Entrepreneurs Now

Today's founders and managers in enterprise.

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Robert Kardashian: The Man Behind the Kardashian Clan

Robert George Kardashian (22 February 1944 – 30 September 2003) was a well-known businessman and lawyer who gained national recognition as O.J. Simpson’s defense attorney during his 1995 murder trial. He is the father of the Kardashian children, namely, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob, with Kris Kardashian, all of whom appear in the reality television show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Kardashian is the son of Armenian parents who immigrated the United States just before the 1915 Armenian Genocide. In America, the family became prosperous as the owner of the largest meatpacking business in Southern California.

Kardashian earned a bachelor’s degree in administration from the University of Southern California in 1966 and a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. He practiced as a lawyer for about ten years and then became a businessman with his first venture being Radio & Records; he co-founded it in 1973 and sold it for a substantial profit in 1979.

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Karinna Moskalenko and Her Fight for Human Rights

In Russia, human rights is a contentious issue in the public and private sectors. Karinna Akopovna Moskalenko is certainly working in an industry where human lives and human rights are always in the balance.

Born in 9 February 1954 in Baku, Azerbaijan in the former USSR, Moskalenko has established a strong reputation as a leading human rights lawyer in Russia. She has defended several notable personalities in her home country including Garry Kasparov, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and Alexander Litvinenko. She is also notable for being the human rights lawyer behind the first-ever case lodged against the Russian Federation in public hearings conducted by the European Court of Human Rights – and she won it.

But she did not stop there either. Moskalenko and her team at the renowned Moscow’s International Protection Centre have won more than 25 cases against the Russian national government at the European Court of Human Rights. The team also has over 100 applications pending in the court.

Moskalenko has a multidisciplinary education and training in law including her law degree from the Leningrad State University, which she earned in 1976. In 1994, she earned her degree in in Human Rights as her specialization from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

She had to deal with a case for disbarment filed by the Russian Prosecutor-General with the grounds being the negligent defense of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The Moscow Collegium of Advocates, the body that rules on these cases, determined that the disbarment case was politically motivated and thus allowed her to continue her law practice. For his part, Khodorkovsky made no such complaint and has even asserted that he was satisfied with Moskalenko’s legal work.

She is also a member of the International Advisory Board of the Media Legal Defence Initiative. This is a United Kingdom-based legal aid charity that provides legal assistance to news media organizations and journalists, supports education and training in media law, and advocates for the exchange of essential tools, techniques and strategies in resolving media freedom cases.

Moskalenko was awarded the Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize in 2010 for her work in human rights.

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Alex Seropian: An Extraordinary Videogame Developer

Alexander Seropian continues to build a reputation as an extraordinary videogame developer starting in his college years when he published Minotaur with Jason Jones, his fellow student at the University of Chicago. He eventually became a co-founder and President of Bungie Software Products Corporation, among the well-known videogame developers in the industry; among its line of videogame series are Marathon, Halo, and Myth. His company became the best-known developer of Apple Macintosh videogames before its purchase by Microsoft in 2001.

Seropian created Wideload Games in 2004 soon after he left Seropian. His goal was to streamline game development with his small core development team working with outside contractors in the production of Hail to the Chimp and Stubbs the Zombie. When Disney purchase Wideload on 2009, he became Disney Interactive Studios’ vice president of game development.

He left Disney in 2012 and started Industrial Toys, which developed mobile games. His company released its sci-fi shooter game, Midnight Star, in February 2015.

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Paul Kazarian: Visionary Behind Japonica Partners

Paul B. Kazarian wears many hats as a successful investor, businessman, and financier as well as philanthropist. But his lifetime legacy may well be as the visionary behind Japonica Partners, among the world’s major entrepreneurial investment firms, where he is the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer. He is also the Founder and Chairman of The Charles & Agnes Kazarian Eternal Foundation (CAKE), named after his grandparents, which works toward the empowerment of families through education, healthcare, and economic development.

He has overseen the effective and efficient management of about $2 billion in stockholder wealth via his work with Japonica Partners. His company works toward attaining high entrepreneurial returns with low risks mainly by concentrating on undervalued international situations with possible large value gaps. Among its major investments are the creation of Sunbeam-Oster, the reorganization of a dozen Allegheny International companies, and a tender offer for the Chicago Northwestern.

Before his creation of Japonica Partners, Kazarian was involved with other companies. He was, for example, an investment banker at the prestigious Goldman, Sachs & Co. where his clients ranged from quasi-government organizations to start-ups, international Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 corporations. He was also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sunbeam-Oster (1990-1993).

Kazarian is also known for his philanthropic works. He was the chairman of the 2008 Spring Awards Gala conducted by the American India Foundation (AIF) and he was honored by the organization for his notable role as a philanthropy leader in India. He is the founder of The Kazarian Foundation, which has a partnership with AIF in its Knowledge Partnership initiative.

He has given lectures and talks on various topics involving business and philanthropy in various venues including the Harvard Business School, the Dartmouth's Tuck Business School, the Columbia Business School, Peking University’s National School of Development, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

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J. R. "Pitt" Hyde and His AutoZone Business

Joseph Reeves Hyde III, also known as Pitt Hyde, is the founder of AutoZone as well as a noted philanthropist. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina and has long been considered an active member of the Presbyterian Church. He is also a part-owner of a sports team, the Memphis Grizzlies.

Hyde founded AutoZone in 1979 originally as a division of his family’s wholesale grocery business, Malone & Hyde, and known as Auto Shack. After Malone & Hyde was acquired by Fleming Companies, Hyde changed Auto Shack’s name to AutoZone for two reasons – first, to reflect the company’s new focus and, second, to settle a trademark lawsuit filed by Tandy Corporation.

Today, AutoZone is the second-largest seller of aftermarket auto parts and accessories, among other products, in the United States. Aside from its strong U.S. presence, the company also maintains more than thousands of stores across Puerto Rico, Mexico and Brazil; it has more than 5,200 stores across these countries. Its headquarters are in Memphis, Tennessee.

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Eduardo Eurnekian: Among Argentina’s Wealthy Elite

Eduardo Eurnekian (4 December 1932) was born to Armenian parents who immigrated to Argentina, established a textile production business, and prospered in the country. Such was the influence of his family’s business that it became an important supplier to Puma, an international sporting apparel company. He acquired many of his savvy business skills from the family business.

In 1988, Eurnekian acquired a then-failing local cable television station, Cablevisión S.A. His investment paid off with the implementation of Argentina’s Convertibility Plan in 1991; the plan brought a welcome price and financial stability to the country’s economy after the turmoil of the 1980s. In 1994, he sold 51% of his stake in Cablevisión S.A. to Tele-Communications, Inc. and then sold his remaining stake to CEI Citicorp Holdings Sam a local investment giant. In both sales, he became a multimillionaire many times over.

Eurnekian also made other investments that solidified his status as one of Argentina’s wealthiest men. He has a controlling interest in four radio stations as well as in America TV and in El Cronista, a financial daily in Buenos Aires. He has also won a 30-year concession to run several of Argentina’s major airports through his consortium, Aeropuertos Argentina 2000. He has purchased Howard Johnson’s master franchise as well as invested in LAPA, a regional airline company.

Aside from his Argentinian investments, Eurnekian has also made investments in Armenia. His Corporación América, for example, signed a 30-year contract with the Armenian government for the operations management of the country’s largest airport, the Zvartnots International Airport.

Eurnekian has certainly done well for himself. He has built a media empire as well as became the majority owner of an influential consortium managing 76 major airports worldwide, many in Argentina and South America as well as in Armenia. He has been recognized for his achievements with awards including the 1995 Business Man of the Year, the 1999 Leonardo Award, and the 2012 Business for Peace.

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Lars Magnus Ericsson: Father of the Ericsson Corporation

Lars Magnus Ericsson (5 May 1846 – 17 December 1926) is best known as the founder of Ericsson, a telephone equipment manufacturer incorporated as Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson. He is among the world-renowned Swedish entrepreneurs and inventors despite his extreme dislike for the spotlight including avoidance of direct publicity of his life, works, and personality. He was, however, also liked and respected by his employees for his fair dealings with them.

Forced to work as a miner when he was just 12 years old upon the death of his father, Ericsson became determined to succeed in life. He saved enough money to move to Stockholm when he was 20 years old. He first worked at Öllers & Co., studied instrument manufacture abroad in 1872 and 1875, and even worked at Siemens & Halske.

In 1876, he co-founded a small mechanical workshop engaged in creating copies of Bell and Siemens telephones. In 1883, he cooperated with Henrik Tore Cedergren and started Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson – and the rest is modern history.

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John Ericsson: Among the World’s Greatest Mechanical Engineers

John Ericsson (July 31, 1803 – March 8, 1889) is widely considered as among the world’s greatest mechanical engineers with contemporary philosophies and practices in the profession still influenced by his works. The Swedish-American mechanical engineer and inventor was active in both the United States and England, countries where he emigrated from Sweden.

His success as a mechanical engineer may well be in his blood. His brother, Friherre Nils Ericson, was also a distinguished mechanical engineer in Sweden with his legacy being in canals and railways.

Ericsson was respected for his brilliant mind especially when he was collaborating with others, such as in the case of Novelty, a steam locomotive, as well as USS Princeton, the United States Navy’s first-ever screw-propelled steam-frigate. He was also a partner in the construction of the USS Monitor, the first armored ship equipped with a rotating turret; the ship was instrumental in saving the US Navy’s blockading squadron from complete destruction at Hampton Roads in 1862.

Such was his notable contributions to American society and its military that his remains were transported with honors by USS Baltimore from the United States to Sweden. His remains are at Filipstad in Värmland.

While his inventions did not become the basis of major contemporary industries, these were nonetheless significant in terms of their impact. He was the inventor of the hot air engine; surface condenser; torpedo technology particularly on the advanced torpedo boat known as Destroyer; solar machine with its concave mirrors; the world’s first monitor (USS Monitor); hoop construction; and propeller, as well as USS Princeton.

Ericsson’s impressive achievements become all the more outstanding considering that his only formal education consisted of the Swedish Army’s basic officer's education and training. He was also a certified surveyor in his home country as well as a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences. He has an honorary doctorate from the Lund University.

His memory is also celebrated in several monuments, ships (USS Ericsson), and organizations (The John Ericsson Republican League of Illinois).

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Victor Civita: Publishing Giant of His Time

Victor Civita (9 February 1907 – 24 August 1990) was a publishing giant in his time in Brazil through Grupo Abril, one of the country’s largest publishing houses. He was an Italian-Brazilian publisher and journalist whose family emigrated from Italy to the United States and then returned to Italy before finally resettling in Brazil because of the passage of the Race Law; the law, which was against Jews, was passed under Benito Mussolini’s Fascist government.

In 1950, Civita established Editora Abril in São Paulo. When he launched his first Brazilian magazine, he was reported to have attached placards bearing the words “Donald Duck has arrived” to city streetcars, which showed his intention to make connections to American culture. He was the genius behind the growth of Editora Abril into Grupo Abril, one of Brazil’s publishing giants, which cemented his legacy in the industry.

Civita was also respected for his collaborations with his company employees regarding work processes and goals. This was reportedly one of the open secrets to his success.

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Samuel Klein Is Brazil’s Sam Walton

Samuel Klein (15 November 1923 – 20 November 2014) was known in Brazil as its Sam Walton in 1990s. This was because he favored the use of massive warehouses for his commodities including South America’s largest single warehouse. He was also the founder of Casas Bahia, a chain of department stores with hundreds of retail stores across Brazil and the country’s top retailer.

Klein’s family is considered as one of Brazil’s wealthiest families because of Casas Bahia. In 2013, he was the 78th richest man in Brazil (Forbes) with a personal net worth of US$835 million.

During World War II, Klein escaped from Auschwitz and survived the war by working at a small farm in exchange for food. He lived in Munich before immigrating to Brazil via Bolivia where he settled in São Caetano do Sul.

He started his retail career by working as peddler and selling tablecloths, sheets, and towels on a door-to-door basis. Within 5 years (1957), he accumulated sufficient capital and opened his first store in downtown São Caetano do Sul, the Casa Bahia.

Today, Casas Bahia has over 500 stores across Brazil, caters to over 23 million customers annually, and has become the largest warehouse distributor company in Latin America. The retail giant has also been recognized for its retail excellence via a number of national industry awards.

In 2009, Casas Bahia was purchased by Grupo Pão de Açúcar with the direction of Klein. Via Varejo was founded with the mergers of Casas Bahia, Ponto Frio, and Extra Eletro. The Klein family has a 47 percent stake in Via Varejo, which is worth $2 billion as of date.

Aside from being a successful businessman, Klein was also known for his philanthropic activities. He was the most generous yearly donor to Lubavitch Yeshiva and to the Chabad/Lubavitch's boys' school, a donation that he made to strengthen Jewish organizations in Brazil. He also assisted young people in setting up small businesses through a grant system.

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Jamnalal Bajaj: Industrialist, Philanthropist and Independence Fighter

Jamnalal Bajaj (November 4, 1889 – February 11, 1942) was just as well-known as Gandhi’s adopted son as for his notable status as an industrialist, philanthropist, and independence fighter. He is also the founder of the Bajaj Group, a conglomerate that he started in 1926 and that now has 24 companies under its umbrella; 6 are listed companies.

His name is carried on in major companies including Bajaj Auto Ltd, Bajaj Hindusthan Ltd, and Bajaj Electricals Ltd, as well as Mukand Ltd. His name is also in many of India’s notable institutions, such as the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies and the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, which gives out the Jamnalal Bajaj Award.

Bajaj was also a noted follower of Gandhi. He was impressed with Gandhi’s dedication to the poor, his way of life, and his principles including non-violence.

He was also well-loved for his social initiatives including the promotion of village industries and the removal of untouchability. He was known, for example, for opening up his family temple to the Harijans, opening up public wells for them, and eating with them despite objections from the Brahmins and Hindu priests.

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Mangal Prabhat Lodha Has His Sights Set on Real Estate Development

Mangal Prabhat Lodha wears many hats but he is best known for his notable involvement in the real estate industry in India as well as his political advocacies. He is, after all, the founder of the Lodha Group, a major player in the real estate development industry that focuses on residential and commercial projects. He is also the vice-president of a prominent political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as Malabar Hill’s Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in South Mumbai aside from being active in social work.

Lodha completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Jodhpur where he also completed his law degree. He practiced the law profession in Jodhpur High Court but resigned when his father became one of its judges to avoid conflicts of interest issues.

In 1981, he relocated to Mumbai where he started laying the foundation for Lodha Group. Lodha Developers, one of his companies, has 30 construction works in progress including World One, a 117-story luxury high-rise complex in Mumbai; many of the apartments will be designed by the world-renowned designer, Giorgio Armani. Lodha Group has also invested in the development of the New Cuffe Parade, a planned community with four 63-story apartment complexes on a 23-acre site.

When he passed on the management of Lodha Group to his sons, Lodha became more active in politics. He was already interested in national issues from an early age and, in fact, he was an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad when he was a young man.

Since 1995, he has been the Malabar Hill’s representative. He has made and continues to make significant contributions including his key role in the passage of the Right to Information Act, in setting up the Animal Welfare Board in Maharashtra, and in making proposals for banning cow slaughter, among others.

His social work projects are also notable for their positive impact on Indian society, too. His Lodha Foundation implements numerous programs and projects for the underprivileged and underserved in several areas including healthcare, education, and sports as well as vocational training and entrepreneurial opportunities.

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Achyuta Samanta Values Education Above All

Achyuta Samanta values education as the way to become a better person, to enjoy a better life, and to develop a better society. He walks the talk, too, as his status as the founder of several educational institutions can attest including:

• Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT)

• Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), a school that provides free food, accommodations, education, and healthcare from kindergarten to post-graduation mainly through vocational training;

• KIIT International School (KIS), an affiliated school with International Baccalaureate; and

• Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), KIIT’s medical school and the sister school of Kalinga Institute of Dental Sciences (KIDS).

Samanta is also a strong advocate for the culture and arts through Kadambini Media Pvt Ltd (KMPL), as well as through Nanhi Pari (Little Miss India). He has established several religious shrines and spiritual centers.

His passion for education has also been expressed in various teaching posts in colleges including Maharshi College under Utkal University. He has a masters in chemistry from the university, too.

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V. G. Siddhartha Feeds India’s Coffee Affair

V. G. Siddhartha has several businesses in diverse industries but he is best known as the founder and owner of Café Coffee Day, a chain of coffee-based outlets with locations across India. After obtaining his master’s degree in economics from the Mangalore University, he became a management trainee at JM Securities Limited in Mumbai for two years.

Upon his return to Bangalore, he purchased a stock market card and Sivan Securities, which was later renamed Way2wealth Securities Ltd. – truly, one of the most successful stock broking and investment companies in India. Its venture capital division, Global Technology Ventures (GTV), identifies, mentors, and invests in Indian companies involved in cutting-edge technologies.

Siddhartha, however, is best known as the genius behind Café Coffee Day, a nationwide chain of youth-oriented hangout coffee cyber cafes, with over 1,550 locations across India; the cafes attract between 40,000 and 50,000 visitors a week. He was recognized for his innovation of providing Indian consumers especially the common man a new lifestyle experience via the 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year award by The Economic Times.

He is also the founder and owner of Amalgamated Bean Company (ABC), a coffee growing and trading company, which exports approximately 28,000 tons of coffee every year as well as sells 2,000 tons in the local market. Today, ABC is the largest exporter of green coffee in India and owns 12,000 acres of coffee plantations, as well as one of the few fully integrated coffee-based companies in Asia (i.e., it is involved in all aspects of coffee from cultivation tp retail and exports).

Siddhartha also has other business interests. He owns 3,000 acres of banana plantation with plans for exports. He is also involved in furniture manufacture through Daffco Furniture as well as in coal mines via SICAL Logistics, which has purchased coal mines in New Jersey.

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Armínio Fraga: Economist, Banker and Investor Extraordinaire

Few people can claim to enjoy the peak of success in their chosen fields but Arminio Fraga can claim it for himself. He is, after all, a well-known Brazilian economist who held several high-ranking positions in the public and private sectors. He was Central Bank of Brazil’s president from 1999 to 2002; a former associate at Quantum Fund run by George Soros; and an active member of The Group of Thirty, an influential financial advisory group based in Washington, D.C.

Such was his success at the Central Bank of Brazil that he has been called the Alan Greenspan of Latin America for his savvy handling of the country’s monetary policy and practices. He worked for the two terms of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

Fraga is also the co-founder of the Gávea Group, a conglomerate composed of two investment management firms (Gávea Equity and Gávea Investimentos) and a distributor (Gávea DTVM). The Gávea Group has offices in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with a staff complement of over 150 people and with assets under management of roughly US$7 billion (February 2014).

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Assis Chateaubriand: A Renaissance Man in the Modern World

Few people can claim to being in several professions and becoming the quintessential example of excellence in all of them. Francisco de Assis Chateaubriand Bandeira de Melo (4 October 1892 – 4 April 1968), also nicknamed as Chato, can rightfully be hailed as successful in all of the professions he entered. He was an influential businessman, lawyer, professor of law, journalist, arts patron, diplomat and politician in Brazil as well as chairman of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, among other achievements.

From the late 1930s until the early 1960s, Chato was known for his skilled leadership of Diários Associados, one of Brazil’s most successful media conglomerates that once owned over a hundred radio and television stations, newspapers and magazines, and a telegraphic agency. He was a media mogul that exerted his influence across several industries especially as he was the founder of Tupi TV, Latin America’s first television network and the fifth in the world.

Chato was also the co-founder of São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) in 1947. He promoted the arts via the museum alongside his media conglomerate. He was also a Senator of the Republic (1952-1957).

Branded as the Brazilian Citizen Kane, Chato was one of the most controversial figures of his day. He was both feared and hated although his powerful influence cannot be denied. He was accused of insulting entrepreneurs, blackmailing companies, and using his political ties especially with then-Brazilian President Getulio Vargas to advance his business interests, among other unethical behavior.

Despite these negative accusations, Chato had many admirers, too, because of his gritty passion for success in life. While he only learned to read at the age of ten and he experienced a troubled youth, his career as a journalist began when he was just 15 years old, an experience that he parlayed in his future career as a media mogul.

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Charles Best: Using Crowdfunding for Good Purposes

Charles Best, a well-known philanthropist and entrepreneur, is using a relatively modern innovation to good use. As the founder and current chief executive officer of DonorsChoose.org, he is applying crowdfunding practices for the benefit of K-12 teachers in United States schools and, in the process, promoting education in the country. He is also the founder of a crowd-source style guide for writers, Irregardless.

Best has a bachelor’s degree from Yale College as well as a certificate in fundraising management from the Harvard Kennedy School. He founded DonorsChoose.org just two years after his college graduation when he witnessed first-hand the challenges faced by teachers due to limited resources and opportunities.

At the DonorsChoose.org site, K-12 teachers can post their project requests for classroom resources, class visitors, and field trips that donors can fund. Once a project is fully-funded, DonorsChoose.org will fulfil the requirements of the project request, such as purchasing and shipping the materials to the teacher. As of 2014, over $200 million was donated to classroom projects while more than half of all schools in the US have at least one teacher who posted on the site.