Making Money Across America: St. Louis -- Video Roundup
“Power Lunch” is in St. Louis to focus on biotechnology, medical research and energy generation – and talk to some major players.
Here's what some of the guests on the program are saying.
Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant
Grant tells CNBC's Bill Griffeth how the boom in corn and wheat -- and arid Midwestern weather this year -- is helping drive demand for products from the No. 1 global producer of genetically engineered seeds and agricultural chemicals.
"Despite dry conditions, there are some of the best [crop] yields the country's ever seen," says the CEO.
Ameren Chairman and CEO Gary Rainwater
The heartland power company has both regulated and deregulated units -- but Rainwater is in no hurry for total industry deregulation.
"The experience of deregulation in most states has meant rising costs and higher prices," he says. And though Missouri is traditionally a regulated state, "We are fortunate to have electric rates that are just about the lowest in the U.S."
To tamper with that balance would be bad for consumers -- and potentially harmful to Ameren's success, says the CEO.
Triathlon Medical Ventures Partner Randy Weiss
St. Louis doesn't boast a research triangle like North Carolina's -- but that will change, says Weiss.
He's working with the Washington University School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health to spin off companies from their research systems, and says the "great opportunities" have barely been tapped.
