July 23, 2015

to: Metropolitan Taxicab Commission Chairman Louis Hamilton; Commissioners: Dave McNutt, Thomas Reeves, Eyasu Asfaw, Chris Sommers, Basil Rudawsky, Larry Satz, Kim Tucci

cc: Mayor Francis Slay & County Executive Steve Stenger

Dear Chairman Hamilton and Commissioners,

As part of the St. Louis business community, we are deeply invested in maintaining a strong and competitive economic climate in our city. As such, we are compelled to write you today to express our deep concern regarding the Metropolitan Taxicab Commissions (MTC) ongoing refusal to allow ridesharing services in St. Louis.

It is not lost on our employees and those with whom we do business that St. Louis remains the largest metropolitan area in America without ridesharing. For more than a year, the MTC has bestowed our city this disappointing title by declining to take the necessary steps to allow ridesharing services such as uberX and Lyft to enter the market. Mean-while, more than 50 local and state jurisdictions across the United States have taken the opposite approach by enact-ing modern regulations to explicitly authorize ridesharing.

Uber, specifically, continues to make a major impact across the globe by: Facilitating more than 1 million trips each day Creating income opportunities for 50,000 new drivers every month Helping to reduce DUI arrests in cities such as Seattle, Philadelphia, and Austin by more than 10%

St. Louis shouldnt be falling behind - we should be leading the pack. If we want to be a top tech-hub, it is time to start acting like it.

Ridesharing should be a transportation option here in our city just as it is in more than 300 cities around the world and more than 150 cities in the U.S., including Chicago, Minneapolis, Washington D.C. and Kansas City. In order for St. Louis to compete in the global economy, the MTC must modernize their approach as the vast majority of other big cities have done to allow ridesharing to grow and thrive.

Our economic competitiveness and ability to recruit young talent depend on whether or not St. Louis embraces, sup-ports and attracts innovative business models such as ridesharing. We strongly encourage you to take action on July 29 to authorize ridesharing with modern regulations that welcome these services.

Thank you for your consideration.

Signed:

Maxine Clark Founder, Build-A-Bear Workshop Managing Partner, Prosper Womens Capital

Sharon Price JohnCEO and Chief President BearBuild A Bear

Keith AlperCEO, Creative Producers Group / NitrousEffectFounder, TEDxStLouis, EO St. Louis

Michael AllenOwner Preservation Research Office

Jon Alston Former NFL PlayerFounder, The Common Goods Film Company Jan Christian Andersen CMO, Pushup Social Cofounder, Lab1500, Ignition Tank Barbara C. Archer President Archer Wealth Management, LLC Matthew Badler Managing Director Twain Financial Partners Keith Baizer OwnerArtmart Mike BarryPartner Owen Development David A. Belsky President Rodemyer-Christel, Inc.

Joan Lee Berkman President Face Watchers Public Relations Dominic Bertani OwnerDominic Michael Salons Christine BiermanCEOCOLT SAFETY Joe BlomkerPresident, Enteon LLC EO, Maryville Technologies

Charlie BoycePresident and CEO Innsbrook Corporation Zachary BoyersChairman & CEOUS Bancorp CDC Jason Braidwood Managing Director The Koman Group

Michael Carr Owner, Carr Textile Corp. Partner, Arch Equity Partners Barry T Cervantes President Camelot Life Coach Co(formerly, CEO of Laclede Cab Company) Christopher ChivettaCEO and President Hastings+Chivetta Architects, Inc.

Dan P. Charles

Barry Blackwell

William J Bick

James B. Berges

Dan Barrett

James P. Bick Jr.

Gil Bickel

Missy Fish

David C. Stoup

Reed Sugg

Ann McFarland Sullins

Michael ChristCIOEquiTrust Life Insurance Company

Rob Cima President FeatherShark

Norm Conley CEO & CIO JAG Capital Management LLC

Charlie BoycePresident and CEOInnsbrook Corporation

Amy S. CoyneCEO Propper International

Dan Curran President 10X Lab

Chris Danforth General Partner Cultivation Capital and The Yield Lab

Matt Danis Managing Director American Piping Products

James (Jay) De LongPartner Active Capital

Jenny Dibble VP at Brighton Agency Founder of WEST

Edward Domain CEO Techli.comFounder, Startup Voodoo

Gabe Douek CEO Gateway Media

Gary Eldridge President Sequoia Sciences

Peter EsparragoGeneral PartnerCultivation Capital

John S. EulichRetired Chairman ASPEQ HOLDINGS, INC

Tricia Zimmer FergusonPresident Kaldi's Coffee

Bob FoxFounder & ChairmanNewSpace, Inc. Richard Fox President Brady McCasland

Jeff Fox President and CEO Harbour Group

Andrew Freundlich CEO Poptions Popcorn

John Frost President Frost Electric Supply Company

Thad Simons Founder and Managing Director The Yield Lab

John Fort

Jenny Gupta

Harvey A. Harris

Dave Hartenbach

Julian Hess

Jeff & Susie Hochman

Michael Hoyer

Tom Hughes Clinton Jackson

Eric Gilbert CEO Anova

Linda Goldstein President Linda Goldstein Consulting

Robert S. Goldstein CEO & Chairman Alter Trading Corporation

Trip Goodloe COO GirlsAskGuys.com

Mary Jo Gorman Lead Managing Partner Prosper Capital

Kasey Grelle Director of Corporate DevelopmentGateway Media

Jeff Gross President & CEO Dynamic Controls Inc

Mahendra Gupta Dean Olin Business School Washington University in St. Louis

Keith S. HarbisonManaging PartnerAlitus Partners, LLC.

Amos Harris Principal Spinnaker St. Louis

Tracy HartPresidentTarlton Corporation

Page Hereford President HPR, Inc.

Laura HerringFounder and Chair Emeritus, IMPACT Group

Mike Herring Retired COO IMPACT Group

Tom Hillman Managing PrincipalFTL Capital

Gina Hoagland President Collaborative Strategies Inc

Cliff Holekamp General PartnerCultivation Capital

Rick Holton, Jr.General PartnerCultivation Capital

Reed HowlettChief Executive OfficerNatures Variety, Inc.

Jeff Huelskoetter CEO & Partner Closed Loop Recycling

Rick Hunter CEO Microgrid Energy

Chris ImbsChairman of the BoardCharles L Crane Agency

David B. Mueller

Andy Newman

Marcello Nucci

John M. Nucci

Jay Patel Dave Peacock

Pete Peters PhD

Steven J. Ponciroli

Brian Kearns President SportsPlay Equipment Inc.

John Kemper President and Chief Operating Officer Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

Jerry Kent Chairman and CEO Cequel III

Rodney Kinzinger Managing Partner and Audit Leader Deloitte & Touche LLP

Andy Kohn OwnerEdgewild Restaurant group

Al Koller President Koller Enterpriser

Sam Koplar President Koplar Properties

Ted Koplar CEO Koplar Enterprises

Ralph Korte Chairman Emeritus/FounderKorte Construction Cheryl Lauer President EO St. Louis

John LemkemeierCo-Founder and Managing PartnerSage Capital

Bob Lesser OwnerColumbine Printing

Dan Lohman CEO, Pushup Social Cofounder, LaunchCode, Lab1500, Cubicle.com

Mike MarchalPresident Holland Construction Services

Rick Marchbanks Owner, Skyline Exhibits & Graphics Founder GreenStream Chemicals, Akcire Group

Brian L. MatthewsGeneral Partner Cultivation Capital

John E. McBride President Pegasus Advisors, Inc.

Virginia McDowell President and CEO Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Jim McKelveyCo-Founder, SquareCo-Founder, LaunchCode

Philip MackeyPartnerLewis Rice

Lynn SchenckManaging Director JLL

Joni Karandjeff

Kevin J. Klingler

Rob Klingler

Jack Kramer

Ken Kranzberg Richard Landman

Russ Lauer

Mont S. Levy

J. David and Lucy Levy

Dr. Jonathan Majers

Robert E. and Jane Ellen

Leslie A. SmallPresident The St. Louis Trust Company

Steve Smith President/CEO Lawrence Group

Chuck PecherPresident Skinner & Kennedy Co.

Rick Ryan CEO Apertus Pharmaceuticals

Kirk Mills President Mills Properties

Tim Murch CEO 4M Building Solutions

Lisa Nichols CEO and Co-FounderTechnology Partners

Bob O'Brien CEO O'Brien Capital

Craig Johnston President CR2 Engineering LLC

Atul Kamra Managing Partner SixThirty

Cassandra Sanford CEO KellyMitchell Group

Nick SansonePrincipalSansone Group

William Schmidt General Partner Cultivation Capital

James Seldin President Miss Elaine Inc. David Sherman President TDC

Jennah R PurkPresident & CEOPurk & Associates, PC

Joseph F. ReaganPresident and CEOSt. Louis Regional Chamber

Mike Rogers President and OwnerValued Pharmacy Services

Matthew E. PorterCEOContegix

Lisa M.Powell CISR CLCSManager Crane Agency

Brian and Katie Thompson

Paul Tice

Steve Trampe

Steve Trulaske

Michael J. Vienhage

Robert C Byrne

Byrne & Jones Construction

Dennis Lower

David Mesker

Tony Wilcox

John Moore

Michael Staenberg

Rod Jones

Dave SpenceChairmanLegacy Packaging

Edward (Ted) Spies CEO & Partner Gateway Exhibits

Anthony Thompson C.E.O., Kwame Building Group, Inc. Founder, TBeats Entertainment

Holden Thorp ProvostWashington University in St. Louis

Mark A. Turken Retired Chairman RE investments

Dean VandeKampCEOVitaligent LLC

Charles D. Van Dyke President The Western Textile Companies

Paul Vogel CEO|CPA, JD, LLM Argos Partners, LLC

Zach WagnerPresidentGateway Truck & Refrigeration

Derek WeberPresident, goBRANDgo!EO Charles Windsor CEO Oakwood Systems Group

Doug Woodruff President and CEO Downtown STL, Inc.

Mark H. Zorensky President Hycel Properties Co.

Koran BoldenPresidentDream Success Worldwide

Khalia Collier Owner & General ManagerSt. Louis Surge Women's Professional Basketball

Don DanforthPresident & Co FounderCity Academy

Ron KruszewskiChairman and CEOStifel

Mark B Ratterman President MBR Management Corp

Kyle WelbornPartnerCultivation Capital

Andy WhitesideCEO / Founder SprintShip Saint Charles Missouri

A.J. ChivettaCEO/Co-FounderSelequity

Bob O'Loughlin Chairman and CEO Lodging Hospitality Management

Joseph Potter

John Rogers

Bill Rusnack

Skip Sallee, MD

Manuel Silva

Rex Sinquefield

Michael Skinner

Jim Spellmeyer

PAID FOR BY UBER

ST. LOUIS NEEDS RIDESHARING