DRIVING INNOVATION AND PROSPERITY: TRANSFORMING INDUSTRIES AND COMMUNITIES FOR THE NEXT ECONOMY
June 10-12 │ St. Louis, MO

http://www.iedconline.org/DrivingInnovation/index.html

Corporations and higher education institutions are natural partners for economic development initiatives. At the Tuesday Plenary Session of IEDC's Spring Conference, keynote speakers Thomas F. George, chancellor of the University of Missouri, and George Paz, chairman and CEO of Express Scripts will describe why and how they (or their organizations) formed an alliance for mutual benefit and to generate economic activity in the St. Louis Region. In 2006, as a growing company, Express Scripts, Inc., one of the nation's leading managers of pharmacy benefit plans, conducted a search for a new location. A unique partnership was formed that led to Express Scripts locating its new corporate headquarters on the university's campus and creating joint initiatives in areas such as health-economics research and information technology. Join us in Saint Louis this June to learn about this replicable public-private partnership model and the economic growth opportunities it has provided Express Scripts, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and the St. Louis region.

TUESDAY PLENARY SESSION: CORPORATE AND HIGHER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS
9:15 - 10:45 am
Tuesday, June 12

Thomas F. George is chancellor and professor of chemistry and physics at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. With nearly 17,000 students, UMSL is the third largest university in Missouri and the only metropolitan public research university in the St. Louis region. As chancellor, Mr. George oversees all academic and administrative operations of a campus with 2,500 faculty and staff members, 70 structures and a $200 million annual budget. George became the university's seventh chancellor in September 1, 2003, after serving seven years as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

George Paz, chairman and CEO, provides leadership for the evolution of Express Scripts' strategic direction and assuming day-to-day responsibility for delivering on the company's promise to make the use of prescription drugs safer and more affordable. Mr. Paz joined Express Scripts in 1998 as senior vice president and chief financial officer. In that capacity, he was responsible for corporate financial oversight and planning, as well as projecting financial results for Express Scripts and its subsidiaries. He oversaw five major acquisitions that contributed to the company's exceptional growth. During his tenure, the company's annual revenues have grown from $1.2 billion to approximately $45 billion.

http://www.iedconline.org/DrivingInnovation/index.html