It’s an exciting metropolitan region with 2.8 million people, 18 Fortune 1000 companies and some of the largest private firms in the U.S. Among those industry leaders that maintain significant operations in St. Louis are Ameren, Anhueser-Busch In-Bev, Boeing, BJC Healthcare, Centene, Edward Jones, Emerson, Enterprise, Express Scripts, General Motors, Maritz, MasterCard, Monsanto, Olin, Peabody Energy, Sigma Aldrich and Wells Fargo Advisors. St. Louis also is home to numerous small and mid-sized companies that find the region’s know-your-neighbor Midwest vibe refreshingly supportive – perhaps that‘s why Popular Mechanics Magazine named St. Louis one of the nation’s best places to start a business.