Project Management: Economic Development in St. Louis (MO) [State Government]

This episode is presented by The United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corp.

Time is money. Few know that better than project managers -- a generic job title that could reflect anything from where to place a cellphone tower to how to stimulate economic development in parts of a city most hurt by unemployment.

In this episode, we hear from a project manager who specializes in the latter, although she did the former before attending law school at St. Louis University. Laura Hughes graduated in 2014 and went to work immediately for a public-private partnership, the Gateway EB-5 Investment Center. EB-5 is a United States visa program that entitles foreigners to obtain a permanent visa in exchange for an investment in certain economic development projects.

Operating out of the World Trade Center in St. Louis, she plays matchmaker for foreign investors and local real estate developers. Laura helps developers cast their projects in such a way that they not only qualify for the EB-5 program, but actually attract investors. From due diligence to navigating regulations, she uses her pre-law and legal experience to help St. Louis prosper.

This episode is hosted by Kimber Russell, an account executive at Planet Depos, an international court reporting firm. It is sponsored by Barbri Law Preview and Top-Law-Schools.com.

Episode Links

Gateway EB-5 Investment Center
World Trade Center St. Louis
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: EB-5 Immigrant Investors
ABC News Investigation: Whistleblowers: US Gave Visas to Suspected Forgers, Fraudsters, Criminals
Seattle Times: Reform of EB-5 visas proposed in Senate (June 5, 2015)
Wikipedia: Project Management