132 Business View Magazine - October 2016
commercial development in our town center.”
At present, one of the city’s nascent economic driv-
ers, according to Thomas, is its growing reputation as
an outdoor recreation hub for the region. “One of the
biggest assets that we have since becoming a city is
an extensive trail system,” he reports. “That’s become
a very popular thing among residents, and it’s also
caused people from other parts of St. Louis to come
out and enjoy our trail system that ties into some of
the parks and key neighborhoods and our town center
area. And that’s continuing to develop. While it wasn’t
the focus when the city incorporated, we’ve started to
develop a brand of being that locale for outdoor recre-
ation. And now, we’re trying to build upon that brand in
our economic development.”
In addition to its trails and the state and county parks
and reservation areas that dot the city, Thomas says
that Wildwood’s rivers are a draw for boating and fish-
ing, and, in the winter, its ski resort, Hidden Valley, is
the only one within a several hundred-mile radius. “We
also have a pretty large horse community - equestri-
an enthusiasts and horse owners in some of the ru-
