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Ahmed Mady, 46, an accountant-turned-serial entrepreneur, co-founded Fab Glass and Mirror with his friend Tehmas Baig in 2012 after they joked that glass would be the last thing to be sold online. "It's breakable, it's heavy, all that stuff," says Mady. So why not try it? "If we do this, we'll be the first." A clear opportunity: The Westerville, Ohio, company figured out a system for shatterproof shipping of glass, has made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private U.S. companies seven times, and is on track to take in almost $18 million in revenue in 2023.
When friends told Mady about a nonprofit called Community Refugee & Immigration Services that was helping Afghan immigrants find jobs, he was open to hiring them. As an immigrant from Egypt, he knew there would be linguistic and logistical hurdles. To date, Fab has 18 employees in Ohio and Florida sites who are refugees who had worked for the U.S. military in Afghanistan. When U.S. forces withdrew in August 2021 and the Taliban took over, they found their lives in danger and were able to emigrate.
Along with providing steady income for the Afghans--many of whom arrived with families and otherwise rely on government help--Mady says he helped arrange temporary accommodations, hired a driver to bring them to work, and helped some get certifications to use their skills here. He also uses an online translator to give instructions in Pashto for meetings and training sessions. In the Ohio facility, on Fridays, the staff gathers for lunch to build camaraderie, and Mady will often drive his Afghan employees to Friday prayers. His operations manager has even picked up a little Pashto.
Mady says he hopes to hire more refugees, noting many of them have specialized skills in mechanics, HVAC, or computer programming. He's also persuaded a glass factory in Cincinnati to take part in the program. "As long as we have an opening, we give them the chance because it can be hard for them to find a job somewhere else," says Mady. "Most of them worked with the U.S. Army and they are skilled labor, but they needed just a little help to start their lives here, which we offered."
Mady takes pride in giving back to the city where he launched his business. "We've been in this community for 11 years, and we always want to help in some way," says Mady. "This was a very good opportunity for us to be part of making a difference in these people's lives."
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An Immigrant Entrepreneur Pays It Forward by Hiring Displaced Afghans
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05.12.2023
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Ahmed Mady, 46, an accountant-turned-serial entrepreneur, co-founded Fab Glass and Mirror with his friend Tehmas Baig in 2012 after they joked that glass would be........
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