Entrepreneurship & Innovation
How Immigrant Entrepreneurs Move the U.S. Economy Forward
This week, National Small Business Week, which has occurred each year since 1963, recognizes the contributions of entrepreneurs and small business owners in the United States. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), more than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, which… Read More
Charlotte, NC Capitalizing on the Benefits of Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Charlotte, North Carolina, like many southern metropolitan areas, has grown rapidly in recent decades. In 2013, when Charlotte declared itself a “welcoming city,” one in ten residents (10.1 percent) in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill metropolitan area were foreign-born, while one-third (32.6 percent) of “Main Street” business… Read More
How Small Business Immigrant Entrepreneurship Can Boost Economic Growth
Why is it important for places and organizations to connect the dots of immigrant entrepreneurship and local neighborhood economic growth? “Wherever you find immigrant growth you’ll find entrepreneurship. Some of the storefront businesses [in Iowa, for example…] would not be there without immigrant entrepreneurs,” Iowa State University researcher Sandra Burke… Read More
Groups Recommend How the White House Could Boost Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Immigrant entrepreneurs and small business owners contribute to local economies, often forming the backbone of neighborhoods. As part of his November announcement on immigration executive action, President Obama signed a presidential memorandum that creates a White House Task Force on New Americans to explore ways to… Read More
Immigrant Entrepreneurs Bring Vitality to Main Street, Help Local Economies Grow
Midtown Global Market, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a place where vendors hawk fresh produce, baked goods, coffee and espressos, and arts and jewelry. And as its more than 40 different businesses represent people from five continents, the market is one example of how a city can cultivate the… Read More
How Immigration Executive Action Opens Doors for Foreign Entrepreneurs
Much of the attention on President Obama’s executive action on immigration has focused on his use of prosecutorial discretion to defer deportation for millions of undocumented immigrants, including certain parents of U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents. But as part of the November announcement, President Obama also signed a… Read More
Cities and Regions Explore Ways to Maximize Migration’s Local Dividends
Local officials are recognizing that immigration can play a role in their broader growth and development strategies. As Demetrios Papademetriou of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) explains, immigration can be an economic windfall for their communities through more jobs and growth. But these benefits are not automatic… Read More
City Leaders Discuss Welcoming Immigrants at Global Great Lakes Convening
Gabriel Berumen, originally from Mexico, knows the value of immigrant-owned small businesses for local communities. He started Las Palmas, a Latino grocery store chain, in the Pittsburgh area. Now, Las Palmas has expanded to suburban communities around Pittsburgh. Berumen’s chain of grocery stores is an example of how… Read More
Entrepreneurs Reaffirm Need for Immigration Reform
From Alexander Graham Bell to Google’s Sergey Brin, immigrants have founded some of the most iconic American companies, as the Kauffman Foundation’s Dane Stangler explained. “There’s something inherently entrepreneurial about leaving your home to start a new life in another country,” Stangler said. And immigrant entrepreneurs continue… Read More
How Immigration is Key to New York City’s Renaissance
As a gateway to the United States, New York City has long been defined by the generations of immigrants who have made it their home. In a city of 8.3 million people, more than 3.1 million—38 percent of New York City’s population—are foreign-born, according to the 2012 American Community… Read More
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