Why the St. Louis Region?
The St. Louis region ranks among the top 25 metro areas in the United States for chemical exports, with significant sub-sector clusters in pharmaceutical, soap and cleaning compounds, petroleum and coal products, and fertilizer and agricultural chemicals. The regional chemical industry benefits from a skilled workforce that can support manufacturing and research and development, with the presence of established chemical companies and research facilities fostering continued innovation, investment, and growth.
Key Existing Sub‑Sectors
- Our region is home to major international corporations such as Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline and other U.S. corporations like Mallinckrodt.
- Procter & Gamble invested $180 million to expand its North St. Louis facility, a major project completed in 2024 that will bring in an estimated 100 new jobs and retain 530 existing jobs.
- MilliporeSigma, the U.S./Canada biotech and life sciences business of Merck, announced in 2024 that it will invest $76 million and create 170 new jobs, which will triple its manufacturing capacity for antibody drug conjugates for cancer treatment at the Bioconjugation Center of Excellence facility in St. Louis.
- The region has over 3x more soap and cleaning compound manufacturing jobs than other similar-sized markets and has seen 12.3% growth in the industry’s jobs over the past five years, supported by major employers in the sector such as Dial/Henkel, Procter & Gamble, and Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery
Our Advantages
- 1st in the nation for on-the-job training programs
- 3rd in the nation for completed internships
- The region is home to 21,200 professionals specializing in chemistry, pharmacology, engineering, logistics, and other chemical-related sectors
- Regional bioscience companies have received $1.5 billion in venture capital since 2015
- Ranked among the Top 25 metro areas in the United States for chemical exports
- Organizations like BioSTL and proximity to top-tier universities foster collaboration, access to cutting-edge research, and ensure a steady pipeline of talent and technologies
In Good Company
