ST. LOUIS -- Ranked 18th in the nation in metro population, the St. Louis region continues to excel as a Top 10 leading center for corporate headquarters. Fortune Magazine's just-released annual ranking of the nation's top companies by revenue, which was published in the May 4th issue, includes 8 Fortune 500 firms in the St. Louis region and a total of 21 in the Fortune 1000 (the latter is the same number as 2008). These totals include Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., which maintains dual corporate headquarters in both St. Louis and Chicago, but whose CEO and top officers are located here.

        The total of 8 Fortune 500 firms positions St. Louis in 7th place among the regions that Fortune identifies with 5 or more Fortune 500 headquarters. Fortune's 2009 data place St. Louis ahead of Charlotte; Cincinnati; Columbus; Denver; Los Angeles; Milwaukee; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Richmond; San Antonio; and San Francisco.

        Jones Financial (Edward Jones) was added to the 2009 Fortune 1000 list, at #568. One company, Anheuser-Busch Companies, fell off the 2009 Fortune 1000 list with the InBev acquisition, although St. Louis is now the North American Headquarters for the firm.

        "Over the last several years, it's been common in some quarters to lament "the decline of Fortune headquarters in the region," noted St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA) President and Chief Executive Officer Richard C.D. Fleming. "There's some truth to that, as the St. Louis region was home to 10 Fortune 500 headquarters in 1995, just 2 more than now. But the focus on names of the past, such as TWA and McDonnell Douglas, obscures the future of the region, which is represented by additional Fortune HQ companies like Centene and Express Scripts. Express Scripts broke into the ranks of the Fortune 500 in 2000, and is now 115th on the list. Centene moved into the Fortune 1000 in 2006, and ranks #609 this year. Further, in 2009, Emerson has moved into the ranks of the prestigious Fortune 100 at #94."

        St. Louis Fortune 500 Companies in 2009:

        EMERSON (94, from 111 in 2008)EXPRESS SCRIPTS (115, from 135)MONSANTO (235, from 305)AMEREN (327, from 329)PEABODY ENERGY (353, from 432)SMURFIT-STONE CONTAINER (356, from 334)CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS (385, from 409)GRAYBAR ELECTRIC (439, from 455)Rounding out the remainder of the St. Louis region's Fortune 1000 are:

        Energizer Holdings (522)Solutia (565)Jones Financial (568)Centene Corp. (609)Arch Coal (692)Ralcorp Holdings (713)Brown Shoe Co. (828)Laclede Group (829)Sigma-Aldrich (842)Belden (898)MEMC Electronic Materials (899)Olin Corp. (976)Furniture Brands International (982)

        "The Fortune list is a testament to the region's headquarters-friendly environment and its attractiveness to corporate leaders. It is particularly significant in this era of shifting global economics and mergers of major companies," Fleming added. "Credit is also due to our region's historically strong transportation infrastructure, excellent quality of life, strong work force, as well as the region's central geography."

        In a related national ranking, yesterday, Institutional Investor Magazine named three St. Louis CEOs among the "Best CEOs in the Nation" list --- David Farr of Emerson, George Paz of Express Scripts and Hugh Grant of Monsanto.

        About the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA)The RCGA is the chamber of commerce and economic development organization for the 16-county, bi-state region. The mission of the RCGA is to unite the region's business community, and to engage dynamic business and civic leadership to develop and sustain a world-class economy and community.