On Thursday night, Boston-area business leaders and innovators will gather for the 2014 Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards, a celebration of the international entrepreneurs who have had an impact on Massachusetts’ economy and society for the better.
Over three dozen finalists are up for one of four categories: Neighborhood, Business Growth, Life Science Business and High-Tech Business. Turning their big ideas into prospering businesses, the nominees ultimately created jobs and made a lasting mark on their local ecosystems. In other words, they’ve turned the American Dream into a reality.
Some of the nominees’ businesses may sound familiar, but the names and stories behind them are largely a mystery. How would you know that a pair of Central Square’s funkiest bars, Middle East and ZuZu, were founded by Lebanese brothers Nabil and Joseph Sater back in the mid-70s? Names from the tech realm might be more recognizable on the list, such as German entrepreneur Bettina Hein, the founder and CEO of Cambridge YouTube marketing company Pixability.
All of The Immigrant Learning Center's finalists kindle the entrepreneurial spirit that Governor Deval Patrick aims to keep in Massachusetts with his new piece of economic development legislation.
Patrick’s bill calls for, among other items, the creation of a Global Entrepreneur in Residence program, which allows foreign students to stay in Massachusetts to build startups. The program permits “highly-skilled,” budding entrepreneurs skirt the federal cap on H-1B visas and continue to contribute to the Massachusetts economy.
The 2014 Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards is further proof of perhaps one of the bill’s underlying core concepts: That talented and tenacious individuals, regardless of where they are born, need to not only be kept but cultivated within Massachusetts and the United States.
The diversity of industry among the nominated founders’ businesses spotlights another underlooked consideration, however: A pre-made mold for a founder is non-existent. To limit the pool of people qualifiable for the Global EIR program to only those with technical talent is self-limiting for the State’s economy and and society.
Take a look at the full list of nominees below:
Business Growth
Fitzroy Alexander
Traditional Breads, Inc., Lynn, MA (From Grenada)
Fitzroy Alexander founded Traditional Breads in 1999. Traditional Breads is a commercial bakery that employs nearly 170 people from over 20 different countries in Lynn, MA. The company experienced 37 percent revenue growth between 2010 and 2013. This is Alexander’s second business. The first was called Signature Breads and employed 300 people when he sold the business in 1998.
Jose De La Rosa
Guardian Healthcare, Jamaica Plain (From Dominican Republic)
Jose De La Rosa and his wife Zoraida founded Guardian Healthcare in 2008. Guardian is a home service health care company with headquarters in Jamaica Plain and offices in Lawrence and Springfield. The company experienced 207 percent revenue growth between 2010 and 2013 and is expected to grow 34 percent in 2014.
Christine Lin
The Cambridge Institute of International Education, Waltham (From China)
Christine Lin founded The Cambridge Institute of International Education in 2009. The Cambridge Institute is an international education consulting firm that facilitates relationships between international students and American schools. The company experienced more than 4,000 percent revenue growth between 2010 and 2013 and has generated more than $200 million in revenue for its American partner schools.
Charbel Najem
Capstone General Contracting, Worcester (From Lebanon)
Charbel Najem and his wife founded Capstone General Contracting in 2008. Capstone constructs and rehabilitates residential and commercial property in addition to mortgage financing and handling insurance claims. The company experienced more than 320 percent revenue growth between 2010 and 2013.
Dmitriy Peregudov
GiftBasketsOverseas.com (Egestures LLC), Arlington (From Russia)
Dmitriy Peregudov founded Egestures LLC in 2008. Egestures LLC maintains seven multilingual websites including GiftBasketsOverseas.com. The company delivers superior quality gifts to more than 180 countries for Fortune 500 companies, small-to-medium businesses and personal gift senders. It experienced 138 percent revenue growth between 2010 and 2013.
Neighborhood Business
Denise and Sambath Ban
Simply Khmer Restaurant, Lowell (From Cambodia)
Husband and wife Sambath and Denise Ban founded Simply Khmer in the heart of the Lowell Highlands neighborhood known as Cambodian Town in 2007. Simple Khmer has been featured on the national Food Network popular TV show Bizarre Foods. The restaurant has also been featured on Channel 5’s Chronicle and picked as the "Top 20 Essential Asian Restaurants in the Boston Area" by Boston Magazine.
Victor Barros
Systemize Networks, Stoughton (From Cape Verde)
Victor Barros founded Systemize Networks in 2011. Systemize Networks provides quality IT services to businesses with up to 50 users. The company offers enterprise-level service to local small businesses. Systemize networks provides free IT service and equipment to one not-for-profit each year and donates more than $5,000 twice a year to organizations across Greater Boston.
Arturo Barroso
Boston Shoe Service, Boston (From Mexico)
Arturo Barroso founded Boston Shoe Service in the heart of Boston’s financial district in 2010. The son of a cobbler, Barroso is carrying on a family tradition he learned in Mexico and perfected over 22 years in the United States. He currently services nearly 4,500 patrons per year. Barroso has also trained two apprentices who went on to open their own shops.
Edan Barshan
Universal Dental Plan, Boston (From Turkey)
Edan Barshan founded Universal Dental Plan in 1993. Universal Dental Plan is a membership-based dental savings organization making dental care affordable for the self-employed, retirees and others who might otherwise find dental care prohibitively expensive.
Alberto Calvo
Stop & Compare Supermarkets, Chelsea (From Cuba)
Alberto Calvo co-founded Stop and Compare Supermarkets in Chelsea in 1996. Since then, the company has expanded to 120 employees working in Chelsea and in two additional stores in Lynn and Providence, R.I.
Sabrina Tan and Chin Lee
Malaysian Flavours, Pittsfield (From Malaysia)
Husband and wife team Sabrina Tan & Chin Lee founded Malaysian Flavours restaurant in 2007. The restaurant serves Malaysian and South-East Asian cuisines, and its mission is to introduce the flavors of Southeast Asia to Pittsfield and the Berkshires. The Tan family is only one of very few Malaysian families in the Berkshires, and many customers are experiencing these flavors for the first time.
Janet Hung and Delia Vildoso
Tiny World Child Care Inc., Brookline (From Peru)
Janet Hung and Delia Vildoso co-founded Tiny World Child Care in 2009. Not only does Tiny World take exemplary care of the children in its program, Hung and Vildoso support the community and the next generation of educators and entrepreneurs. They are enthusiastic members of the Washington Square association. Tiny World partners with Wheelock College’s Field Experience Office to offer internships for students interested in early education.
Javier Diaz
Rincon Caribeno Restaurant, Hyde Park (From Dominican Republic)
Javier Diaz founded Rincon Caribeno Restaurant in 2008. Rincon does a remarkable job of bringing people together through social and community events. The restaurant is a focal point of the neighborhood, and Diaz frequently donates space and services to neighborhood not-for-profits.
Jose Antonio Guerrero
Cafe Azteca, Lawrence (From Mexico)
Jose Antonio Guerrero founded Café Azteca in 1995. Café Azteca is not just a restaurant, it’s a cultural hub attracting people from every city in the Merrimack Valley, breaking down the stereotype that affluent neighbors will not come to Lawrence and attracting Lawrence citizens who are proud of their hometown. More recently, Guerrero opened a bookstore café, El Taller (The Workshop) around the corner to support urban literacy.
Nai Nan Ko
Ko Automotive Group, Wellesly (From Taiwan)
In 1970, Nai Nan Ko opened a specialty auto repair shop in Somerville. In 1984, he acquired a Nissan store in Cambridge, and in 1989, he purchased his flagship dealership Wellesley Toyota. Since then, he has opened Midway Jeep Dodge Chrysler, Cambridge Auto Center and Lev Kia of Framingham, all of which employ more than 165 full-time and now make up the Ko Automotive Group. Wellesley Toyota is also the largest purchaser of renewable energy in Wellesley and was instrumental in helping the Town of Wellesley become the only EPA Green Power Community in Mass and the 3rd in the country.
Ricardo Miranda
Miranda Auto Body, Springfield (From Uruguay)
Ricardo Miranda founded Miranda Auto Body in 1984. He is an active member of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Elks Lodge, Gremio Lusitano Club of Ludlow, Better Business Bureau, and he collaborates with the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce. He was president of the Mass Auto Body Association, and in 2003, he began a weekend radio show on 1490 AM called “Domingos de Parranda.”
Phong Nguyen
Yoki Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar, Medford (From Vietnam)
Phong Nguyen co-founded Yoki Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar in 2007 in Medford and more recently expanded into a second location in Cambridge. Nguyen is a big supporter of community organizations such as Medford Family Network, Tri-CAP and Eliot Pearson Children’s School. Each year, he organizes a golf tournament benefiting Medford Family Network.
Mayur Patel
Little Market, Acton (From India)
Mayur Patel has owned Little Indian Market since 2008. He offers hard-to-find, authentic Indian items to serve the growing immigrant population in and around the Acton area as well as attract new customers interested in expanding their culinary tastes. Patel has also created an Ayurvedic Health Clinic within the store staffed by Dr. Rekha Sharma. This practice not only supports local immigrants, but improves the health and well-being of the community.
Roger Samkhon Pin and Soben Pin
KhmerPost USA, Lowell (From Cambodia)
Founded by husband and wife Roger Samkhon Pin and Soben Pin, KhmerPost USA is a free Khmer-English biweekly newspaper that serves Lowell, Boston, Providence, New Jersey and Philadelphia. The paper not only brings the news, KhmerPost Pin helps Cambodian Americans integrate into their new communities. For example, it holds an event "KhmerPost USA Press Club" four times a year in Lowell to foster discussion among community members and leaders about issues of the day.
Nabil and Joseph Sater
The Middle East & ZuZu, Cambridge (From Lebanon)
Brothers Nabil and Joseph Sater founded The Middle East Restaurant in 1975. Since then, the brothers have expanded into adjacent storefronts, and their business now has several distinct parts: The Middle East Upstairs, the Middle East Downstairs, ZuZu and the Corner. The Sater brothers' business, particularly the live music performances, brings people from many different backgrounds together who then participate in the cultural and economic vitality of the neighborhood. In 2013, Rolling Stone Magazine included the Middle East Downstairs in their list of The 20 Best Clubs in America.
Marc Silva
Somerville Sustainable Cleaning, Cambridge (From Brazil)
Marc Silva founded Somerville Sustainable Cleaning in 2010. Somerville Sustainable Cleaning is a commercial janitorial services company located in Cambridge and services Cambridge and Somerville. Silva worked for years as a manager for a cleaning company before founding his own business. As an employee, he was disenchanted with poor treatment and pay experienced by many workers. As his own boss, he is determined to pay his employees the Massachusetts living wage of $12.32 per hour, and in 2014, Silva hopes to create more part-time and full-time jobs by dedicating 50 cents of every dollar to new labor.
Rosa and Nisaury Tejeda and Victoria Amador
Tremendous Maids LLC, Jamaica Plain (From Dominican Republic)
Rosa and Nisaury Tejeda and Victoria Amador founded Tremendous Maids LLC in 2010. Tremendous Maids LLC is a family owned and operated residential and commercial cleaning company serving the Boston Metro area. The company was started in the living room of Rosa’s house and four months later, moved to a small office in Canton, MA. In April 2012, the company moved to Jamaica Plain where it now employs 25 people.
Weidong (Wilson) Wang
Baba Sushi and Chuan Sushi Restaurants, Worcester (From China)
Weidong Wang founded Baba Sushi in 2007 and Chuan Sushi in 2013. His two restaurants are a key component of the revitalization of their neighborhoods, and Wang has integrated himself into the efforts to revitalize the city of Worcester through job creation and acting as an ambassador for the city. Wang has won Worcester’s Best Chef Award in 2007 (after being open only three weeks), 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Life Sciences Business
Bela Asztalos
Boston Heart Diagnostics Corporation, Framingham (From Hungary)
Dr. Bela Asztalos has dedicated his life to understanding the factors that affect cardiovascular disease. In 2007, he co-founded Boston Heart Diagnostics Corporation to conduct research and help health care providers prevent and reverse this disease. He is also an associate professor of medicine at the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA HNRCA at Tufts University. In January 2014, Boston Heart Diagnostics was named one of “America’s Most Promising Companies” by Forbes magazine.
Pravin Chaturvedi
IndUS Pharmaceuticals, Woburn (From India)
Dr. Pravin Chaturvedi founded IndUS Pharmaceuticals in 2005. IndUS Pharmaceuticals leverages skills and technology found in both India and the U.S. for the discovery and development of novel small molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer, diabetes and infectious disease. Charturvedi is also the CEO and co-founder of Oceanyx Pharmaceuticals, chief scientific officer and co-founder of Napo Pharmaceuticals, and co-founder of Scion Pharmaceuticals. His work has led to the development and commercialization of seven new drugs that are currently marketed by various companies.
David Marini
Firefly Bioworks, Cambridge (From Italy)
Dr. David Marini co-founded Firefly Bioworks in 2009. The company’s core technology, Optical Liquid Stamping, was developed in the Chemical Engineering Department at MIT by Firefly co-founders and offers researchers a superior means of testing biological samples. The company’s long-term vision is to provide researchers with reliable and affordable solutions for the comprehensive monitoring of biological systems. Marini is personally committed to mentor younger entrepreneurs and gives talks and advice on how to use public funding to fuel development and raise additional funds.
Josef von Rickenbach
PAREXEL International Corp., Waltham (From Switzerland)
Josef von Rickenbach founded PAREXEL International in 1982. Since then, he has taken PAREXEL from its pioneering beginnings as one of the first clinical research organizations more than two decades ago to its place as one of the top three public biopharmaceutical services companies. The company’s range of services to the biopharmaceutical industry includes globally integrated clinical development, regulatory affairs consulting, commercialization services and technologies that expedite time-to-market. It has more than 76 locations and 15,100 employees throughout 50 countries. Von Rickenback was honored in March 2013 with the Henri Termeer Innovative Leadership Award, given by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.
Andrey Zahur
Greenlight Biosciences, Medford (From Mexico)
Dr. Andrey Zahur has actively participated in the creation of more than a dozen companies in the health care and clean energy sectors. In 2010, he founded Greenlight Biosciences to improve human health and the environment through the sustainable production of chemicals and fuels from renewable, non-petroleum based resources. He holds close to 100 provisional and issued patents and is a Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management. In 2005, Zarur was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
High-Tech Business
Vikram Aggarwal
EnergySage, Cambridge (From India)
Vikram Aggarwal founded EnergySage in 2009. Often referred to as the “Expedia of Solar,” EnergySage is a first-of-its-kind online shopping-comparison marketplace that helps consumers research and shop for clean energy systems. EnergySage received the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative Award in 2013.
Ashifi Gogo
Sproxil, Inc., Cambridge (From Ghana)
Dr. Ashifi Gogo founded Sproxil, Inc. in 2009. Sproxil helps manufacturers and distributors, government regulators, and consumers battle the spread of counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical, automotive, beauty products, food and beverage, and agro-chemicals industries. The company was ranked first in health care and seventh overall on Fast Company magazine's 2013 list of "World's 50 Most Innovative Companies.” Gogo received a Clinton Foundation CGIU Outstanding Commitment Award in 2009.
Bettina Hein
Pixability, Boston (From Germany)
Bettina Hein founded Pixability, a company that helps businesses market themselves with video, in 2008. In 2012, she co-authored Video Marketing for Dummies, which reached number two on Amazon’s Web Marketing List. She is also the founder of the SheEOs, a Boston area networking and professional support group of 130 female founders and CEOs. Prior to Pixability, Hein co-founded a speech software company in Switzerland called SVOX. She is a recipient of the L'Oréal NEXT Generation Award, which honors the top five women leading groundbreaking digital companies.
Fauzia and Mansoor Khan
Alere Analytics, Lowell (From Pakistan)
Husband and wife Mansoor and Fausia Khan founded Alere Analytics (formerly DiagnosisONE) in 2003, and in 2012 it was purchased by Alere Inc. Masoor Khan currently serves as chief executive officer, and Fausia Khan is the chief medical officer of this medical informatics company. Alere Analytics provides the health care industry with the world's largest library of evidence-based medical knowledge, featuring more than 30,000 clinical rules, that seamlessly integrates into existing hospital and laboratory information systems.
Lenny Lozinsky
Alliance Marketing Group, LLC, Woburn (From Russia)
Lenny Lozinsky founded Alliance Marketing Group, LLC (AMG) in 1993, grew the business to $85 million in revenue, and sold it in 2006. AMG was involved in distribution and marketing of U.S.-made, high-tech products. In addition to representing manufactures such as Adaptec, AMD, 3Com/USRobotics, Sun, Logitech and many others, AMG also provided assistance to Western companies with launching products and establishing a presence in Eastern Europe. Today, AMG continues to provide wholesale distribution, marketing and business consulting services in Eastern Europe.Lozinsky is currently a managing director of The Spectrum Capital Group, LLC. He is also an accomplished fellow with the Leading Clean Energy Ventures program, administered by the New England Clean Energy Council in partnership with the Boston University School of Management, founder and president of the M&A Club Boston and a member of the executive committee of ProVisors.
Pedro Santos
OsComp Systems, Somerville (From Dominican Republic)
Pedro Santos founded OsComp Systems in 2009. The company is commercializing a breakthrough technology that allows for shut-in gas wells, unviable due to low gas prices, to produce profitably again. The technology has applications in other industries such as industrial air, energy storage, refrigeration, small scale CCS, among others. Santos is the primary inventor named on all seven of OsComp’s patent applications. He was named by Forbes as one of its inaugural “30 under 30” award in the field of energy in December 2011.
Swapnil Shah
FirstFuel Software, Lexington (From India)
Swapnil Shah co-founded FirstFuel Software in 2009. More than 15 large utilities and government agencies now trust FirstFuel to find and deliver more than $250 million in annual energy reduction opportunities. Shah founded three companies before starting FirstFuel Software: Open Environment, WebSpective Software and mValent. He has been a featured speaker at such events as the 2014 MA Energy Day, the White House Energy DataPalooza and the IMT City Mayor’s Conference. Locally, he is on the Board of the Lexington Education Foundation and an active member with the Children’s Fund.
Image via MaineAngels
