About

Boeing named its St. Louis site the headquarters of the Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) business. The move emphasizes company leadership’s commitment to being present and engaged with teammates who are designing, producing and delivering vital defense and space products and capabilities for customers in the U.S. and around the world.

Boeing in the St. Louis region

• Employees: 18,000+
• Highlights:
  • Defense aircraft and munitions production and modernization
  • Advanced fabrication capabilities
  • Services and sustainment support
  • Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality and other capability centers
  • Phantom Works advanced prototyping and Virtual Warfare Centers

Employees in the St. Louis area also support Boeing Global Services, Boeing Commercial Airplanes and enterprise functions.

“It’s important for leaders to be side-by-side with our teammates, listening to their feedback and acting to remove obstacles as we continue to stabilize and strengthen our business,” said Steve Parker, Boeing Defense, Space & Security CEO. “The headquarters move, coupled with our senior leaders being based at and spending their time at major engineering, production and manufacturing centers across the U.S., reflects our continued focus on disciplined performance across our business.”

The change moves the defense headquarters from Arlington, Virginia back to St. Louis, Missouri, where it was located from 1997 to 2017.

Boeing is progressing on a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar investment in the world’s most advanced combat aircraft production facilities, including in St. Louis. The site has a rich history designing and manufacturing some of the world’s most innovative spacecraft and most advanced and innovative tactical aircraft. By aligning leadership with the workforce and investing in state-of-the-art facilities, Boeing is poised to strengthen its core business and drive innovation in defense solutions for the U.S. military and global allies.

For five years, the Diverse Business Accelerator has helped more than 55 small business owners level up, creating more than 120 new jobs in the St. Louis region. This year, Greater St. Louis, Inc. will build on that impact, introducing the Supplier Readiness initiative, which includes not only the Supplier Readiness Accelerator — a new iteration of the DBA — but readiness coaching and support.

The new Supplier Readiness Accelerator builds on the work of the DBA, offering a 12-week, cohort-based program designed to prepare locally owned small businesses for growth and integration into corporate supply chains. Expanding its impact even further, the accelerator this week announced a new strategic capital partnership with the St. Louis Small Business Empowerment Center, which will help scale programming, deepen support, and drive measurable outcomes for small, scalable businesses.

“This is a shared commitment to strengthening small, emerging, and growth‑stage suppliers so they can meet the scale, quality, and operational expectations of major enterprises,” said Senior Director Lakesha Mathis, who leads the Community Engagement team at GSL. “Together, we’re expanding access to the tools, coaching, and capital suppliers need to become supplier ready and unlock new opportunities.

The Bottom Line

To grow St. Louis, we must grow its economic capacity, and that means supporting the individuals with the drive, ambition, and ideas to build and scale new businesses.

“These new offerings expand and amplify the opportunities we provide to St. Louis’ small business owners,” said Lakesha Mathis, Senior Director, GSL. “Our goal is to create a world-class ecosystem for small businesses — we can only do that if we prepare these local leaders for growth and success.”

Like other major sporting events, hosting Olympic soccer matches will bring tourism, economic activity, and vibrancy to the heart of our region.

“We are thrilled to be part of bringing back Olympic competition to St. Louis. Being selected as an LA28 Olympic venue is an extraordinary moment for our club and for our city,” said St. Louis CITY SC CEO Carolyn Kindle. “Our vision was always to build a stadium worthy of hosting the world’s game at the highest level. This selection reflects our best-in-class stadium, the strength of our operations, and the passion for soccer that defines St. Louis.”