We Are Cortex | LaKecia Veal

Sometimes, someone just has to get the conversation started. That’s when business leaders and nonprofit directors turn to LaKecia Veal and her employer, Cortex-based Filament.

Known as the “stitcher” at Filament, Veal’s job is to lead a number of high-profile initiatives and internal projects. Filament calls itself a business catalyst, not a consulting firm, and Veal finds that framing to be freeing. It means she doesn’t have to be an industry expert to help leaders find solutions.

“We have the expertise in facilitating conversations,” she said. “People come to us when they have a challenge to solve — whether that is strategy, culture, team building. We help move conversations and projects forward, which is fun.” 

Veal’s role — technically, she’s the senior project manager — includes guiding one of Filament’s marquee annual events, Thinksgiving. The annual fall event pairs area nonprofits with local businesses such as Ameren, Schnucks, Panera Bread Co., and Spire for a day of problem solving. The nonprofits get free consulting on any problem that’s not money-related (e.g., marketing, training or team development).

“The businesses bring experts from their teams in marketing, developing new products or selling a new product,” Veal said. “The nonprofits get all this amazing thought generation and brainstorming for free that they take back to their organizations.”

The 5-year-old initiative, begun as a virtual event in the pandemic era, blossomed quickly, winning a “What’s Right with the Region” award in 2022 from Focus St. Louis for “demonstrating innovative solutions.” The next event is Nov. 6.

Another Veal project dovetails her work passion with her feelings about Cortex, where Filament moved in 2022 from downtown St. Louis. Filament, Cortex and CIC St. Louis collaborate to host SuperCollider, a pretty-much-monthly free professional development event open to small teams from any business. 

“We provide training in how to run a meeting, how to brainstorm, how to navigate team culture changes, things like that,” Veal said. “The rest of the day, the teams have the opportunity to work in the CIC space.”

She loves the event because it meshes what she loves about Cortex (“There's so much happening, there's so much movement”) with her desire to expose more of St. Louis to what’s happening in the district.

“Filament and Cortex are a unique pairing,” Veal said. “There’s the vibrancy of the district and Filament is helping to bring more people in to see all of the cool things that are happening here.”

We Are Cortex celebrates the individuals who power our vibrant district. Join us on Tuesday, October 28, for #WeAreCortex – an inspiring and interactive event highlighting the thinkers, builders, creators, and doers who are shaping the future of St. Louis and beyond. Click here to learn more and RSVP!