Last month, McKinsey & Company announced plans to expand its footprint in the Midwest with the opening of a St. Louis office, the firm's seventh Midwest location. The firm last expanded its U.S. presence in 2014, when it opened its Denver office. With St. Louis, the company will now have offices in 132 cities worldwide, employing more than 30,000 people globally. St. Louis is home to 10 Fortune 500 companies across a range of sectors and one of the fastest growing tech startup markets in the country, says Darryl Piasecki, McKinsey's St. Louis Partner. For Piasecki, who hails from St. Louis and returned to the area in 2008, the new office is particularly special. "I'm proud of what's happening in St. Louis, from the startup scene to the reinvigorated civic approach to economic development," he says. "It's a unique time in St. Louis, and McKinsey's excited to be part of it." Piasecki sat down with Consulting to discuss the new office, the St. Louis market and the opportunity for McKinsey.
Consulting: What's the status of the new St. Louis office right now?
Piasecki: We've got a physical office right now that serves as a temporary space and we're recruiting into that office, but we're also searching for a permanent space. I've been based in St. Louis over the last few years. Over the last year or so as we've moved closer to opening this office, I've spent more time there. There is tremendous excitement about this, and I personally think it's long overdue. This is an exiting time for both McKinsey and me personally. St. Louis is home for me, and I'm thrilled that we're about to launch this office.
