Stories
First-Generation American Entrepreneur Needs Immigration Reform to Compete Globally
As Argentine immigrants, Betty Manetta’s parents worked long hours in factory jobs to put their daughters through private school. Witnessing her parents’ work ethic and their belief that education is the key to success, cultivated a drive in Manetta. After high school, she worked for Western Electric, put herself through… Read More
The U.S. Could Be Stonger Economically If It Utilized Immigrant Potential, Says Purdue University Professor
After completing an M.A. in mathematics in her native Germany, Brigitte Waldorf came to America in 1985, for a PhD program in geography at the University of Illinois. Like many foreign-born academics, she stayed on after graduating, working as a regional scientist for top-flight institutions including Princeton University and the… Read More
Immigration Policy Has a Real Impact on Employers’ Bottom Lines in Michigan Says Immigration Lawyer
Immigration lawyer Susan Im runs a respected Grand Rapids firm that serves employers ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 firms, and has three employees and more than $500,000 in annual revenues. Im — who is a past chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)’s Michigan chapter, serves on… Read More
Immigration Policy Holding Back the Most Dynamic Industry in the Country, Says Top Venture Capitalist
Venky Ganesan, an Indian immigrant and prominent venture capitalist, believes that open borders have made America great. As a managing partner at Menlo Ventures, one of Silicon Valley’s oldest VC funds, Ganesan has seen just how important immigrants have been to the American economy. “Between one-third and one-half of the companies… Read More
CEO of Mavin Global says Immigration System Makes U.S. Firms Less Competitive
Sai Naik’s father came to America from Mumbai in the 1960s with little more than the few cents in his pocket and an abiding love of Elvis Presley. Over the decades that followed, he earned a PhD in materials engineering, held a series of well-paid jobs, and went on to… Read More
Immigration System is Holding Back Social Enterprise
In 2007, Catalina Rojas and her husband started the Peace and Collaborative Development Network (PCDN), a social enterprise that connects more than 35,500 professionals, organizations, and students with the resources they need to scale social change. With help from their two part-time employees, their goal for this year is to… Read More
A Chinese-American Executive Helps Chinese Companies Invest in Michigan Workers
Chinese companies are expected to invest $30 billion in the United States this year — and as president of the Detroit Chinese Business Association, Jerry Xu is determined to ensure that as many of those dollars as possible come to Michigan. The Wolverine State already… Read More
Lorain County Commissioner: Immigrants Boost Economic Growth
Over his eight-year tenure as a state representative for Ohio’s 55th district, current Lorain County Commissioner Matt Lundy saw how the negative national discourse on immigration reform so easily trickled down to the local level. “Many elected officials have turned something unique and positive – opportunity and improvement… Read More
In Immigrants, Michigan’s Business Community Sees a Way to Grow the Economy, Says Entrepreneur
When Bing Goei and his parents came to western Michigan in 1960, they were among the first Indonesians to arrive in the region, and their arrival made the front page of the local newspaper. “It must have been a slow news day,” Goei laughs. These days, it’s hardly big news… Read More
How An Indian Immigrant Is Fundamentally Transforming Alabama’s Auto Industry
After close to four decades in the auto industry, including a position running global research for Mercedes-Benz in Germany, Indian immigrant Bharat Balasubramanian, moved to Alabama. Today, he is executive director of the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies at the University of Alabama, an inter-disciplinary research center dedicated to the… Read More
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