• Careers
  • Ambassador Companies
  • Hiring International Talent
  • Mosaic Internships
  • Job Listings
  • Career Services and Programs
• Education
  • Ambassador Schools
  • International Student Resources for Hiring
  • University Partners
• Entrepreneurs
• Get Connected
  • Be An Ambassador
  • Professional Connectors
  • Womens Connector
  • Soccer Connections
  • Resources
  • Información en Español
• Community
  • Mosaic Stories
  • Sister City Organizations
  • STL es Para Ti!
  • Indian-born Attraction Plan
• News Feed
• Book

Immigrant entrepreneurs take risks, enrich local economy

Luis Rivero founded Hůga Bar (think "PowerBar") and recently added Whole Foods stores as an outlet for the nutrition bar with flavors inspired by international recipes.

Hůga Bar is an example of many businesses in St. Louis founded by immigrants and refugees, some small-scale and others large corporations. The St. Louis Mosaic Project cites Census Bureau statistics showing that foreign-born people in the St. Louis region are 29.2 percent more likely than native-born people to start a business. The project, a regional initiative within the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and the World Trade Center St. Louis, welcomes newcomers because its research shows that immigrants invigorate the region and drive innovation.

Click here to continue reading article.