Nearly two weeks before protests erupted in Ferguson after a grand jury’s decision not to indict the officer who killed Michael Brown, Michael Neidorff was appointed chairman of the National Urban League, a historic civil rights organization.
The appointment would prove to be pivotal for future investments in Ferguson.
Brown’s death sparked a national discussion about police brutality and systemic racism. Ferguson, a suburban community just north of the city of St. Louis, became a symbol of a modern day civil rights movement that called on Americans to recognize that “Black Lives Matter.”
Neidorff, who proved to be a difference maker in Ferguson, has been selected as the 2017 Citizen of the Year. The honor is sponsored by the Post-Dispatch and selected by a committee of past winners.
As unrest from the protests led to violence and the destruction of property, including small businesses that later considered closing for good, Neidorff, the CEO of Centene, feared for the community’s long-term viability. He worried the event would mark the “death knell” for Ferguson.
“I learned that what happened in Ferguson could happen in 150 communities in this country,” Neidorff told the Post-Dispatch.
“I mean the circumstances are right for the kinds of things that took place there to happen elsewhere; we’ve seen it in Baltimore and elsewhere. I sat back and I said, ‘OK, if St. Louis is going to come out of this well and stronger, we have to show the country what the solution is to these kinds of issues.’”
It was then that Neidorff decided it was up to his Fortune 500 company to invest in Ferguson, to create opportunity and jobs at a time when many were thinking about anything but.
At the helm of one of the nation’s largest companies, Neidorff committed to building a $25 million state-of-the-art office with a preschool for the employees’ children. The center opened in 2016 and now employs more than 200 individuals from the area.
“Oh, it’s outstanding,” Neidorff said of the Ferguson call center. “It’s one of the best we have: low turnover, great productivity.”
Since opening the office last year, Centene has also donated more than $1 million to open a health clinic in Ferguson, and it was the largest private donor to help establish a jobs training center there. The jobs training facility is located at the same site where the QuikTrip burned in Ferguson, where anger followed the death of a black teenager at the hands of a white police officer.
“Michael Neidorff’s leadership and vision and support of the St. Louis community has been tremendous, especially in the wake of the events in Ferguson,” said Michael McMillan, CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.
Region’s supporter
As CEO of one of the country’s largest insurance companies, Neidorff is known for reshaping the skyline of downtown Clayton, but many may be unfamiliar with his dedication to the region.
In addition to his work in Ferguson, he spent the last year setting records with United Way as campaign co-chair. United Way exceeded its 2017 fundraising goal with $75.65 million in contributions, more than the $75 million goal. He and his wife are major contributors to the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. They also put forth $5 million of their own to endow a chair at Washington University.
“Upon meeting him, if you had no idea (who he was), you would have no clue to the magnitude and scope of what he has to control in the form of Centene and its global reach,” McMillan said of Neidorff’s humble nature.
Andy Taylor, executive chairman of Enterprise Holdings, said he’s continually impressed by Neidorff’s passion and commitment to bettering the region.
“How in the heck does he have time to do (all) that and run a big business?” Taylor asked of Neidorff’s work outside Centene.
“He will be noted as a remarkable, or the biggest supporter of arts and culture in the city and greater St. Louis region. He will definitely be remembered for the buildings he’s putting up and the jobs he’s creating,” Taylor said.
A growing company
Neidorff is credited with molding Centene into the behemoth it is today.
Currently, the company is one of the nation’s largest insurers. Its core business focuses on winning contracts from states to manage their Medicaid population, low-income individuals who qualify for subsidized insurance through the government.
Centene now covers more than 12 million individuals across the country. When Neidorff joined the company in 1996, it covered fewer than 1 million.
Centene operates in 29 states, employs more than 32,000 people and has revenue of more than $40 billion annually. The company has stepped in to offer plans in counties that would otherwise have gone without a health plan option.
“A lot of businesses today really feel that to do well, you have to do good,” Taylor said of Neidorff’s mindset.
Neidorff said he feels an obligation to give back. And when it came to the issues in Ferguson, he felt a need to act.
“I came to the conclusion that if we did not fix these things, we’d end up living in gated communities, and that’s not the fate I wanted to see for my adopted city.
“It’s not being altruistic, it’s about being realistic.”