Aired May 9, 2007

Last weekend, a national conference titled The Changing Face of American Cities - hosted in Cleveland - highlighted the contribution that immigrants can make to an urban economy. Northeast Ohio is a region founded on immigrants: about 135,000 make their home in the area. But, little research exists on how many immigrant entrepreneurs or laborers exist in the region. ideastream's Tasha Flournoy reports on what area leaders are doing to help immigrants reach their economic potential here.

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Since 1990, one out of four of the fastest growing companies in the nation had at least one immigrant founder. That's what a recent study by the National Foundation for American Policy found on immigrant entrepreneurs. Stuart Anderson, the foundation's director, says many of the companies had received venture capital or are now publicly traded.

Stuart Anderson: They can go to places that maybe the typical domestic resident of the United States are not naturally gravitating to. Because these people are really looking to build their careers.

Anderson says immigrants have successful business ventures because they tend be risk takers and will move wherever for work or to start a business.

Stuart Anderson: And if Ohio has the opportunity for them, they're happy to come to Ohio and build their future.

In gateway cities like San Francisco and New York, immigrant entrepreneurs have become key agents of economic growth. Rose Zitiello is co-chair of Northeast Ohio's Minority and Immigrant Business Alliance. Zitiello says our local government needs to recognize that immigrant and minority small business owners can spur the Northeast Ohio economy, and take steps to reach out to them.

Rose Zitiello: We don't have one umbrella organization really taking ownership to pull in local governments, for profit, nonprofit sectors that say here's like a one-stop shop. Whether it's a bricks and mortar building. Or even a virtual welcoming center.

She says the Cuyahoga County Public Library Board is coordinating a virtual welcome center geared toward immigrants that will feature bilingual information. Libraries are an ideal location for such a center, she says: minority and immigrant business owners find them less intimidating than a government office or financial institution.

Rose Zitiello: That's why I think it's important for libraries to partner with area banks and other for profit and non profits to do better outreach in the business community. So when we talk about trying to grow this region we need people with jobs and small business owners are a great opportunity.

If Greater Cleveland is beginning to get the message about immigration, it's not getting it fast enough for Al Ratner, co-chairman of real estate development company Forest City Enterprises.

Al Ratner: So what we have to do in Cleveland and in Ohio is understand that this is a real opportunity. And make new immigrants feel comfortable living here, which they don't now because there's not enough immigrants who would give them that feeling of safety.

Over the last five years, migration from abroad has helped reduce the net population loss in Northeast Ohio, but it hasn't sparked any dramatic regional growth. Some say the region could be a gateway for immigration, but it's up to leaders and stakeholders to lay out the welcome mat. Tasha Flournoy, 90.3.