Ecolab CEO Christophe Beck on Downtown St. Paul’s Challenges
June 2, 2025
Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted in fall 2024 and appeared in TCB’s October/November print issue.
Christophe Beck is the president and CEO of Ecolab, a global company that generated $15 billion in sales in 2023. It is headquartered in downtown St. Paul. Beck serves on the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance board and co-chaired the steering committee that developed a downtown investment strategy. While traveling internationally, Beck responded via email to TCB questions about the future of downtown. Here are edited excerpts.
Christophe Beck: When talking about public safety, homelessness, and economic development growth, the main thing to remember is that these issues are very much intertwined. And solving community issues requires a community solution. What I am getting at here is that true collaboration is the only answer. Only when government, private sector, and nonprofit organizations come together can we foster positive, real change.