St. Louis needs to embrace immigration

St Louis has a low immigration rate and also a low entrepreneurial rate, not many business start-ups in St. Louis. Immigrants are very big on starting businesses, so both would help that area. - - Donna Poisl

BY DAVID NICKLAUS, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Harish Sundaram grew up in Bangalore, which is India's version of Silicon Valley, but he founded his technology company in St. Louis.

He came here for a master's degree and a job, and stayed because he liked it here. His 14-year-old Internet services company, OnlyLink, has built an impressive list of customers that ranges from small local firms to giant companies like Microsoft.

Sundaram's story would be a common one in places like Austin or Chicago or the Research Triangle of North Carolina. In St. Louis, it's all too rare.
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