Earlier this year, St. Louis leaders launched the St. Louis Mosaic Project, an initiative to make the region the fastest growing metro area for immigrants by 2020.
According to Betsy Cohen, who is managing the project, the St. Louis community is making great strides.
The goal of the St. Louis Mosaic Ambassador Program is to make the area more welcoming to non-native people.
“There’s been a real ground swell. We thought we would have maybe 50 ambassadors and right now we have 220 and I would like to see 250 or 300,” said Cohen.
Allison Collinger, the founder of AHC Consulting, is a Mosaic Ambassador.
“I have always found that [St. Louis] is a wonderful place to be but sometimes it’s hard to get into some of the right networks and business opportunities. So this is a way for those of us who would like to volunteer in real life to help other people who need to get connected in the community and have a job opportunity,” said Collinger.
In addition to the St. Louis Mosaic Ambassador Program, an upcoming program in association with the St. Louis Fed is taking place – the goal of which is to “outline the benefits that immigrant entrepreneurs and highly skilled immigrants bring to communities and explain why the future of a city's growth and economic vibrancy is tied to the economic success of its immigrant population.”
“The foreign born who are in our community are better educated and more entrepreneurial than our native born population. If we want to grow as a region, that’s an important fact,” said Cohen.
Along with Cohen and Collinger, Milind Sant, an immigrant from India, St. Louis resident and CEO of LipoSpectrum joined host Don Marsh to talk about the immigrant experience.
This topic was also addressed on St. Louis on the Air in July 2013.
Related Event
Boosting Economic Development in St. Louis: A Workshop on Immigrant Entrepreneurship and Skilled Labor
Wednesday, November 13 ,2013
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
*Advance Registration Required by Nov. 7*
Better Family Life, 5415 Page Blvd.
St. Louis on the Air provides discussion about issues and concerns facing the St. Louis area. The show is produced by Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer and hosted by veteran journalist Don Marsh.
