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Panel: immigrant entrepreneurs a major engine of Columbus small‑business growth
Summary
At a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum, panelists said immigration and new‑American entrepreneurship are driving Central Ohio growth; City and nonprofit programs aim to lower barriers with targeted training, Spanish‑language supports and microloans.
Columbus — Immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs are a growing and visible source of new businesses in Central Ohio, panelists said during a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum focused on the small‑business economy.
During audience questions, Bill Lafayette and others asked how immigration trends are reshaping entrepreneurship in the region. Tim Kehoe, director of the Veterans Business Outreach Center at ECDI, said immigrants start businesses at higher rates than native‑born U.S. citizens and that ECDI runs programs funded by Office of Refugee Resettlement dollars to assist asylees, parolees and refugees.
“We…
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