Hidden Assets at Youngstown State

Janko e-mailed to me an interesting article in this morning's Business Journal online edition. He knows me well enough to highlight the passage that resonates with my interest in talent migration:

The company’s executive team also includes an Ohio State University alumnus. Foreign students who studied in U.S. schools and return to their home counties are the best U.S. ambassadors, he said. “They loved their experience in the states, want to work for American companies abroad and have a global view we need to have,“ Planey remarked.

These New Argonauts are featured in Richard Herman's new book, "Immigrant, Inc." Eric Planey is taking full advantage of reverse brain drain, also known as boomerang migration. Of course, Planey himself is a boomerang migrant back to Youngstown. As Herman might say, "He already thinks like an immigrant."

Something else that caught my eye is the tapping of alumnus from Ohio State. Janko recently told me that many of the foreign born students at Youngstown State University because it is the most inexpensive place for them to study in the entire United States. The Valley could do a much better job of leveraging this comparative advantage. These students are links to global business opportunities, just like the ones the Regional Chamber is exploring in China. Something to think about as the new business school gets cranked up.