More jobs, investment thanks to the Smart Energy Plan

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones held a ribbon cutting on Feb. 22 for the new 110,000 square-foot Deli Star Corporation facility, located at 3049 Chouteau Avenue. The company is relocating from Illinois to St. Louis after exploring several locations for their new headquarters.

Deli Star is a leading provider of high quality, sustainably cooked proteins. Deli Star received economic incentives to relocate to Missouri. The move will bring $100 million in investment to Missouri as well as 500 new jobs to the St. Louis region.

Deli Star has applied for an economic development incentive available through Ameren Missouri's Smart Energy Plan. The economic development incentive is one of the most competitive in the nation and has led to 30 companies relocating or expanding in Missouri.

Deli Star's former facility in Fayetteville, Illinois was destroyed by fire in Jan. 2021. The company decided to relocate to St. Louis and is in the process of investing nearly $100 million to retrofit a portion of the Chouteau Avenue location for its new production facility.

Gov. Parson said the state of Missouri is providing about $8.7 million worth of tax credits, sales tax exemptions and training benefits to the company. Mayor Jones said the city of St. Louis is providing 10 years of 50% real and personal property tax abatements as well as a sales tax exemption on construction materials. As part of the incentive package, the company plans to work with St. Louis Public Schools to train and recruit employees to work in the production facility.