Lake Saint Louis Entrepreneur Shows Businesses How It's Done

Lake Saint Louis resident is a born entrepreneur. Just after he finished college, Shoaf started a part-time consulting business on his days off.

“(I was) providing practical hands-on training to local general industry,” Shoaf said.

Over time, the business grew and became Safety Training and Consultations International (STCI), a leading global consulting firm based in Lake Saint Louis.

“We continue to provide assessments, organizational development, planning efforts, equipment selection and support, exercise design and evaluation,” Shoaf said. “We grew across the years to now include over 100 consultants and patterning agreements that include resources in the thousands.”

Shoaf said is always willing to partner with other firms to deliver what the customer needs.

“With our growth we found that we also had internal capabilities that grew with us,” Shoaf said. “This is the reason we created three other distinct businesses.” 

Shoaf said the other businesses include , which helps small businesses navigate the way to success; STCI Online, which is emergency services related; and .

The photography business, Shoaf said, offers the “best photography services,” focusing on business, events, sports and travel. 

Meet Richard Shoaf

Shoaf moved to Lake Saint Louis in 1972, and has “been here for most of the time since,” he said.

“I’ve been married to my best friend for the past ten years,” Shoaf said. “(We have) no children, other than some of my childish antics.”

The couple has 10 godchildren, seven of which are two nieces and five nephews.

Shoaf said that balancing work and family can be a struggle, but he manages by carefully planning out the week.

“I schedule work time and some play time, and then throw out the plan when it hits a conflict,” Shoaf said. “I schedule holiday time, and I surround myself with talented and energetic people.”

In his spare time, Shoaf said is working on two books.  

“Around the World One Guinness at a Time is a book of Irish pubs around the world,” he said. “I’ve completed 80 countries and 26 U.S. states so far.”

He’s also working on one called Around the World 40 Days at a Time, which he said is a photojournalistic tour around the globe “for those not too invested in the pubs.” He has a series of photos on Flickr related to his books.

Community Appreciation

The Lake Saint Louis community is home for the Shoafs, and in 2010, they realized why they love it so much.

They almost relocated to Washington DC in 2010, he said, but he and his wife were unable to find a place with “similar amenities, community and feel.”

“We searched high and low,” Shoaf said. “The Twitter hash tag for this attempt would be #EPICFAIL.”

Get Help Starting Your Small Business

Do you need help getting your small business established? Shoaf has years of experience helping small businesses get off the ground, and his business is doing just that.

“Call me up for a one to one at 866-963-7824, and ask for Rick,” he said. “I’ll help you understand the planning process and some of the factors you should know as you go out on your own venture.”