04/30/2026
EverTrue Crossroads at Bevo Mill Officially Opens TODAY in The Bevo Mill neighborhood!
TGCDC Executive Director Sean Spencer's comments:
Today is a celebration—but more than anything, it’s a testament to people. The volunteers, partners, and leaders who believed in something long before it existed.
This 64-unit, $22M project—EverTrue Crossroads at Bevo Mill—didn’t start with bricks and mortar. It started in 2017 with a vision from Midwest Bank Centre Midwest BankCentre led by Dale Oberkfell and supported by Orv Kimbourgh Orv Kimbrough Wes Burns and John Kennedy at St. Louis Equity Fund. That vision was carried forward by a committed volunteer board at Tower Grove CDC—past and present—who gave their time and leadership to make this possible.
Volunteer board members show up because they care, and this building exists because of that belief.
I especially want to recognize Janice Drake, who served as Board President for 10 years. Her leadership, persistence, and commitment carried this vision through its toughest moments. We would not be here without her.
To all past and current board members and my coworkers—especially our current president, Jason Kempf —thank you. This is your legacy. Without a ready, willing, and able community development corporation, this project wouldn’t have happened.
Thank you to EverTrue, one of St. Louis’ leading nonprofit aging services organizations, and their entire team—especially Nikki Jennings, my new friend and a true partner. And to Adam Marles and the EverTrue leadership team—your vision and willingness to step in made all the difference.
Thank you to the National Equity Fund for stepping up to help close this project for a second time.
To EM Harris, our general contractor, for your leadership and ex*****on. To Rosemann & Associates, thank you for bringing the vision to life through design.
And to Jerry Burka—thank you for making the magic happen with your positivity, perseverance, strategic thinking, and genuinely kind way of doing business, which set the tone for this entire project.
We’re also grateful to the Better Bevo Now Neighborhood Association, Newport Heights Neighborhood Associations, and The Bevo CID, along with Alderwoman Howard, Alderwoman Schweitzer, State Representative Butz, who invited investment into their neighborhood (That’s not always the case!)
And all our city, state, and federal partners—including City of St. Louis - Community Development Administration, Donna Baringer St. Louis Comptroller, St. Louis Development Corporation - SLDC, the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Mayor Cara Spencer, HUD, and MHDC. This kind of project only happens through strong public partnership. At the end of the day, EverTrue Crossroads at Bevo Mill is more than a building—it’s a promise to provide safe, quality, affordable housing for seniors.
