Immigrant Entrepreneur Hall of Fame
America is world-renowned for its entrepreneurial business spirit, and this spirit is fueled in large part by immigrants. In every economic census since 1880, immigrants are more likely to be self-employed than the native-born population. While some of these immigrant entrepreneurs were highly educated, many were not. In fact, the only characteristic they share is the courage to leave their home countries and the drive and determination to start a new life in the United States.
Here is a tribute to the immigrant entrepreneurs who founded some of today’s most influential brands, midsize businesses that are the engines of regional economies and not-for-profits that enhance the lives of many Americans.
| Fortune 500 | Biotech/Healthcare | Information Technology |
| Country of Origin | Consumer Goods/Services | Manufacturing |
| Financial Services/Real Estate | Retail | Social Entrepreneurs |
Sample Fortune 500 Immigrant Entrepreneurs
James L. (J.L.) Kraft
Canada
Kraft Foods founder
Ranked 49 in the 2011 Fortune 500
Nigel Morris
England
Capital One Financial co-founder
Ranked 134 in the 2011 Fortune 500
Levi Straus
Germany
Levi Strauss founder
Ranked 496 in the 2011 Fortune 500
Sample Biotech / Healthcare Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Kiran Patel
Zambia
WellCare Health Plans founder
Charles Pfizer
Germany
Pfizer Inc. co-founder
Ivor Royston and Charles Weissman
England and Switzerland
Biogen Idec co-founders
Sample Consumer Goods and Services Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Nathan Cummings
Canada
Sara Lee co-founder
Theodore Deutschmann
England
RadioShack co-founder
James Gamble and William Procter
Ireland and England
Procter & Gamble co-founders
Sample Financial Services/Real Estate Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Andrew Carnegie
Scotland
TIAA-CREF founder
Thomas Alexander Mellon
Ireland
BNY Mellon founder
Sample Information Technology Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Sergey Brin
Russia
Google co-founder
Jerry Yang
Taiwan
Yahoo! Inc. co-founder
Sample Manufacturing Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Albert Butz
Switzerland
Honeywell International co-founder
John Pitcairn Jr.
Scotland
PPG Industries co-founder
Frederick Weyerhäuser
Germany
Weyerhaeuser co-founder
Sample Retail Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Max and Morris Feldberg
Russia
TJX, BJ’s Wholesale Club co-founders
Maxwell Kohl
Poland
Kohl’s founder
John W. Nordstrom
Sweden
Nordstrom co-founder
Sample Social Immigrant Entrepreneurs
John Muir
Scotland
The Sierra Club co-founder
Zainab Salbi
Iraq
Women for Women International co-founder
