What is heritage? What is inheritance? They mean only one thing to
Merabi & Sons. The company founded by my
great-great-great-grandfather, through a succession of six CEO's and
with a history stretching back 270 years, has never left the hands
of my family. My father handed the family business down to me and in
turn my daughters will continue this great legacy. In addition to
running the company, my Father always wished that my brother and I
would participate in public service and contribute to charities. You
could say that he was attempting to raise philanthropists. Young,
ambitious boys look only for immediate results and never thinking of
larger things. But my father knew that eventually we would come
around. He knew our genes. Philanthropy is now a big part of my
daughters' inheritance.
In 1998, I took over Merabi & Sons. The company's shift in
leadership was a calculated risk. With my family's blessings, I made
some changes, both minor and major. I tripled the company's assets
in less than five years. My education and ambition played a great
role in my success but my achievements would not have been possible
without the love and support of my immediate family, my wife, my
daughters and my parents. Regardless of the mistakes I have made, my
grandfather assures me that he always knew that I would succeed in
leading the company. You see, my grandfather is more than a
businessman. He is a believer. He believes in me and in our family.
He taught me to believe.
It was also important to me to fulfill my father's
wish of passing on the family business. Every time my father sees me
he says, "Kambiz, you made my dream come true." This is every son's
wish. Inheritance is every father's wish and heritage every
family's. My father's dreams and my family's
dreams are now mine to accomplish and to bequeath.
Kambiz Merabi
New York, New York
January 25, 2004
A Heritage Of Kindness
Being kind is a condition. Being good is an action. The courage of
kindness lies in the discipline of good deeds. My family is made up
of kind people who find the strength to do the right thing.
In the 1920s, during one of the unkind periods in the world, a time
of world war, a kind man was able to perform good deeds for his
community in a small town in Persia. His name was Aaron Hakim
Haroon. He was my father's maternal grandfather. The town was
Hamadan, a capital of the world's first empire more than 25
centuries ago and the place where Queen Esther is buried.
Aaron and his wife were doctors. One sunny day
during the Russian invasion of Persia, a local told the Russians
that Dr. Hakim came from a wealthy family and had gold coins in his
possession. Some soldiers went to Hakim's house and asked the doctor
for medicine. Aaron offered to provide medical care to the army's
wounded and ill even though the Russians were an occupying force.
But the soldiers senselessly and brutally shot him on the spot and
ransacked his home seeking the gold. The only treasure they found
was family heirlooms passed down for generations.
Aaron's family did not seek revenge for his death or for the theft
of their cherished heirlooms. Aaron's wife continued helping people
as a doctor. Why, you may ask? Because good action is dangerous
business and there are few in this world kind enough to take risks
that matter. My family has always strived to find the courage to
carry on Aaron's tradition of kindness. Good deeds are part of our
heritage. My middle name is Aaron and I carry his integrity with me.
I was not able to become a doctor like him but, I jump on every
opportunity to help people.
Kambiz Merabi
New York, New York
3-14-99
Merabi family, a tree which never stops
growing, Merabi and Sons, a real estate entity which never stops
expanding, Family values and business innovation eternal in unity,
eternal in growth for Merabi and sons.
Merabi and Sons, the premiere Real Estate Company in the world.
