Welcome Springfield and the Midwest Consortium for Immigration Research are two new entities located in southwestern Ohio that are dedicated to the economic empowerment of immigrants in Ohio and throughout the Midwest.  Welcome Springfield is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to helping Clark County Ohio attract and serve immigrants and the businesses that employ them.   Clark County is a rural county that has lost 20,000 residents (-13%) since 1970.  Its principle city, Springfield was recently identified as one of ten fastest shrinking cities in America and is projected to lose nearly 10,000 more residents during the next 15 years.  The Midwest Consortium for Immigration Research (MCIR) is a brand new entity devoted to providing academic research to communities like Springfield and Clark County throughout the Midwest.  We desire to complement the efforts of organizations like Global Great Lakes by providing objective data on the economic impact of immigration, and by helping communities develop strategies to recruit immigrants and maximize their economic impact.  MCIR will be based at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and will serve researchers and communities across the Midwest.

Welcome Springfield in the Press