As St. Louis scratches to carve its place in the global economy, many say multinational manufacturers like Solutia Inc. are exactly the type of company the region needs to grow here.

Yet, ironically, it's that same multinational footprint that made the Town and Country-based chemical-maker an attractive acquisition target.

When Eastman Chemical Co. announced it acquire Solutia for $4.7 billion, which includes $1.3 billion in debt, it made no secret of the main reason why: Overseas growth. Solutia has more than doubled its international sales since 2003 and today gets three-fourths of its revenue outside the U.S. It has six more production lines in development in China and Southeast Asia.

While that growth has put Solutia among the top ranks of multinational exporters based in St. Louis, it also made it a juicy target for a larger rival like Eastman.

"We expect Solutia is well-positioned to take advantage of trends such as an increasing middle-class (in Asia) which is buying more premium products," Eastman chairman and CEO Jim Rogers said Friday.

As it is, Solutia is a truly global company.

It sells filters for solar panels in Europe and chemicals for tires in China. It has 3,400 workers worldwide and of its 24 plants, just one is located in the St. Louis region - a rubber chemicals operation in Sauget with about 150 employees. But a slice of every sale it makes around the world trickles back to headquarters, an office building off Interstate 64 in Town and Country.

When the sale goes through, likely by mid-year, the corporate office of the combined Eastman and Solutia will be in the mountains of East Tennessee, where Eastman has long been based.

While Solutia chief executive Jeff Quinn said the company will "have a significant presence in St. Louis for some time," it's unclear how many of the 300 headquarters jobs will remain here.

St. Louis County officials said they've heard little from either company since the deal was announced Friday morning, though they hope to talk with Eastman soon. Headquarters jobs are often on the chopping block in a merger, because many of the functions already exist at the new company.

But there are no guarantees, notes Doug Rasmussen, senior vice president at the St. Louis County Economic Council. Some local companies that have been bought wind up expanding here.

"Every merger is just so different, depending on what happens," Rasmussen said. "It's not yet clear which way this one's going to go."

Despite its relatively low public profile, Solutia is a fairly prominent member of St. Louis' export community.

The company has helped to fund St. Louis' World Trade Center and other trade groups. It consulted with airport officials on the China Cargo Hub project last year. It often sends executives along on regional trade missions to Asia and has hosted visiting Chinese dignitaries at its headquarters.

"They are a significant player on an international scale," said Tim Nowak, executive director of the World Trade Center. "We want to have more of those companies in this region, not less."

The trick, Nowak said, is for St. Louis to keep growing companies that can play in the global economy, even if some of them do get purchased by out-of-town rivals. Build enough, he said, and more of the winners in those inevitable mergers will be based right here.