build the new kitchen after the original location was demolished at Mizzou North. CoMo Cooks received its ARPA money about a year ago.

“We just finished spending the bulk of it just a few months ago,” Gartner said.

When the new CoMo Cooks location opened back in March, it had about 20 clients. It’s added more since then.

“Without it, we never could have got this kitchen up and running without the ARPA funding and the city’s support,” Gartner said. “We really never could have helped the 30 small businesses that are now located here.”

Following council approval of the resolution, city staff will begin coordinating with the organizations to develop agreements. The city says it has budgeted $750,000 to develop a capacity building program to support and grow the capacity of local community organizations, as well as ARPA applicants.

All of the organizations that receive funds won’t get them immediately after the resolution passes, according to Sydney Olsen, spokesperson for the city. 

“It will take some time because there are so many of them. And obviously, those negotiation processes do require some back-and-forth, but we don’t anticipate this to take a year by any means,” Olsen said. “We have a plan in place, and we’re ready to go and excited to get the money out the door.”

Council will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2 in the Council Chambers of City Hall to vote on the resolution. 

Originally Appeared Here

Best Cheap Car Insurance Companies in Columbia, Mo.

We recommend Missouri Farm Bureau, USAA, State Farm, Progressive and Travelers as the best car insurance options in Columbia. These companies offer rates lower than the minimum- and full-coverage averages for the city, and are known for providing excellent customer service and high-quality coverage.

Keep reading: Cheap Car Insurance

Unless stated otherwise, the following cost tables show average rates for the driving profile of a 35-year-old married driver with good credit and a clean driving history.

How Much Is Car Insurance in Columbia, Mo.?

Our data shows that minimum-coverage insurance in Columbia costs $46 per month or $557 per year on average. This is about 11% less than the national average of $52 per month or $625 per year. Similarly, full-coverage insurance costs $163 per month or $1,950 per year on average, which is about 3% less expensive than the national average of $167 per month or $2,008 per year for full coverage.

Cheapest Liability Car Insurance in Columbia, Mo.

Missouri Farm Bureau offers the cheapest liability insurance with average rates of $23 per month or $270 per year. USAA is the second-cheapest option in Columbia with average rates of $23 per month or $279 per year.

Liability coverage is the minimum coverage required by the state of Missouri. According to Missouri law, all drivers must either meet or exceed the following minimum requirements:

• $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident
• $25,000 bodily injury liability per person
• $25,000 property damage liability per accident
• $50,000 underinsured/uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per accident
• $25,000 underinsured/uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per person

Cheapest Full-Coverage Car Insurance in Columbia, Mo.

Full-coverage car insurance can be pricey in Columbia. Full coverage includes liability plus comprehensive coverage and collision coverage, which protect against damage to your vehicle in a variety of situations. USAA is the cheapest full-coverage option with average rates of $112 per month or $1,349 per year.

Columbia Car Insurance Quotes by Driver Profile

Auto insurance coverage costs vary between Columbia drivers. This is because different parts of a person’s background and profile will affect their premiums, like their gender, age and history of traffic infractions or accidents. This section will examine the average car insurance rates for different driving profiles in Columbia, Mo.

Columbia Car Insurance Cost by Age

Car insurance companies charge higher premiums to teenagers because they have a greater probability of getting into car crashes or breaking traffic regulations. Our data shows 16-year-olds pay about $183 per month or $2,191 per year for car insurance in Columbia.

Car insurance costs typically become cheaper for drivers as they enter their 20s and move towards middle age. The table below reflects this trend with the average minimum-coverage car insurance costs for different age groups in Columbia:

Cheapest Car Insurance in Columbia, Mo.: Teen Drivers

Car insurance for teens is expensive, but some providers tend to be more affordable than others. Our data shows Missouri Farm Bureau is the cheapest car insurance company for teen drivers with minimum-coverage rates as low as $66 per month or $786 per year. USAA, Travelers and State Farm also offer affordable premiums for Columbia teens.

Columbia Car Insurance Cost by Credit Score

Your credit history can be used to determine your car insurance rate in Missouri. Expect to pay higher premiums if you have a low credit score. You could end up paying less than average with a good credit score, as long as you also have a relatively clean driving record.

Cheapest Car Insurance in Columbia, Mo.: Poor Credit

Our rate data shows Missouri Farm Bureau is the cheapest option for car insurance for bad credit in Columbia. The company offers minimum-coverage policies to drivers with poor credit for rates of $38 per month or $453 per year. This is 18% less than the overall state average for minimum coverage for good credit.

Columbia Car Insurance Cost by Driving Record

People who have been involved in accidents, convicted of DUIs or gotten speeding tickets should anticipate a rise in the costs of their auto insurance. On average, speeding can increase your rates by 26%, an at-fault accident by 55% and a DUI by 59%.

Different companies have different price increases on average. Missouri Farm Bureau is typically the most affordable company if you have any driving violations on your record. The table below shows average rates by company for drivers who have either a speeding ticket, accident or DUI on their record.

Keep reading: Insurance rates for high-risk drivers

Cheapest Car Insurance in Columbia, Mo.: Speeding Ticket

According to our data, Missouri Farm Bureau offers the cheapest rates to drivers who have a speeding ticket on their records — $24 per month or $285 per year. USAA follows close behind with an average monthly rate of $29, while State Farm, Travelers and Progressive round out the top five options for cheap speeding ticket car insurance in Columbia.

Cheapest Car Insurance in Columbia, Mo.: At-Fault Accident

If you were responsible for an accident while driving in the past, your insurance rates may increase more than if you had just received a ticket for speeding. 

Missouri Farm Bureau and USAA are the cheapest options here with average rates of about $25 per month and $34 per month, respectively. You can see some auto insurance companies charge significantly more for this amount for coverage after an accident.

Cheapest Car Insurance in Columbia, Mo.: DUI

A DUI offense can result in a significant rise in your Columbia car insurance premiums of at least hundreds of dollars per year. Missouri Farm Bureau is very cheap compared to other companies — offering average rates of $30 per month or $359 per year for drivers with a DUI. State Farm, Progressive and USAA are also good options with rates under $45 per month on average.

Cheap Car Insurance in Columbia, Mo.: Conclusion

Auto insurance in Columbia, Mo., is 11% less than the national average. This is great news, but you can still find even cheaper car insurance with specific providers. 

Missouri Farm Bureau is the most affordable choice for minimum coverage, offering auto policies at around $23 per month on average. Drivers looking for high-quality, affordable full coverage can find it with USAA, which offers rates as low as $112 per month for drivers in Columbia.

Cheapest Auto Insurance in Columbia, Mo.: FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about the cheapest auto insurance in Columbia, Mo.:

*Cost data comes from Quadrant Information Services and is accurate at time of publication.

Originally Appeared Here

Insights and collaboration from around the world.

As the mayor of Columbia, Missouri, I recently had the privilege of representing our vibrant city in official delegations to China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In a world that grapples with increasing political polarization, the importance of fostering relationships beyond our borders cannot be overstated.

These journeys were not just diplomatic excursions but were also opportunities to build subnational relationships that will undoubtedly benefit our community. I should make note — because I’ve heard rhetoric elsewhere — that neither of these trips was paid for by the city of Columbia.

China, a country with a rich history and a rapidly growing economy, provided many eye-opening experiences for our delegation of six mayors from the Midwest. This trip, sanctioned by the U.S. State Department, was intended to enhance cultural exchange and provide new educational opportunities for cities in the U.S. and China. This trip allowed us to engage in meaningful conversations with Chinese mayors, business owners, and citizens, and to understand how they are approaching common challenges. 

One memorable experience was a visit to a revitalized historic neighborhood in Nanjing, where we were shown an innovative approach to affordable housing that could be implemented in Columbia — one that balances the need for growth with the desire to preserve the patterns of a neighborhood and acknowledges the limits of existing infrastructure.

We also discussed how their communities are responding to the challenges posed by climate change, and how potential workforce exchanges could help to develop new ideas for what is possible in Columbia. By forging these connections, we are laying the foundation for a mutually beneficial relationship that goes beyond mere diplomatic pleasantries.

I was then invited by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to attend the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP28) in the UAE. During our visit, I was one of three American mayors invited to meet with representatives from the US-UAE Business Council to explore relationships that could benefit our local economy.

One standout example was a meeting with representatives of UAE-based companies specializing in life sciences and renewable energy. Their expertise could prove invaluable as the University of Missouri explores the next generation of our MU Research Reactor and Columbia invests in clean energy. Establishing relationships now helps lay a foundation that we can expand upon in the years to come.

Developing these subnational relationships is crucial for the prosperity and well-being of our city. While national governments negotiate international agreements, it is at the local level that these agreements come to life. Cities are the engines of innovation, and by forming partnerships across the globe, we can tap into a wealth of knowledge, resources, and opportunities that will help our city continue to thrive. 

Beyond the tangible benefits of shared knowledge, economic growth, and technological advancement, these diplomatic journeys play a crucial role in reducing political division. Engaging with diverse international perspectives and fostering relationships beyond our borders promotes open-mindedness and collaboration, and contributes to a more united global community.

I have found on these trips that the goals of economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and cultural exchange transcend political divisions.

I was honored to represent U.S. cities on both of these trips. Experiencing new cultures and conversing with people from different backgrounds enhanced my understanding of my place in this world. It also left me with an appreciation for what we have here in Columbia and provided me with inspiration for what our city can be in the future.  

Barbara Buffaloe currently is serving her first term in office as the mayor of Columbia.

Originally Appeared Here

U.S. Rep. Mark Alford, R-Missouri District 3, wanted to learn about regulations impacting small business development. What he learned Tuesday from area business leaders was not specific regulations related to small business, but adjacent issues with business and workforce impacts.

Alford met with Eric Morrison, president of Sundvold Financial and chair of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; Trent Rash, Missouri Symphony executive director and co-chair of the chamber’s small business committee; Lara Pieper, owner of Bloom Bookkeeping and small business committee co-chair; Brad Eiffert, Boone County Lumber president; Mike Grellner, Plaza Commercial Realty vice president; Matt McCormick, Chamber president; and Jennifer Barth, Missouri Employers Mutual vice president.

Issues brought up centered on workforce development and retention, affordable housing, child care and health care. Discussion also touched on commodity tariffs, particularly related to building supplies as a driver of increased housing costs.

In Columbia, for every job there is less than one person available, which creates a labor shortage, despite other positive numbers relating to jobs, McCormick said. With workforce development comes workforce attraction, and so the chamber are working on ways to keep students here or bring people back to Columbia.

In some cases, it is less about federal regulations impacting business, but navigating the myriad of state laws, especially for remote workers, Barth said.

Regarding child care, people are choosing to stay home, instead of going into the workforce, because of child care facility capacity and costs.

“If our workforce doesn’t have a place they can afford to put their kids, they are not going back to work. We are seeing a lot of that,” McCormick said. Some early bills in the Missouri General Assembly are aiming to tackle this issue.

Accredited child care facilities for low-income families also are faced with a lot of burdensome regulations, such as financial auditing rules that are hard to keep up with, Pieper said.

Because of rising costs of providing private health care insurance for his employees, Eiffert has adopted a different model. His employees either rely on the Affordable Care Act marketplace or the subsidizing Eiffert provides for employees to be members Big Tree Medical, a cost-share health care provider. Since he doesn’t provide insurance anymore, some employees have found better coverage in the ACA marketplace than they did when on their private plan, Eiffert said.

“We ditched traditional health care offerings because my employees couldn’t afford to use it because they are high-deductible plans and cash up front intensive,” he said.

Rash highlighted the Missouri Chamber Plan, which provides some health insurance benefits to organizations that are members. He also has to rely on fractional staffing, so there are fewer full-time employees and others who may may be half time or less.

When looking at the affordable housing conversation, such as with MU divisions, the engineer needs to be seen as important as custodial staff, Grellner said. Affordable housing issues come down to zoning regulations and available stock of housing, he added.

Infrastructure is another factor, McCormick said, and that promised money for improvements is protected. This includes for highway projects on Interstate 70 and to another extent U.S. Highway 63. Strong infrastructure has been a driver of attracting manufacturing jobs to Columbia along with its location, he said.

The one small business regulation that Alford could explore, McCormick said, is the revolving loan fund through federal Economic Development Administration. That provides gap-financing capital for people to start businesses or grow their business. Alsford said he could explore this funding source, since he serves on the U.S. House’s small business committee.

More:Early in session, lawmakers set sights on addressing child care crisis in Missouri

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

Originally Appeared Here