Lessons From a Leader

By Ollie W. Dowell

The business community will soon say goodbye to Otis Williams, Executive Director for the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC). Williams has led the organization since 2013. He is retiring in April. I met Williams when I was a reporter covering city government, economic development, and street crime. I tried to recruit him for Executive Director of the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District when I worked there as Director of Public Relations. As fate would have it, Williams settled into SLDC and I started my own public relations company, Ollie Dowell Communications, LLC (ODC).

My role as an entrepreneur elevated me to see the greatness of Williams. He spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and retired at the rank of Colonel. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Commander and District Engineer of the Corps’ Tulsa Engineer District.

In 2019, St. Louis Lambert International Airport invited Williams to deliver the keynote address for the Business Diversity Forum. ODC has served as the event planner for the Forum since its inception in 2016. Around 500 people registered for the event to hear Williams discuss business development opportunities for women and minority-owned companies in the region. It was my honor to welcome Williams to the event, assist in the preparation for his speech, and to thank him for his dedication to bring people, jobs, and investment to our region. He will be missed.

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Ollie W. Dowell

Managing Principal

Ollie Dowell Communications

Otis Williams

Executive Director

St. Louis Development Corporation

2019 Business Diversity Forum

St. Louis Lambert International Airport