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What was once a bleak, empty set of warehouses near Busch Stadium in St. Louis is now a busy fourstar Westin Hotel.In Cleveland, the Hough neighborhood–once a no man’s land–is now the place to live. The driving force behind these reconstructed, reconnected neighborhoods is Richard D. Baron, chairman and chief executive officer of St. Louis-based McCormack Baron Salazar. He is a developer who considers a community’s heart and not just its buildings– as residents, bankers, and city officials agree. “Richard is one of the few people who looks at the whole community,” says longtime friend Andrew Trivers, president of the St. Louis-based architectural firm Trivers Associates. “Most developers are only in it to make a buck and get out; he wants to make a better life for people. It’s maintenance, parent participation, and education. That’s what makes Richard tick.” The firm Baron founded in 1973 with his late friend Terry McCormack has built more than 94 projects in 25 cities; development costs total about $1.2 billion. The firm became McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc., in 2003.

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