Welcoming communities make for globally competitive city-regions

A new foreign resident in St. Louis with a specialty in accounting is connected with peers in the local industry. Immigrant entrepreneurs spanning high-tech industries and neighborhood businesses get resources to launch and scale. Mentoring and support groups help over 300 international spouses feel at home in the region.

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In 2017, the Charleston Regional Development Alliance launched a global fluency strategy, after realizing, through the Global Cities Initiative, that the region needed to bolster an environment that is conducive to attracting and retaining foreign talent, despite the presence of big multinational firms like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Safran, alongside a growing global tourism brand.

That strategy, which is supported by a committee of community volunteers, focuses on both the integration of new foreign residents and outreach to Charlestonians on the benefits foreign investment and cultures provide. An online resource guide, direct engagement to foreign residents, and expanded international signage at the region’s airport make it easier for new residents to find schools, access cultural organizations, feel welcome, and connect to the community. CRDA also releases an annual “global connectivity snapshot” that provides a concise distillation of the significance of global engagement to the region’s prosperity.

Read the full story, HERE.