Host Alex Rich sits down with siblings Jason, Jonathan, and Katie Kootman, the fourth generation behind Trimarc, for a wide-ranging conversation on family business, sibling dynamics, and Jewish identity in St. Louis. The three trace Trimarc's path from a single leaky trailer office — where their dad refused to invest a dime until they proved they were serious — to a full-scale operation serving steel fabricators, machine shops, and aerospace manufacturers across the region, with a business name their mom coined for the three of them the day they all came aboard together.

They share how they split ownership evenly with no sibling hierarchy, why blunt honesty (not diplomacy) is what actually keeps three co-owners aligned, and why none of them think of it as "just work." Katie then walks through the family's food and faith traditions: matzo ball soup passed down from their grandmother, chopped eggs and onions in a Jell-O mold, homemade challah attempts, and the temple music and cantor impressions that first connected them to Judaism as kids.

The conversation turns to their long-running "Bros Dinner" tradition with childhood friends — 60-plus dinners deep, complete with credit card roulette and post-meal awards for best food and service — and to what it means to grow up Jewish in St. Louis, from summers at Camp Sabra and the Maccabi Games to how they're thinking about raising Jewish kids of their own amid a climate of rising antisemitism. It closes with reflections on earning their dad's trust, pride in carrying the family name forward, and always rooting for your own.

🎙️ Jews in The Lou highlights Jewish individuals making an impact in the St. Louis community.