What’s promised—and what actually lasts in Missouri

What We’re Told Economic Development Looks Like

Across Missouri, data centers are being introduced as economic development.

The message is clear:

• Investment is coming

• Jobs will follow

• Growth will happen

• Communities will benefit

And in the short term, that’s not entirely wrong.

Data centers do bring:

• Large capital investment

• Construction jobs during the build phase

• Infrastructure expansion (Brookings Institution, 2024)

For a moment, it looks like progress.

They are large.
They are visible.
They signal that something is happening.

And that visibility matters—because it creates the perception of forward movement, of opportunity, of being part of something modern and growing.

What That Growth Actually Looks Like Over Time

But economic development isn’t measured in the first year.

It’s measured in what remains.

And over time, data centers tend to look different:

• Limited permanent job creation relative to their size (Brookings Institution, 2024)

• Minimal interaction with surrounding local businesses

• Revenue that does not circulate deeply within the community

• Long-term tax abatements and incentive structures that can shift the financial burden onto local communities over time—especially when the expected level of local economic activity doesn’t materialize (Good Jobs First, 2023)

In some cases, the structure of these incentives means communities wait years to see meaningful returns—if they see them at all (Good Jobs First, 2023).

They are designed to operate efficiently.

Which means:

They require less labor, less local interaction, and less long-term connection to the communities they are built in.

They don’t rely on surrounding businesses to survive.
They don’t depend on local ecosystems in the same way.
They don’t grow outward into the community.

So while the initial impact is visible—

the long-term presence is often limited.

That Gap Matters

Because when we talk about economic development, we’re not just talking about what arrives.

We’re talking about what stays.

We’re talking about what continues to support the place long after the construction is done.

And in Missouri, that means protecting what makes this place unique.

It means:

• Native grasslands—of which more than 99% have already been lost (Missouri Department of Conservation, 2023)

• Land that can still be farmed, sustained, and passed down

• Water systems shaped by Missouri’s karst geology—where underground streams, springs, and aquifers are directly connected to the surface (U.S. Geological Survey, 2022)

• Ecosystems that depend on balance, not disruption

Because here, the land and water are not separate.

What happens on the surface moves quickly through the ground—and into the systems communities depend on.

It means protecting species like the Ozark hellbender—not just because it’s rare, but because it reflects the health of the waterways that support entire regions (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2021).

It means understanding that once these systems are disrupted, they are not easily restored.

And it means recognizing that growth which does not account for these systems is not neutral—

it has consequences.

And it means supporting businesses that give back to those systems—

not just through jobs, but through long-term investment in the land, the water, and the communities around them.

Because real economic development doesn’t just change a landscape.

It sustains what makes that landscape worth living in.

What Real Economic Development Looks Like in Missouri

We don’t have to guess what works.

Missouri has already built it.

You can see it in places like Stone Hill Winery in Hermann.

Built Over Time—Not Built for Speed

Stone Hill Winery wasn’t created quickly.

It was built over generations.

• Founded in the 1800s

• Rebuilt after Prohibition

• Sustained through long-term commitment (Stone Hill Winery, n.d.)

It didn’t just arrive.

It stayed.

And that matters.

Because longevity isn’t accidental—it’s built.

It’s the result of decisions made over time to invest in something that can continue.

Rooted in What Matters

Everything about it depends on Missouri:

• The land

• The water

• The agricultural systems

Its success is tied to the health of the environment around it.

Which means:

protecting that environment is part of the business—not separate from it.

It doesn’t extract from the land and move on.

It relies on it.

And because of that, it has a reason to protect it.

Growth That Actually Circulates

Stone Hill doesn’t operate in isolation.

It brings people into Hermann.

And when they come, they:

• Support local restaurants

• Stay in local lodging

• Visit nearby businesses

That creates:

• Ongoing economic activity

• Local job support

• Community-wide benefit

In fact, operations like Stone Hill Winery help draw tens of thousands of visitors annually, supporting a broader tourism economy that benefits entire regions—not just one site.

It doesn’t concentrate activity.

It spreads it.

And that’s what makes it sustainable.

And It Gives Back to What Sustains It

Through its Ozark Hellbender wine, Stone Hill Winery contributes to conservation efforts supporting the Ozark hellbender (Stone Hill Winery, n.d.).

That’s not separate from the economy.

Because protecting that species also protects:

• Water quality

• Ecosystem stability

• The long-term sustainability of the region

This is what alignment looks like.

Where business success and environmental health are not in conflict—

they support each other.

This Is the Difference

Data centers:

• Deliver short-term impact

• Operate efficiently

• Remain largely self-contained

Businesses like Stone Hill:

• Build long-term stability

• Support local employment

• Circulate economic value

• Strengthen the systems around them

They don’t just exist within a community—

they help sustain it over time.

What We Should Be Asking

So the question isn’t:

“Does this bring development?”

It’s:

“Does this create something that lasts?”

Because That’s What Missouri Has Always Been Built On

• Land that continues to produce

• Businesses that remain rooted

• Communities that grow over time

Not just what arrives—

but what endures.

The Real Question

So when new development is proposed, the question isn’t just:

“What will this bring?”

It’s:

“What will still be here in 10, 20, 50 years?”

Closing

Missouri has never been built on short-term gain.

It’s been built on long-term investment.

On people who chose to build something that would last—

for themselves, for their communities, and for the generations that come next.

That’s not something we have to rediscover.

It’s something we already know.

In solidarity,
Lyndsay LaBrier
Merchant Ship Collective
The Launch Dock

📚 References

Brookings Institution. (2024). Turning the data center boom into long-term local prosperity.

Good Jobs First. (2023). Megadeals and the cost of economic development subsidies.

Missouri Department of Conservation. (2023). Missouri prairie and grassland conservation.

Stone Hill Winery. (n.d.). Our story. https://stonehillwinery.com

Stone Hill Winery. (n.d.). Ozark Hellbender wine. https://stonehillwinery.com

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (2021). Ozark hellbender conservation status.

U.S. Geological Survey. (2022). Karst landscapes and groundwater systems.