Stories
Immigrant restaurateur gives back to the community through Lebanese cuisine
Gus Sleiman’s family left their homeland in 1989 to escape the Lebanese Civil War, a 15-year conflict that killed an estimated 150,000 people and displaced another 900,000 — about one-fifth of the population. Sleiman was 16. The family moved to Michigan then New York and, while visiting a church in… Read More
Lebanese immigrant ensures newcomers have opportunities in Cedar Rapids, IA
When Salma Igram arrived in the United States, she was 18 years old and had never seen a calculator or a hamburger, “let alone a hot dog,” she says. But there she was in her husband’s fast-food restaurant, Jimbo’s, working the griddle and mastering the cash register. “My husband would… Read More
Immigrant credits English language and training opportunities as critical to his success
Tony Golobic jokes that he got his first job in America —cleaning oil-fired boilers —because no one else wanted to do it. “The boilers were red hot, the work was dangerous and dirty,” he says. “But I was making really good money, a lot more money than I ever imagined. Read More
Immigrant Entrepreneur Opens Doors for Innovation and Design in Wayne County
At times during the First Liberian Civil War, young Andreas Browne got on his knees and prayed for the opportunity to live. Now he calls his time in America his “second life.” Browne grew up in Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia, on Africa’s western coast. His mother moved to… Read More
Peruvian American Helps New Orleans Rebuild, Mentors Young Construction Workers
There was no shortage of construction work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. But as thousands of migrant workers — many from Spanish-speaking countries — poured into the city, reputable local contractors who could maintain high standards amid the dizzying pace were at a premium. Among those who came… Read More
Kenyan Architect Starts Over in Lowell and Finds a Way to Repay the Favor
Anthony Nganga came to the United States in 2004 to join his wife, who had moved to America to earn a master’s degree and was living in Lowell. In Kenya, Nganga had worked as an architect. Now, because foreign professional licenses typically are not recognized in the United States, he… Read More
Escaping Cambodia as a Child, Lowell Resident Uses Business Expertise to Help His Community
Rasy An was about 9 when the Khmer Rouge sent him to a work camp. “I still have scars on my hand,” he says. “I told my daughter: This is something I had to do to survive, because if you couldn’t work they didn’t keep you alive.”… Read More
Mexican Immigrant Builds Her Way from Small Business to Presidential Appointments
Patricia Stout long had the confidence to go her own way. Born in 1940s Mexico, she pursued business and math in school, took an airline job in the United States, married an American and, in 1974, moved to San Antonio. Although she felt isolated — “it was a different… Read More
Without an H-4 EAD, Hotel Owner Could Lose Business, Fire U.S. Workers
Several times a week, Rakesh Patel makes the 98-mile commute from his home in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to the Gateway Inn & Suites he owns and manages in Waupun. Although the drive can be taxing, Patel is thrilled to run his own business. “I love the… Read More
Waco Tribune Opinion: Waco Cha enables entrepreneurs to bring their world to downtown
If you have ever tasted the bubble tea, a cold drink made with iced tea, sweetened milk and normally sweet black balls or “pearls” made from tapioca, at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market, then you know it’s a tasty treat. Local therapist and Taiwanese-American Jaja Chen and her husband, Devin… Read More
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