A stone converted into business? Manu Shah, MSI, did that!
You don’t get success, you earn it – is his motto. The CEO of MS International (aka MSI), Mr. Manhar ‘Manu’ Shah, today, is a multi-billionaire but he did not earn such a huge success in one day. Coming from a humble background, he was named the Ernst & Young National ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ USA in 2007.
His life was simple, of an engineer who had come to a different land in search of a better living. Little did he know that while he was happily working as an engineer, his pregnant wife, Chandrika ‘Rika’ Shah, was weaving dreams to begin with a small enterprise that one day would make the couple stand different from others.
In 1974, Rika Shah started a stone import and export business in the basement of her house in Indiana. It was the beginning of a future multi-billion dollar company, MS International. The company secured the contract to supply black granite for Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington DC, in 1981 and soon, Manu Shah left his job and joined MSI.
With all the efforts and hard work, today, MSI is the leading importer and distributor of Premium Surfaces including granite, marble, porcelain and ceramic tiles and many other natural stone products from 35 countries. The products are used in flooring, wall tiles, countertops, landscaping and many other building applications sold in over 3000 retailers, fabricators, and distributors of natural stone and tiles.
Looking ahead, the goal of MSI is simple: To contribute to a world where anyone can afford to create a beautiful space to live, work, and play. In support of this goal, MS International has very ambitious expansion plans, including opening new branches across the USA and Canada, as well as continuing to introduce new and innovative products across all major product lines.
He regularly contributes earnings generated from MSI to philanthropic organisations.
Locally, along with his wife, Manu Shah donates to various charities in Southern California and was one of five major donors for the development of a $15 million multi-cultural center in Buena Park, Calif. that promotes non-violence. His family is also a major donor of the Jain Centre of Southern California, a multi-cultural centre that promotes non-violence.
Manu Shah has done MSME in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and B.S. from the University of Bombay. He also received an Excellence in Entrepreneurship award in Orange County, California in 2013.