Stories
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
British Chef Cooks Up the Quintessential American Dream
British immigrant Mark Elliott opened his first restaurant, Elliott’s on Linden, in the fall of 2000, serving up southern staples such as shrimp and grits alongside more creative culinary endeavors like elk chops with lemon-sage marmalade and pomegranate jus. The fine-dining eatery was a hit: Within months, Elliott… Read More
This Manufacturing Giant Didn’t Leave, But it Needs More Immigrant STEM Workers to Stay in the Country and Succeed
Jennifer Sharp has an unusual title for an engineering company: Immigration Specialist. Her company, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), designs and manufacturers products that protect power grids around the world. It is one of the largest employers in southeast Washington state, with 2,600 employees at its Pullman headquarters and 4,500 employees… Read More
Reform Allowing Immigrants To Study and Work Would Boost Community Output, Says Mexican-American Volunteer
After Angelica Velasquez’s father came to the United States from Mexico at age 20, he was deported several times. But he returned, married, and started a construction business. “He’s a contributor. Plus, they raised me and my five siblings, and we’re all great contributors,” says Velasquez, 41, the human resources… Read More
Immigrant Pastor Wants Fair, Streamlined Policy to Benefit U.S. Workers and Economy
Roland Kuhl, a retired pastor, sees the contributions immigrants make every day in his life, his church and in his community. His nephew’s father, born in Guatemala and living in North Carolina, created American jobs at his painting business while he was documented and continued after his visa expired and… Read More
After Receiving Legal Status, Child Immigrant Strives to Give Back
Arcela Nunez-Alvarez was just 12 years old when she left Mexico with her mother and sisters to move to the northern San Diego suburb of San Marcos in the early 1980s. Yet her immigration experience was vastly different than those of undocumented arrivals today. A beneficiary of former President Ronald… Read More
Weekend Reading:
This week, Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced new research from our organization showing that the 82,308 foreign-born residents of the region have a significant impact on southwestern Pennsylvania’s economy. The Tribune Live touted the fact that “in 2014, businesses owned by immigrants generated… 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
When Immigrants Move to Take Pork Industry Jobs, Businesses in Downtown Guymon Thrive
As the program director of Main Street Guymon, a resource center dedicated to helping businesses in the small city of Guymon, Oklahoma, succeed, Melyn Johnson has unique insight into what allows her community to thrive. Since its founding in 2005, her group has accumulated roughly $10 million in private funding. Read More
Immigration Lawyer in Virginia Sees Firsthand How Expanding the American Dream Helps All Americans
Lisa Johnson-Firth – founder and principal attorney at Immigrants First, an immigration and human rights law firm, and adjunct law professor at Georgetown University – believes that helping foreign nationals achieve their American dream is the best way for all of us to fulfill our dream of being… Read More
Make a contribution
Make a direct impact on the lives of immigrants.
