January 2024 Overland Business Association Meeting
Last week The Overland Business Association (OBA) held their first meeting of 2024 and welcomed the new year with a continental breakfast thanks to Overland's own Championship Catering and Scooters Coffee. Here are the highlights:
Mayor Marty Little started things off discussing the city newsletter (the next edition was just mailed) and the 2024 city calendar that was mailed out ahead of the holidays last year. This year's calendar is filled with great information as the city staff worked even harder than last year to ensure they included everything they could that were already set for 2024 prior to going to print. City Hall has some extra calendars remaining that they keep on hand to give to new residents along with their occupancy permit. You can find PDF versions of the Overland Outlook newsletter on the city website in the document center (look for and click on “Newsletter - Overland Outlook” to find the PDFs).
He also spoke about the recently formed "R9" working group as a promising new effort to promote and facilitate better communication, more partnerships, and new opportunities between the nine municipalities that make up the Ritenour School District.
Next Chief Andy Mackey told us about the Overland Police officers' No-shave November fundraiser which raised over $800.00 for Unbounded, and became well over $1000.00 when combined with donations of toys and other items.
Unbounded is a St. John based Non-profit that provides resources to local children and families in need (like winter clothing drives, school backpack giveaways, cooking classes, and more). They also focus on helping prepare young adults for the job market (including dress for success events, career planning, interview preparation, and more).
Ritenour Superintendent Dr. Kilbride spoke briefly to invite everyone to the February 1st, 2024 Ritenour School Board meeting at the Husky Support Center on Midland. This meeting will include a tour of the Ritenour Co-Care Food Pantry. This was a well-attended and informative event last year (see our coverage of the 2023 tour here). Hope to see you all there.
Ray Bayer, Ritenour Co-Care's outgoing Executive Director, spoke next about what a great year 2023 was for the pantry. RCC ended the year with over a million dollars in inventory thanks in large part to great local efforts by Rightnour students, local Boy Scouts, and many more, as well as the tireless efforts of the Pantry's amazing volunteers. Ray let us know that due to word of mouth alone the RCC is helping more and more local families in need than ever. While increased donations ensure these families get what they need, more volunteers are always needed so please consider donating a little of your time to RCC if you can.
Ken Crowder also let us know that the St. Louis Civic Orchestra's 2023 Christmas Benefit Concert at the Ritenour Auditorium raised well over $3000.00 for RCC in completely voluntary donations at the door.
Also, please check out this information about the RCC Milk Club. It’s by far the easiest way to support the Pantry's efforts in a very important way.
The next speaker was Shay Garner of Edward Jones on Lackland who spoke about 2023 ending with the S&P 500's 9 straight weeks of growth (the best streak in 20 years), as well as expectations for 2024 based on positive financial expert predictions that the Federal Reserve will likely lower interest rates towards the end of Q1. Anyone interested in more information about what Edward Jones does and what they can do for you can stop by their office at 9118 Lackland in Overland, call them at (314) 429-2245, or check them out online.
The founders of the newly opened Long Pour Liquors at 1910 Woodson Road were the next speakers. Born and raised in Overland, these two Ritenour alumni and Overland residents, have wanted to open a business in their hometown for a long time. After doing an extensive rehab and expansion of the former Overland Trailer property (they relocated to 10436 Lackland) themselves they opened their doors just before Thanksgiving 2023. They took a building that was originally built as a light industrial garage and converted it into a beautiful storefront. Along the way they salvaged, repurposed, and reused everything they could which kept a few more tons out of our landfills.
What do you think of when someone says, "Liquor Store"? Chances are this place isn't remotely that. Long Pour is a clean, organized, well stocked store. While it focuses on entertaining beverages it’s also a convenience store with all the snacks and soft drinks up front and easy to get to. The founders wanted their store to feel "upscale" without the impact on your wallet that word usually suggests. Their focus is on the user experience. Their goal is to make your visit a fun and relaxed experience from the moment you exit your car, until you return to it, and beyond. These young men are a great local example of the American dream in action. Be sure to check out their store!
The final speaker of the morning was Brian Monday of Monday Homes. Brian is a custom home builder who has been successfully focusing in and around the Overland area in recent years. He spoke to us about why he thinks Overland is a great place to build and showed the progress on his three current properties (2 single family homes on Burns and Tennyson, and 1 duplex on Spencer), as well as plans for his next 3 that will follow.
Brian's "gut feel", backed by his detailed market analysis, convinced him that the combination of Overland's central location, small town feel, and our many fun local events, is putting our community on a strong trajectory for a new local renaissance. One he intends to be a big part of. Brian's proof of concept is evident in how quickly the two new homes he built on Echo recently sold (as well as what they sold for).
Brian manages to combine most things people want in new homes, while staying within the average footprint of homes in our area. His homes maximize the use of space beautifully while focusing on quality and minimizing regular maintenance requirements as much as possible. Often these 2-3 bedroom, 2 bath homes include a high-ceilinged, unfinished basement that’s ready for whatever future needs the buyers might have.
You can learn more about Brian in our Who is Brian Monday article from last year.
Larry, the owner of Championship Catering on Woodson, provided a fantastic continental breakfast for the meeting. Championship is a great local company known for working with the St. Louis Cardinals, Hollywood Casino, and many local entertainment venues. From small family gatherings to corporate events and backstage at some of the biggest events in St. Louis, Championship is a great choice for all your catering needs. Their food is simple, but innovative and just plain delicious!
They also share some awesome recipes on their website! Check them out here
Scooter's Coffee once again provided their amazing coffee for the meeting. If you haven't tried them yet you're really missing out. You can find more information about their coffees, teas, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and much more from their online menu here.
This was another informative OBA meeting and a great opportunity to meet and visit with neighbors, local business owners, and community leaders. The OBA's next meeting will be on February 13th, 2024 at 7 AM. I hope to see you all there!
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