Downtown has changed a lot in the past few years,” says Melissa “Missy” Kelley, president and CEO of Downtown STL, Inc., the nonprofit dedicated to creating and promoting a vibrant Downtown that attracts investment and economic activity to the region. While she could be referring to the unveiling of CityArchRiver, the launch of the National Blues Museum or the opening of The Field House Museum, all of which happened in 2016 alone, Kelley is referring to much more than physical spaces and real estate development. She’s referring to indicators of a bigger movement: one that is drawing in the city’s innovation community.
