BRENTWOOD, Mo. – The St. Louis County business community is entering a new chapter with the official merging of the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce with neighboring cities.
Brentwood, a small but vibrant city in St. Louis County, hosted the official welcome event at its Recreation Complex Tuesday night. The event drew attention to a number of developments that are transforming the city, including a new $7 million park addition. This latest attraction is earning praise from residents, but it’s just one aspect of what makes Brentwood an economic standout in the region.
Despite being less than two square miles in size, Brentwood punches above its weight in supporting local businesses. The city generates more than $660 million in taxable sales each year, more than 4% of St. Louis County’s total, proving its business-friendly environment is a key driver of its success.
“We like to think that we’re a very business-friendly municipality,” Mayor David Dimmitt said. “If you come into Brentwood, we like to cut out the red tape and make it easy to open up.”
This pro-business approach has not gone unnoticed. In fact, “Travel + Leisure” recently ranked Brentwood among the top 10 best suburbs to live in the country. The city’s economic revival comes in spite of the challenges posed by the pandemic, which caused the local chamber of commerce to fold. However, Brentwood has seen a resurgence in business advocacy with the revival of its business council—now forming a collaborative chamber of commerce with Webster Groves, Shrewsbury, and Rock Hill.
“You’re not alone anymore,” Jerry Rosen, executive director of the chamber of commerce, said. “You can lean on each other and feel safe enough to share some of the challenges and work together.”
As some businesses around the county close, collaboration between municipalities is becoming increasingly common. The newly formed quartet chamber aims to engage, support, and grow local business across the four cities.
Stephanie Tyler, community and business development representative, emphasized the community connection.
“We’re here; we’re a sister community, right? We can work together,” she said. “It was a natural fit for us, and I know it’s going to be a really good fit for other Brentwood businesses.”
Rosen echoed the sentiment, underscoring the chamber’s commitment to its members.
“We have a saying: ‘One Four All.’ There are four communities working together; one chamber representing you as a small business owner,” he said.
The collaboration marks an exciting new chapter for Brentwood, positioning it as a hub for both business innovation and community partnership. With local businesses gaining strength from this joint effort, the future looks bright for the city and its surrounding areas.
