Michael Cordero, age 24 and Brand Architect of 1 SOUL DESIGNS, sees people and community as his strongest assets before income or financial gain. Launching this independent t-shirt brand in 2004, Michael first turned his classroom hobby into a small business venture at the local flea market. Now three years later, he, and business partner Randy Quiles, works with vendors on both coasts and in the international market as well. His motivation lays in the youth and community around him and how his designs will contribute to their education and uplift. Creating a Youth Apprenticeship program in addition to creating phenomenal fashions, Michael takes time to help New York’s high school students development creative skills and business know-how. Learn more in this week’s Young & Professional Profile about how Michael and 1 SOUL DESIGNS will enhance your wardrobe and an overall feeling of unity and pride.
Nearly a decade ago, when Ron Parikh and three of his friends were in college, they put their intense entrepreneurial energies together and bought up a billiards parlor. A few years later, they entered the restaurant business by opening up a franchise of Genghis Grill, a Mongolian stir-fry restaurant. Today, their Chalak Group of Companies owns the franchise rights to the restaurant, which now has 13 operating units. Genghis Grill lets customers create their own meals by selecting ingredients from a food bar and then letting a grill master cook it all up in a public performance. As Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Ron, 27, develops marketing plans for the Genghis Grill brand and supports the individual restaurants with advertising, promotions, and branding the concept. The aim of it all is to grow Genghis Grill into as many locations as possible and turn the brand into a household name. Check out this amazing young restaurateur in this week’s Young & Professional Profile.
As a child, Sanaz Shirazi used to make clothing for Barbie dolls. Today, she designs clothing for human beings. After researching the market, she and her sister Tanaz decided to focus on fur, and together they founded Sanaz Shirazi Collection, which sells Sanaz’s fur designs. Many of the items in the collection were inspired by a coat Sanaz’s mother had in the ’70s, which gives the items a vintage feel. The styles have also been influenced by Sanaz’s cultural upbringing in Iran, India, Norway, and Britain. The gilets (vests), jackets, and hats are made from sheep and rabbit fur, and for Sanaz it has been important to use fur from animals whose meat is being used in food production. Together with her sister, she is living out her dream of having her own clothing line. To learn more about Sanaz and her creations, you’ll have to check out this week’s Young & Professional Profile.
At age 10 not only did Kenji Jasper know he was going to be a Writer, he also began his career. He worked as an anchorman at a local television show. At 12, he began interning at the Washington Informer. Not many people can claim the same, but then again, 31-year-old Kenji is not just anyone. He has worked for NPR as a radio commentator, taught in the classroom and written several novels. His first novel, “Dark,” made both the Washington Post and New York Times’ best seller lists, and was just optioned to be made into a film by Fox Searchlight Pictures. He also Founded his own company, Words Lines and Phrases, an editorial services firm that works with clients ranging from magazines and websites to individuals. Although he has excelled in many fields, writing still remains his passion. His love of story telling is the common thread that connects all of his endeavors. Learn more about Kenji and his many projects as we feature him in this week’s Young & Professional Profile.
Many people think that TV reporters just stand in front of the camera and talk. However, crafting a polished, compelling story that lets viewers not just watch the story, but experience it, requires tremendous preparation and behind-the-scenes work — all while under strict deadline. TV Reporter Jeff Tang, 25, of Newschannel 5, CBS’s affiliate in Nashville, TN, has a keen grasp of the art of reporting, and he has already won two regional Emmy Awards to prove it. He looks for story ideas, identifies people to interview, goes out and interviews them, reviews the video, writes the stories for three separate newscasts, edits them, and then finally speaks in front of the camera. Jeff is passionate about his work of finding people and telling their stories, and as a general assignment reporter, he enjoys being able to cover something different each day. To learn more about award-winning TV reporter Jeff Tang, dive into this week’s Young & Professional Profile.
Meet an Artist who will inspire you, make you laugh, share his insights, and help you love every moment of it. Meet Rene Garcia Jr., age 34, of I Love This World. Taking the lead in pop culture creativity, Rene designs his work to be loud, brilliant, and garnering more attention than previously thought possible. Melding family time and work time, Rene thrives in an environment where he can sit in his home-based work station with colors, shapes, and ideas pouring from his fingertips, or run down the street to observe daily on-goings and absorb ideas for future projects. Rene launched ‘I Love This World’ in 2006 after leaving the formal work environment
. While admitting the switch-over was difficult at first, there’s ultimately been no turning back since. For more information on Rene and how he’ll inspire you to always make that maximum impact, read more in this week’s Young & Professional Profile.
Ayesha Mattu once thought her hyphenated identity of straddling East and West, First World and Third World, and majority and minority was a weakness. She later discovered, however, that being both an insider and an outsider was a strength in her work in international grant-making and philanthropy, where being able to understand different cultures is an asset. She helped create the Muslim Women’s Fund for Social Justice, which brings together Muslim women leaders from around the world to develop strategies and share ideas. Today, Ayesha, 34, is a Philanthropy Consultant
, focusing on social change philanthropy. She helps organizations and individuals formulate goals, strategies, and practices to foster a social-change grant-making model. Since 9/11, she has also assisted American-Muslim organizations with strengthening their strategic communications and program initiatives. To learn more about how Ayesha is helping philanthropic organizations become even better at what they do, check out this week’s Young & Professional Profile
Lights! Camera! Ali! At age 26, Ali Zamani has launched a career as a screenwriter/director/filmmaker, and as his projects continually propel him full steam ahead into the Hollywood and international scene, we’re proud to have captured just a small glimpse into this remarkable artist’s life. With his first job as a video store clerk, who would have thought that his path would eventually lead him through graduate school and eventually founding AZ Productions? From music videos to movies, Ali covers all territory; whether scouting sites, hiring crew members, or editing his films, Ali sees his works all the way through wanting always to add one more special touch or creative twist. Now with years of professional work under his belt, Ali has much to show for his dedication to the art of film making. For more information on Ali Zamani and AZ Productions, read on to learn more in this week’s edition of The Mideast Connect!
Gaining admission into an elite MBA program or top-ranked college is a highly competitive process. Differentiating oneself to stand out from all the applicants is no easy feat. That’s where the services of Expartus, an admissions consulting company headed by CEO Chioma Isiadinso, can give a prospective student that winning edge. Chioma, 36, Co-Founded Expartus after working for Harvard Business School’s MBA admissions board. Her company uses personal branding to help clients market themselves effectively to their most desired programs. Admissions advisors and
brand strategists provide personalized services, helping each client with the unique challenges and concerns he or she faces. In addition to providing individual consulting services, Expartus also conducts seminars and workshops, including its new “Brand Your Way to an MBA” workshop. To learn more about how Chioma and Expartus are helping students get into their dream schools, check out this week’s Young & Professional Profile.
People who work in sales and customer service have to manage relationships with large numbers of customers, clients, and other contacts. Traditionally, customer relationship management (CRM) has been complicated and expensive. But James Wong’s company, Avidian Technologies, offers a software solution that makes CRM simple and intuitive. Avidian created Prophet, a CRM software that is built right into Microsoft Outlook. Since sales professionals and customer service people spend so much of their time in Outlook anyway, it made obvious sense to develop a software that was within Outlook. That way, users have to deal with just one application and one customer contact database. Prophet was named “Favorite Small Business Tool” by PC Magazine this year and has been praised in other publications as well. As Co-Founder and CEO, James, 35, is also proud that Avidian has been named as one of Washington state’s “Best Companies to Work For” for three years in a row. To learn more about James and Prophet, check out this week’s Young & Professional Profile.
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