The region in St. Louis, MO called the Delmar Divide refers to an area north of Delmar Boulevard, a physical and psychological dividing line which reveals distinct socioeconomic, cultural, and public policy differences between the haves and the have-nots in the region. Over several decades, policies and practices of disinvestment, suburban migration, racial covenants, and redlining devastated the local economy which led to urban decay and social-disenfranchisement that disproportionately affected the city’s historically African American neighborhoods. 

Kevin Bryant of Kingsway Development, LLC, a community-based company focused on Urban Redevelopment, is working with the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center in St. Louis, MO to bring positive social change and commercial investment to his community. In 2019, Bryant won the Master Development rights for the $200,000,000.00 revitalization of 207 acres of the Kingsway District based on his plans to lead a business and community development project in St. Louis’ Central West End (a neighborhood in the Delmar Divide). 

At the start, Kevin Bryant was CEO of Conversions Global Marketing located in one of the city’s tougher neighborhoods. When one of his clients got mugged in front of his office building, he considered moving to a safer neighborhood but eventually changed his mind. Instead, he went to the city demanding that they do something to fix the problems that had publications like Forbes magazine consistently listing St. Louis as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States (US). City leaders listened to his demands, asked him to be a part of the solution, and he accepted their challenge.

Today, Bryant’s plans for the revitalized Kingsway District utilizes a mix of minority and non-minority firms on constructions that include a 100-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel, a 200-space parking garage, the renovation of the 750-seat Circuit Theatre which would be a performing arts theatre targeted to underserved youth in the city, the Emerge Business Center which would transform a vacant factory into an office building and business center, the Delmar/Taylor Apartment complex which would include first floor retail, and the 17,000 square foot Treasury Event Center among other commercial and residential offerings.

“We started working with Kevin and Kingsway Development in 2021 after connecting at a Delmar Divide community meeting,” said Todd Gilyard, Project Director for the Missouri MBDA Business Center. “Kevin has exclusive development rights for the project for 10 years and was seeking resources to move forward. During a subsequent meeting I told him more about the MBDA and the myriad services that we offer, then connected him to our Business Development Consultant, Terry Tatum. Terry’s passion for Minority Business Enterprise and his background in Development and Construction Management allowed him to help Kevin to secure capital, negotiate contracts, and identify partners to achieve the goals of the Kingsway Development project.”

With the assistance of the Missouri MBDA Business Center and other partners, the Kingsway Development corporation has collected $68,000,000.00 in investments from private banks and Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) funding, $7,000,000.00 from Tax increment financing (TIF), and $3,000,000.00 in matched funding from the Governor of Missouri.  “I continue to work with Kevin to attract both traditional and non-traditional investors along with other public-private partners,” said Terry Tatum. “We at the Missouri MBDA Business Center are more than confident that he will acquire the remaining $122,000,000.00 needed to fully fund the project. To coin a phrase, this project will be completed on time and on budget, while empowering new and existing residents and businesses to thrive in the city.” For more information, contact the Missouri MBDA Business Center via email at [email protected] or via phone at 314-391-4477.