Cost Optimization Tips to Reduce Cloud Spend
Continued fears and signals of an impending economic recession have pushed businesses to be more cost-conscious with their finances. According to CNBC, some enterprises are…
Connectria’s headquarters are based in St. Louis and we are proud to be here! Ever wonder if St. Louis is a good place for an IT company? Keep reading and you may be pleasantly surprised with what you find out.
Hot IT/Tech start-up scene– Where do we start? Over the last several years St. Louis has gained national recognition for its rapidly growing IT start-up community. Every day we read the St. Louis Business Journal and see more and more venture capital being available to St. Louis start-ups. Some of the organizations leading the charge include: ITEN, Arch Grants, Capital Innovators, Cultivation Capital and many others. No write up on St. Louis IT/Tech start-ups would be complete without giving a shout out to some of our most well-known companies such as LockerDome, Aisle411, and TrakBill.
Good universities/lots of talent– St. Louis is home to over 30 colleges and universities with many producing some of the top IT talent in the nation. Some notable institutions include Washington University, Saint Louis University and Ranken Technical College. We have been fortunate to be able to hire some of these bright students who fit within our company policy (see “No Jerks” below).
Good power grid setup– Many IT companies in downtown St. Louis enjoy being connected to multiple power grids. This helps ensure they can provide business continuity to their customers in case of a power outage. Same applies to mission-critical applications running out of Connectria’s 2 data centers off of Walnut and Tucker.
Historic structures make for good data center space- Originally an industrial area of St. Louis, downtown has many buildings that once housed heavy industrial machinery such as metal presses. Why is that so important? The huge pillars and sturdy structures can carry very heavy loads which are perfect for high density computing space with rows and rows of dedicated and cloud servers.
Great quality of living– It’s not all about business. Cost of living in St. Louis is one of the lowest in the nation. Based on CNN Money’s cost of living calculator, housing is not 100%, not 200% but 300-400% cheaper in St. Louis than some areas on the coasts. Beyond the office and home, there are plenty of events, festivals and large parks to keep us busy. Forest Park, for example, is one of country’s largest urban parks and is close to 50% larger than New York’s Central Park.
St. Louis pride- As St. Louisans we have great pride in our city. From toasted ravioli to the Gateway Arch we love our town and continuously work together to improve it. At Connectria, we try to do our part to help the community by volunteering at the Bridge, an organization that provides Meals, Facilities, Hygiene Items, Shelter and support to the Homeless in the St. Louis area (more on Connectria’s work with the bridge coming up in a later post).
No Jerks- Being in the Midwest, St. Louisans are considered hard-working, honest, and respectful people. This falls right in line with our No Jerks Allowed company policy, where everyone including customers, prospects, and employees is treated fairly. And if you think about it, shouldn’t every city and company have the same attitude?
Variety of cultures/cuisines- We do business in over 30 countries worldwide but don’t need to go far to get a taste of the many cultures we work with on a daily basis. St. Louis is home to virtually every nationality and religion you can think of. To show of our diverse community, International Institute of St. Louis holds an annual international festival, with food, performances and art from 40+ countries.
Here are what some of our employees have to say about St. Louis:
“I love St. Louis because it’s the perfect size town. Not too big, not too small, rush hour isn’t too bad and fun stuff is always a short drive away. My favorite thing to do in St. Louis is enjoy great live music at the many free concerts held at various parks around town. Speaking of parks, we have some beautiful parks in this city and the Missouri Botanical Garden is a magical place. I love having friends and family come visit so I can show them the local sights and surprise them with how great St. Louis really is.”
– Amanda Doolittle, Marketing Manager at Connectria
“I have always loved being able to call St. Louis my home. The city has a great atmosphere and there is always a festival or event that you can go to and have fun. St. Louis has many things to do for people with families like the St. Louis Zoo and Science Center, both of which are free to enter. It is also geared for the younger crowd with plenty of nightlife activity. And of course, we have the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team! My out-of-state friends always want to go to the games to watch our great team play America’s pastime. These are just a few of the reasons why St. Louis is a great city to be a part of.”
– John Genteman, Data Protection Engineer at Connectria
We are calling out to our fellow St. Louisans to find out what you like best about our fair city. Even if you don’t like provel cheese or didn’t go to high school here, let us know why you are proud to call St. Louis home and why you think St. Louis is a great place for tech companies.