Wachovia’s Ludeman is St. Louis booster

Wachovia Securities chief Danny Ludeman was yesterday tapped to lead economic development efforts for the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association.

Wachovia Securities chief Danny Ludeman was yesterday tapped to lead economic development efforts for the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association.
The RCGA is the chamber of commerce and economic development organization for the St. Louis area.
The appointment struck some observers as a bit ironic.
Mr. Ludeman’s “slogan should be, ‘I can do for [St. Louis] what I did for Richmond [Va.],” said one former Wachovia rep in an e-mail making the rounds to former Wachovia employees.
Wachovia Securities LLC, formerly based in Richmond, relocated to St. Louis in 2007 as part of its merger with A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc.
Wachovia still employees 900 people in Richmond, but that’s down from 2,600 prior to the merger.
Last September, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that more than 1 million square feet of unleased office space — an all-time high — was available for sublease in the Richmond area, nearly half of it vacated as a result of the Wachovia Securities move.
“Danny has led Wachovia Securities through two successive mergers and acquisitions in a manner that bodes well for the St. Louis region,” RCGA chief executive Dick Fleming said in a statement.