When Labor Day rolls around next week, the Fox C-6 School District, as Jefferson County’s largest employer, will have more than 1,815 employees enjoying a day off.
Fox climbed to the county’s No. 1 employer spot over the past six months, surpassing the Mercy health system, which has a total of 1,676 employees at its hospital and various clinics and other locations in the county, said Benjamin Brown, the director of small business development for the Economic Development Corporation of Jefferson County.
The third largest employer in the county is Walmart, with 1,400, according to the EDC. The company has four Walmart stores in Jefferson County, with one in Arnold, another in De Soto, one in High Ridge and one in the Twin City area, with the store partly in Crystal City and partly in Festus.
The Fox district, Mercy and Walmart are the only three employers in the county with more than 1,000 employees.
The Northwest R-1 School District comes in at No. 4 with 835, and the Jefferson County government, with 746 employees, rounds out the top five.
“I think that is about right for a county of our size,” EDC executive director Donna Litton said of the county having three employers with more than 1,000 employees.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 report, Jefferson County had 226,739 residents at that time.
Fox
Fox Superintendent Paul Fregeau said it is a “huge and humbling responsibility” to be the largest employer in the county.
Fox, with 10,379 students enrolled, is the 18th largest school district in the state, which has a total of 558 districts, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The district has 11 elementary schools, four middle schools, two high schools, as well as an early childhood development center and the Bridges Alternative School. Despite the district’s size, Fregeau said it has a close-knit work environment.
“There is a strong sense of belonging and family attachment to Fox C-6,” Fregeau said. “This year alone we had 26 alumni return to teach in our district.”
Beth Griffin, a reading specialist at Meramec Heights Elementary School, said she enjoys teaching in the district in which she lives.
“When I am out within the community, I like seeing and talking with current and former students and their families,” said Griffin, who lives in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton. “I have a lot of pride working within my own community and being able to have a direct impact on both the educational and social development of the students where I live.”
Fregeau said the size and services the Fox district offers, drives the need for having so many employees, which includes full-time and part-time staff members and substitutes.
The Fox district operates its own special education department that serves all students with Individual Educational Plans, which delineate a variety of services customized for each student with special needs.
Fox also staffs its own transportation, food service and custodial departments.
“I think many are surprised at the breadth of services and support we provide to our students and their families,” Fregeau said.
The district unveiled a new marketing sheet on Aug. 13, highlighting eight aspects of the district. Fregeau said the marketing sheet will be available at job fairs, other hiring events and community events.
Kelly Bracht, assistant superintendent of human resources, said the district uses multiple methods to recruit employees.
“We post jobs on multiple websites and forums; utilize social media; host and attend job fairs; have relationships with universities; advertise in the Leader and participate in other recruiting activities that arise throughout the year,” she said.
Griffin has worked at the Fox district for nine years. She was named the district’s teacher of the year for the 2023-2024 school year and was one of 10 area teachers to receive 2024 St. Louis Regional Teacher of the Year honors.
She said she enjoys working for the district because of the strong sense of community and the professional development and leadership opportunities it provides.
“Fox is a welcoming and supportive community that offers a great deal of care and assistance to its employees,” Griffin said. “Time is set aside specifically for new staff members to allow for collaboration, sharing of ideas and supporting one another in order to meet their needs and the district’s goals.”
Mercy
Alisyn Beffa, chief operating officer at Mercy Jefferson Hospital in Crystal City, said the Mercy health system strives to provide the care needed in the county, and its workforce will grow to meet those needs.
“We feel our work is vital to the community we serve, and if we do it right, we will continue to thrive,” she said.
In addition to Mercy Jefferson, a 251-bed hospital at 1400 Hwy. 61 with numerous clinics around the hospital campus, the Mercy health system has clinics in Arnold, Barnhart, High Ridge, Hillsboro and Imperial, according to the company’s website, mercy.net.
Mercy also operates Mercy-GoHealth Urgent Care facilities in Festus and Imperial; a therapy office in Imperial and a pharmacy in the Dierbergs grocery store in Arnold, the website said.
Jen Gaia, an occupational therapist, said the health system’s culture of inclusion and focus on providing the best possible care for patients is what makes Mercy a great place to work.
“I love that I am able to build relationships with co-workers across multiple departments so easily because we are all focused on the same goal and purpose of providing compassionate care and exceptional service to each and every one of our patients,” she said. “This level of teamwork is what allows me to feel like I’m providing my expertise to a much larger picture, and the feedback from patients and families lets me know our hard work pays off.”
Beffa said Mercy provides employees opportunities to advance their careers and prospective employees opportunities to start careers in the medical profession.
“From programs engaging with high school students interested in health care to partnerships with the local colleges, all the way to bringing Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) to Jefferson County, we believe in creating not just jobs but a road map for a career,” she said. “When we get it right, we directly impact our community. From our benefits to our top quartile retention rates, we believe when you step foot into our hospital, clinic or other facility, you immediately feel called to work in our system.”
Attracting employers
Litton said the EDC hears from a steady stream of companies interested in coming to Jefferson County, but it is difficult to attract industrial and manufacturing businesses that employ large numbers of people to the county because of the large parcels of land they need.
She said one potential industrial business needed between 700 and 1,300 acres for its site.
“That is very hard to find,” she said.
When industrial and manufacturing companies inquire about potential sites, such as the former Doe Run Co. in Herculaneum, the EDC points out the county’s highlights, Litton said.
She said the EDC tells them about Jefferson College, calling it a hidden gem that provides workforce training. It also points out the county’s low cost of living; growing population and retail businesses; low crime rates and proximity to St. Louis.
“We are working hard to promote Jefferson County and what we have to offer,” she said. “All of us in the EDC office were born and raised in Jefferson County, so we think this is the No. 1 county. We will continue to promote it that way.”