Financial Times: St. Louis “Stands Out” in Efforts to Grow Foreign-Born Population, Inaugural GeoFutures Week Coming to St. Louis, Jim McKelvey to Take the Stage at Open Source Conference
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Financial Times: St. Louis “Stands Out” in Efforts to Grow Foreign-Born Population
The International Institute of St. Louis made international headlines this week, as the Financial Times showcased the local organization’s efforts to grow the St. Louis metro’s population by recruiting immigrants and refugees to live, work, and put down roots in the area. “This may be the first year [in decades] that we’ll have net zero decline in population,” said Arrey Obenson, President of IISTL, a GSL Investor Council member.
While St. Louis is not unusual among Midwestern cities in terms of population trends, the article says our metro “stands out in both its method and ambition” to increase foreign-born communities and in how the nonprofit, governmental, and business communities have built consensus and support for the effort.
Ruben Leon, an IT technician from Venezuela and recent St. Louis transplant, finds hope here: “I see my future in St Louis.”
“Everyone Welcome”: Festival of Nations Showcases St. Louis’ Multiculturalism
More than 100,000 people filled Tower Grove Park to attend this past weekend’s Festival of Nations, an annual event powered by the International Institute of St. Louis. “We have showcased year after year that St. Louis is a welcoming region,” IISTL wrote in a message to attendees. “By doing so, we invite the world to our great city and create more opportunities where we all can prosper.”
Global Talent, Local Impact: Attend Growing Global 2024 on Sept. 25
The St. Louis Mosaic Project, an initiative of the World Trade Center St. Louis, will present its annual Growing Global event on Sept. 25, this year exploring both national and local perspectives on global talent — how St. Louis competes for it, why it matters, and how it impacts local companies. GSL CEO Jason Hall will join a panel with Andrea Paccio, President and Chief Growth Officer, Nestlé Purina North America — an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council — and Jon Baselice, Vice President, Immigration Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The geospatial community will convene in St. Louis Sept. 9 – 13 during the inaugural GeoFutures Week, a five-day collection of events, conferences, opportunities, and more, all highlighting St. Louis as the national center for geospatial technology — called out in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan as a key growth industry. The week will include the annual Geo-Resolution conference hosted by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and Saint Louis University, an executive-level member of the GSL Chair's Council, as well as the Taylor Geospatial Institute Expo; both events are free and open to all (registration is required).
Jim McKelvey to Take the Stage at Open Source Conference for Geospatial in St. Louis
Part of GeoFutures Week, the Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial North America is the premier open geospatial technology and business conference for technologists, end-users, academics, and decision makers. But no matter your industry sector, everyone is invited to attend the FOSS4G Business-to-Business session, sponsored by GSL, which will feature an exclusive keynote address by Jim McKelvey, St. Louis native, co-founder of Square (now Block, Inc.), and an accomplished entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author, as well as a member of the GSL Chair's Council.
Jay Shields: Hope for a Regional Solution to Homelessness
Jay Shields, CEO of Schaeffer Manufacturing and a member of the GSL Chair's Council, feels hopeful about solving homelessness in the St. Louis metro. In an op-ed for the St. Louis Business Journal, Shields, who founded the Think BIG Unhoused Initiative, names three key recent developments for finding solutions to this metro-wide issue: a regional approach, a newly developed strategy setting organization, and the engagement of the business community led by GSL.
St. Louis Startups to Compete to Pitch at Startup World Cup
One local startup founder will have the chance to compete in the Startup World Cup, the largest global startup conference and pitch competition, where 70+ cities send their champion team to the Grand Finale to compete for a $1 million investment prize. On Sept. 9, the competition’s Regional Finals will bring together the top 10 startups to present pitches to a panel of investors. The judges will vote to select the winner — sending them to represent St. Louis on a global stage.
David Steward II Named Kids’ Entertainment Power Player
Founder and CEO of St. Louis-based Lion Forge Animation, David Steward II was named one of the “50 Most Powerful People in Kids’ Entertainment” by the Hollywood Reporter. Led by Steward, the studio — which already has an Academy Award on its shelf — is making a name for itself for its compelling, diverse, and inclusive stories.
At the International Institute of St. Louis, a new federal program, Welcome Corps, invites American citizens to sponsor refugees as they build new lives in the metro.
