Stories
Real Estate Tycoon, Philanthropist, Immigrant: America Would Be Crazy to Refuse People Like Him
The night before Sunil Puri’s father passed away, at the age of 94, he called his son to say goodbye. Speaking by phone from Mumbai, India, the retired yarn-trader offered a few final words of advice to his son, a multimillionaire property developer and business owner. Puri’s father urged him to embrace the United States and… Read More
Alabama Biz Leaders Thank Foreign Workers for a Revitalized Gulf Coast
In 2005, Mobile, Alabama, was growing its shipbuilding sector and completing a $5 billion construction project at its saltwater port. It represented vital growth for the state. And the city’s chamber of commerce, a $6 million operation that serves more than 2,000 members, says foreign-born labor helped make it all… Read More
New Americans ‘Find a Way’ to Success, says President of Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Today, Mexican immigrant Palermo Galindo is president of the Greater Fort Wayne Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Indiana and serves as the city’s community liaison officer, working with over 200 neighborhood associations. “As a person who wasn’t born in this country, this is my way to pay something back,” he… Read More
This Republican Business Owner Is Frustrated by How Long the Immigration Process Can Take
Native Ecuadorian, Republican, and conservative Christian Rosie Paulsen has dedicated much of her career to helping her fellow immigrants in Pasco County, Florida start and grow their own businesses. It’s why, in 2009, she founded the Pasco/Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “There were a lot of international people that were… Read More
State Senator Grew Up Watching His Immigrant Parents Chase The American Dream — Now He’s Living it
When Kentucky Senator Ralph Alvarado took the stage on day three of the Republican National Convention in July 2016, he told the crowd, “Being the son of immigrants, I saw firsthand their sacrifice to provide our family a better life. I watched their strong and quiet commitment to hard… Read More
Kansas Depends on Its Immigrant Population, Says Former Kansas Secretary of Agriculture
Walk into pretty much any farming, livestock, or agribusiness operation in Kansas, and you’ll find managers who are desperate to expand their workforce — and also plenty of immigrants who’ve come to the state in search of jobs, says former Kansas Agriculture Secretary Allie Devine. With population levels plateauing, and… Read More
President of the American Planning Association’s Iowa Chapter, Says Immigration Reform Can Save Dying Towns
Over the past five years, Ben Champ, president of the American Planning Association’s Iowa Chapter, a national organization with more than 35,000 members involved in the planning profession, has fielded numerous requests from city and town leaders across the country—all them seeking advice on how to attract and… Read More
Cherry Farm’s Ad for American Workers Fails to Get a Single Reply
In the 19th century, Steve Bardenhagen’s great-great-grandfather emigrated from Germany, fought in the Civil War, and was rewarded with the land in northern Michigan that his descendants still farm today. Bardenhagen Berries is now a thriving 180-acre cherry and strawberry farm, with revenues of around $400,000 a year—but Bardenhagen, who… Read More
Successful Arizona Businesswoman to Congress: ‘Take Off the Political Jerseys and Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform’
Master communication and marketing guru Lisa Urias understands the tremendous economic impact of immigration on her home state. “We have a benefit being a border state, and that benefit is tremendous,” says the CEO of Urias Communications, a company that grosses roughly $6 million annually. “We have almost… Read More
Immigration Policies ‘Work Against the Small Businesses,’ Says Head of Major South Carolina Restaurant Group
Steve Carb is the head of SERG Restaurant Group on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, which employs more than 800 hospitality workers annually. During the summer peak season, he manages to staff his 10 restaurants with help from locals and college students. But once school starts in the fall,… Read More
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