After more than a year of searching, strategizing, and planning, it was finally becoming real. In late December 2018, we left our offices in downtown St. Louis for the last time.

We'd been working in the rented space for most of the Foundation's 18 years, and the moment had come for us to make the move to a new, permanent home. The transition has been an incredible learning experience for everyone, and as we put the final touches onto a building we officially own, it's already clear that our investment will pay off for us and for the communities we serve.

Though it hardly seemed possible when first scoping out its dirt floors and barren interior, we recognized huge potential in the abandoned Columbia Iron Works building. Located in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood of St. Louis City, it's a space that we've been able to customize to our current and future needs, and be even more engaged in the community. Specific credit goes to our President and CEO Bob Hughes, CFO and Vice President of Administration Jill Nowak, and the entire Board of Directors and Community Advisory Council for their hard work and ambitious vision.

In the spirit of humility, one of our core values, we took our transition into this already vibrant, growing neighborhood seriously. We wanted to make sure we made the right first impression and that we were respectful to both the families and businesses that already called the area home. We connected with groups such as Adams Elementary, St. Cronan Parish, City Greens Market and Community Garden, and others to gain their perspective and guidance. We reached out to our immediate neighbors, hoping to gain their trust as they tolerated the nuisances of construction. It was incredibly important for us to enter the neighborhood on the right foot, with hopes of seamlessly becoming part of the eclectic fabric of Forest Park Southeast.

Our new campus includes a state-of-the-art convening center, which will allow for internal and external events. Upon completion we will be able to accommodate 100-200 in our largest room. We're looking forward to hosting outside community organizations and their meetings, while also having our own space for gatherings that previously had to be held off site. Our hope is to become the area's most sought out health hub, where people come together to generate ideas that will continue to improve the health of Missourians. We're very excited at the sort of cross pollination of ideas that these new features will allow and anticipate engaging with the community and convening partners in ways we've never been able to before.

For our staff, the new building is a different world. Where they previously were restricted and segmented onto multiple floors, they are now able to stretch their legs and interact in new ways. Our open office configurations encourage quick informal meetings and make collaboration second nature.

In ways large and small, our new building epitomizes our identity and what we've transformed into since our founding. We view it as a long-term investment for us and for our region.