BusinessTN

So it’s not surprising then that their paths to success make for some remarkably inspirational business stories.

In our first statewide look at some of Tennessee’s most successful immigrants, we tell some of these stories. Hailing from such places as Vietnam, Cuba and Iran—we seem to be blessed with talented folks who fled politically repressed nations—our immigrants have brought with them ample amounts of pluck and knowledge. While several that we profile began their American odysseys washing dishes and pumping gas, many brought with them technical skills that immediately boosted our economy and standard of living.

Tennessee is lucky that these productive souls chose the Volunteer State as the field on which to play the American game of capitalism. Their successes contribute to the vitality of the state and are wonderful inspirations for those of us whose ancestors had the moxie to leave their home nations and settle in Tennessee.

Erly & Maria Alonso - Memphis
Erly and Maria Alonso left Cuba in the 1960s. When they arrived in Miami, Erly began working to get into the aviation industry. “I always loved aviation,” he says, adding that he has worked in all facets of tourism and travel. Later, the husband and wife team moved to Memphis, where Erly says he detected charter flights’ need for professional services like luggage handling, ground crew, aircraft cleaning and catering. A Memphis carrier was looking for help for its casino junket flights, so the Alonsos created Flight Support Solutions at the Memphis International Airport in 2003. Today, their three children work with the company, and Erly says he also hopes to open a Cuban restaurant in Memphis.

T Ho & family - Knoxville
Knoxville restaurateur Thanh “T” Ho and his wife, On Dang, escaped Communist-controlled Vietnam in 1979 on a fishing boat with their six children. They reached the Philippines after 11 days at sea. Following a 14-month stint at a refugee camp, the family came to East Tennessee, sponsored by T Ho’s brother.

Ho learned to speak English and got a college degree. After five years working as an electronic technician, he and his wife opened a carry-out Vietnamese eatery. T Ho’s restaurant opened the following year in 1987. To this day, it remains the only Vietnamese restaurant in Knoxville.

In 1996, two of Ho’s sons, Thuc and Thoai (“Ty”), immigrants themselves, opened a food processing plant in nearby Powell with the idea of making, packaging and distributing their family’s locally famous egg rolls. Today, T Ho Foods sells their product to food suppliers and restaurants chains across the Southeast. The brothers also have a fast-growing custom food processing operation, making everything from wing sauce to dressings to gourmet appetizers for clients like O’Charley’s, the Tennessee Titans and Green Hills Grille.

Hermann & Reinhold Holtkamp - Nashville
Odds are that few Tennesseans realize Nashville is the center of the African Violet universe. That claim to fame stems from the decision made by German-born Reinhold Holtkamp and his father Hermann, a world-renowned flower designer, to relocate their groundbreaking research and development operation to the Music City back in 1977.

Long ago, Hermann Holtkamp revolutionized the flower industry with the development of African Violets that don’t drop their flowers when moved or shipped. Later, in partnership with NASA, the Holtkamps launched their signature “Optimara” violet seeds into space. Back on earth, the mutated seeds grew flowers that bloomed continuously.

Today, Reinhold runs the business and markets the company. Hermann, now 70 years old, still works seven days a week engineering new flower characteristics. He’s working to develop a crimson red and a yellow African Violet, long the Holy Grails of African Violet engineers. Success would spawn more growth of the Holkamps’ business, which employs 70 people in Tennessee and several hundred more in Brazil, China, Germany, Japan, Spain and Zimbabwe.

Raja Jubran - Knoxville
The son of a Middle Eastern construction magnate arrived in the United States in 1977, and to this day defies the stereotypes associated with the children of the privileged by beginning his workday at 4 a.m. so that he can start on charitable causes around noon. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, the U.T.-Knoxville civil engineering graduate has made his Denark Construction into a powerhouse that lands more high-profile, high-dollar construction gigs than any other firm in the area. Jubran builds pretty much anything from convention centers and industrial plants to medical offices and multi-family housing. His $160 million Knoxville Convention Center received the Award of Excellence in 2003 from the Assoc- iated Builders and Contractors.

Manuel - Nashville
“I often tell people that I arrived in America in grand fashion—in a new 1950 Cadillac and $40,000 in my pocket,” says Manuel Cuevas, the legendary tailor who put together sparkling jumpsuits for Elvis, dressed Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton, and currently is working on a stage outfit for U2. The native of Michoacan, Mexico, picked up the sewing needle at age 7 and soon was on a search for the fashion capital in which to settle. He traveled to Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, lived in Los Angeles, but wasn’t satisfied until he found a spacious Victorian mansion at 1922 Broadway in Nashville. “Sixteen years ago, I decided that L.A. was acting too strange for my family,” says Manuel, 65, whose daughter Morelia and son Manny are among his 10 employees. His star-spangled couture was on exhibit earlier this year at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.

Nigel Merrick - Memphis
Techie-turned-photographer Nigel Merrick started a photo studio in 2003 to focus on commercial and personal photography, along with artwork and videography. Having spent five years living in Bermuda managing a bank’s computer systems, Merrick, a native of Walsall, England, decided to turn his scuba diving and underwater photography hobbies into a business. He opened photo-video operations in the Egyptian Red Sea and later in the Cayman Islands before relocating the business to Memphis in November 2004. “I’ve always sort of gravitated toward America,” Merrick says. His business, Magic Photo-Video, now is most often providing fine art reproduction, but Merrick says legal videotaping is a growing line of business for the company.

Sam Moore - Nashville
At age 19, Sam Moore left Lebanon for America with $600 in hand. It was 1950, and Moore planned to pursue medical training here. Now, decades later, Moore is chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson, which bills itself as the largest Christian publishing company in the world. This month, Moore’s autobiography, American By Choice: An Immigrant’s Journey from Door-to-Door Sales to CEO, published by the company he leads, will go on sale. The 240-page book tells of Moore’s early days in America, where he began selling Bibles door-to-door before starting his own Bible publishing company. In 1969, his company acquired Thomas Nelson, a Scottish company that Moore consolidated into a Nashville headquarters under the same name and now generates annual revenue of $235 million.

Susana Navarro-Valenti - Oak Ridge
Born in Mexico, Valenti founded a small business in 1993 that placed 360th on Inc. magazine’s 2004 list of the fastest growing companies in the country. Doing work for Y-12 National Security Complex, Bechtel Jacobs, BNFL and the Department of Energy, Navarro’s business has been picked to participate in hazardous waste cleanup at the Nevada Test Site and other weapons sites in the West. With 2003 revenue of $20 million, the company employs roughly 200 people at its offices in Oak Ridge and cities in 10 states. It started in nuclear safety, and now does environmental work, insurance and health consulting, as well as information technology contracts.

Cano Ozgener - Nashville
“Cuban shmooban.” This slogan, coupled with smooth, club-themed imagery, is bound to tempt even a non-smoker to try C.A.O. cigars, which are made in Honduras, Puerto Rico, and Nicaragua. The name of the maverick Nashville-based cigar maker, whose sales quadrupled last year, stands for Cano (pronounced Johnno) A. Ozgener, an Armenian Turk who left Istanbul at age 24 for a master’s in mechanical engineering at Columbia University. Instead of working for NASA, his initial dream, Ozgener joined DuPont’s fiber division, only to discover his passion for engineering pipes and crafting cigars. Now 68, Ozgener increasingly relies on his 35-year-old son Tim and daughter Aylin, 31, to take C.A.O. to the next level.

Divyen Patel - Memphis
Born in Uganda, Divyen Patel was educated there, in India and England before finding himself in Memphis with a fellowship to work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Patel’s work there led him to spin out a company focused on gene expression analysis and aimed at offering researchers more definitive disease diagnosis and prognosis than other methods. The company, Genome Explorations, currently has about 200 clients and has experienced a 30-40% increase in profits each year for the three years since it was formed, according to Patel, who plans to commercialize the tests. “We’re developing the future tools of diagnosis,” he says.

Nancy Pham-Dinh - Oak Ridge
The petite Vietnam native runs American Technologies, a family company that routinely works with Bechtel Jacobs, the U.S. Department of Energy and other government contractors. Founded in 1990, ATI specializes in the delicate science of environmental cleanup in areas such as chemical warfare, explosives and disposal of hazardous waste. Pham-Dinh co-owns ATI with her husband Huu, who is now in Vietnam developing interests in oil, gas and real estate. Both natives of Saigon, Nancy and Huu moved to the United States as refugees in 1975, sponsored by Nancy’s sister who married a U.S. soldier shortly after the war.

Pravin Thakkar - Memphis
Pravin Thakkar, a native of India, began his college education in Bombay before attending Christian Brothers College in Memphis in 1964. His mechanical engineering degree and subsequent executive MBA prepared him to retire early in 1984 from his engineering work at Memphis Light, Gas and Water to start his own business out of his home. Now, scaffolding and utility castings manufacturer Universal Foundry & Machine Works is a family business with 25,000 square feet of office and warehouse space, utilities customers including MGLW, and 2005 revenue growth expected to be 35% over last year. The company operates fabricating facilities in Brazil, India and China, and Thakkar says he is working to build another 80,000 square feet of warehouse space in Memphis.

Li Weaver - Franklin
Li Weaver’s long-term goal has always been to come to America and some day return to China to teach her country how to do business. Through her JC Business Group, she aspires to stamp out corruption and distrust in her native country. She is speaking from experience. In 2001, Weaver was brought in as consultant to help bridge cultural misunderstandings for now-bankrupt Murray Inc., which was then controlled by Chinese-owned DeLong International. “Executives assume too much,” she says from her Franklin home, where she lives with her American husband and daughter. She is currently advising a major Nashville publishing company in setting up operations in Beijing.

Hamid Andalib - Chattanooga
At age 17, Hamid Andalib left Iran for the United States, where he learned to speak English, studied engineering and mathematics, and quickly propelled himself far beyond an early job as a dishwasher.

Now with two decades of entrepreneurial experience under his belt, his latest achievement is the fast-growing corporate incentives company he founded in October 2000. Andalib has grown VIPGift from generating $20,000 in gift card sales with 100 merchant options in Chattanooga to $30 million in sales of global gift-giving solutions with cards redeemable at 26 million merchants worldwide.

A member of the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame at U.T.-Chattanooga, Andalib first tried his hand at business management while he was still in school. In 1985, he became general manager of The Loft restaurant, which seated 625 and employed 85 workers. Four months later, Andalib bought the restaurant from the Krystal Co. with the help of bank financing.

His next foray into entrepreneurship also served as his introduction to the credit card marketing business. In 1990, Andalib started AHA Capital, a credit card co-branding and affinity business that helped to develop a co-branded MasterCard for The Loft. AHA Capital racked up a number of household-name clients, such as Olan Mills, Wolf Camera and Arnold Palmer Golf.

A decade after starting AHA Capital, Andalib started VIPGift, and in 2003 he left behind the restaurant management world when he closed The Loft. Today he is working to grow VIPGift, which he says has created a “gift card for a gift card,” allowing recipients to choose among millions of merchants through the company’s relationships with Visa and MasterCard. VIPGift is aimed at creating employee incentives programs for companies, along with customer acquisition and retention programs. The company contracts with its corporate clients, who pay fees for VIPGift’s customized gift cards and redemption Web sites, along with card redemption options that include debit cards, merchant gift cards, movie tickets, phone cards and merchandise available at VIPGiftMall. His client roster includes Dell, UPS, General Motors and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.

Andalib says VIPGift has had triple-digit revenue growth every year since its inception, and he credits the success to his focus on helping others first. “Fortune comes by helping others—then they all will help you,” he says. Andalib also advises other immigrants to stay in their home countries if they are not willing to come to America and assimilate. He says it’s important to embrace the belief that “this is my country,” in order to focus on working to make America a better place.—Paige Orr

John Chen & Wei Chen - Memphis
One summer day in 1996, John Chen, then president of the University of Memphis International Student Association, was tasked with waiting at a gas station on the corner of Perkins and Summer Avenue in Memphis to pick up Wei Chen, a fellow Chinese and a new arrival at the school’s International MBA program. That fateful day turned into a fruitful business relationship. The Chens are not brothers, but they share more than just a last name. Their business plan calls for achieving $100 million in annual sales by 2010—a lofty goal and a huge payoff for a decision John and Wei made upon graduating U. of M. With their respective degrees in electrical engineering and business administration, the duo resolved to go to work for themselves, and in 1998 formed Sunshine International Corp. in Memphis, a supplier of industrial and construction products “at best possible prices,” according to their Web site, www.gostepup.com.

“We identified a few products: scaffolding, contractor tools, granite and marble, with competitive prices when we were still at the University of Memphis,” says John, who came to the United States 15 years ago. (Wei arrived here in 1995.) The duo started out with very little capital as independent brokers bringing construction supplies from China to the States. Today, Sunshine International maintains warehouses in New York, Atlanta, Memphis, Houston and Los Angeles. The company’s head office in Memphis works out perfectly to help manage sales in four different time zones between New York and L.A., as well as distributors in Chicago, North Carolina, South Dakota and a new branch in Toronto, which signed on in May. One other reason they stayed in Memphis was the city’s port—all of Sunshine’s products arrive by steamship from China.

John and Wei say none of their competitors offers such economies of scale. Sunshine is able to undercut its competitors’ pricing by shipping large volumes and a wide array of materials. “The buying experience is smooth and high quality,” they insist. Each division of Sunshine International focuses on a different line of products but offers cross-selling opportunities. The model has paid off thus far—this year’s sales revenue is projected at $10 million.

All about efficiency, the Chens alternate every month taking trips to China so that they never leave the Memphis office unattended while at the same time maintaining a live presence in China. During a couple of days in late April, for example, John was in Guangzhou to attend the 2005 Canton Export Fair with a couple of clients, then darted to Wei’s hometown of Changsa, after which he set off for Nanjing to visit a contract factory. International business as usual.—Alexei Smirnov

Hernan Montalvo - Memphis
In 1966 with only fifteen dollars and a bus ticket, Chilean Hernan Montalvo found himself in Los Angeles on a wayward trip to visit relatives in England. He never left the United States. Instead, in fifteen years, he managed to create InterSky Inc., which, in turn, became a successful airline instrument and accessories repair and material supplier in the extremely competitive field of aviation aftermarket services. Almost forty years later, Montalvo puts it best: “This truly is a country of opportunity.”

During his first year in the country, Montalvo devoured the English language, cramming three years into one, while working the graveyard shift at a local gas station. After dabbling in electronic engineering coursework, he switched to a business administration degree and his general contractors license, focusing on construction for ten years. In 1981, with the pressure of increasing interest rates, he and another engineer from Chile partnered to create InterSky. It consisted of only two employees and an 800-square-foot workshop in North Hollywood.

Montalvo’s previous interest in electronic engineering meshed well with his business sense to push InterSky in the right direction. The company grew by leaps and bounds, not only in size, but also in reliability and quality. In 1994, FedEx, one of InterSky’s largest customers, convinced Montalvo and his partner to move the company to Memphis. Loyally, twelve of the then fifteen employees followed.

InterSky’s arrival in Memphis found Montalvo in a quagmire, unable to find contractors to build his new facility; all local contractors were pushing a casino revolution in Tunica, Miss. But Montalvo recalled his own past as a contractor and rolled up his sleeves, building the facility from the ground up with the help of his employees and his brother, whom he flew in from California to help on the project.

In a short four years, InterSky was honored as Memphis’ Small Business of the Year. As InterSky grew, Montalvo tapped the resources of a talented immigrant labor pool. His employees, now numbering 32, hail from eight different countries. Montalvo says his success encourages other immigrants to believe and trust in his company, strengthening InterSky as a whole. InterSky’s growth is a testament to this strength, expanding to a 20,000-square-foot facility with $12 million in inventory. Its customers include Boeing Aerospace, Federal Express, DHL, UPS, Air Canada and Express Net Airlines.

Demonstrating his continuing connection with his roots, Montalvo was instrumental in the Latino outreach program at Memphis’ Bank of Bartlett. He remains a part of Leadership Memphis, which develops leaders within the Memphis community. Montalvo also is involved with children’s health care, serving on the board of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and playing a part in St. Jude’s annual Liberty Ball.

Montalvo worked hard to attain his success but still remembers his past, envisioning a brown-eyed, nineteen-year-old Chilean who took advantage of his own talent and the opportunities offered him. He tends to see that boy in the community around him and in his InterSky employees. Montalvo’s continued success allows him to extend the boy a helping hand, with his community outreach and his devotion to immigrant talent.—Kevin Kennedy

Fuad Reveiz – Lenoir City/Knoxville
Big Orange fans will remember Fuad Reveiz as the remarkably accurate place-kicker for the University of Tennessee football team from 1981 until 1984. As a Volunteer, Reveiz set team records for most points scored, field goals made and field goal percentage.

Reveiz went on to enjoy a successful 11-year career in the National Football League with the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings. At the time of his retirement in 1997, the former pro-bowler held the record for the most consecutive field goals made in the NFL (31).

These days, Knoxville-area homebuyers recognize Reveiz as a builder of fine custom homes.

Shortly before retiring from football, Reveiz bought some old homes to refurbish with his brother. Uncomfortable with the results of doing patchwork, Reveiz soon turned to buying lots instead. In its first year, Reveiz and Co. built seven spec homes and six custom homes.

Two decades after hanging up his Big Orange jersey, Reveiz is putting up big numbers of a different variety. He recently completed the 42-lot subdivision Magnolia Pointe where the average home price is $325,000. He expects to complete a 136-lot subdivision called Reagan Landing later this year. Another development, The Willows of Hardin Valley, consisting of 38 upscale townhomes priced around $265,000, has attracted national attention as the first complete townhouse development in the Southeast constructed entirely with so-called “healthy home” elements. Those include advanced waterproofing to fend off mold, whole house ventilation, the use of environmentally healthy building materials and special attention to framing and insulation.

Reveiz’s popularity, though, stretches far beyond East Tennessee. Across America, Reveiz is well known for his celebrity status as a television personality. For several years, Reveiz hosted the program “Weekend Remodeling” for the DIY (“Do It Yourself”) cable network, a Scripps Network channel. Reveiz recently left DIY to join fellow Scripps channel HGTV in launching their new Spanish venture, HGTV Pro.

Throughout the Latin American community, young fans of American football know Reveiz as a former eight-year ESPN International football analyst for NFL games broadcast in Spanish. Reveiz only recently gave up that broadcast gig to ensure he’s in attendance at more of his children’s athletic events. (Reveiz’s oldest son, Nick, recently won a state wrestling title for Farragut High School.)

Reveiz also owns a custom embroidery company in Minneapolis called Goalpost Inc., which provides shirt and hat embroidery services to retailers, schools, churches and golf tournaments. And he operates a business specializing in Spanish language marketing that consults clients, including the NFL Players Association, HGTV and the University of Tennessee Animal Science Department.

It’s been quite a journey for the native Colombian, who moved to America when he was 11 years old and who never played football until he entered the 10th grade.

“It was a frightening experience to be removed from my comfortable surroundings, but now I thank God for the great opportunity that he gave me,” Reveiz reflects. “Many people helped my parents as they came to this country with little more than a couple of suitcases and a bunch of dreams. I now feel obliged to return the favor to those who desperately need a helping hand to land on their feet.”—Drew Ruble