Ameren Missouri’s “Smart Energy Plan” is being credited with bringing a $9 million business investment to the St. Louis area.
Dollar General Corporation has committed to a long-term lease on a 232,556 square foot building in Berkeley, a St. Louis suburb, the utility company said Monday. Dollar General plans to invest $9 million in personal property and create 55 new jobs through the operation.
The economic development incentive rate included in Ameren’s “Smart Energy Plan” was a catalyst for the company in deciding to invest in the Berkeley area, Ameren said.
Dollar General expects to be fully operational “within the next few months,” according to Ameren.
“Ameren Missouri continues to be an active partner with the state of Missouri to create economic development opportunities through its Smart Energy Plan,” Rob Dixon, director of the Department of Economic Development, said in a statement. “As we engage with companies throughout the United States, energy costs and the low cost of doing business in our state is an important topic, which often leads to exciting announcements such as this $9 million expansion in North St. Louis County.”
Ameren Missouri’s “Smart Energy Plan,” developed in 2018, includes more than $7 billion in infrastructure upgrades throughout Missouri. The economic development incentive is offered to new and existing businesses wanting to locate or expand in Missouri. Through the initiative, Ameren offers qualifying businesses an average 40 percent discount from base rates over an agreement term of five years.
“Even in these unprecedented times, companies such as Dollar General see the benefits of growing their business in Missouri,” Marty Lyons, chairman and president of Ameren Missouri, said. “New and expanding businesses can get one of the most favorable economic development rate incentives in the country, keeping energy costs low for the business and all of our customers.”
Quaker Window Products in Eldon and Western’s Smokehouse and Meat Market LLC in Kirksville have also utilized the economic development incentive rate from Ameren.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
