The New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards honor current first-generation immigrant business leaders helping local New Jersey communities thrive.
The Awards were created to highlight the history and academic influence of New Jersey’s immigrant entrepreneurs and their contributions to communities throughout the state. The intention of the New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards is to bring together business groups from across the state to join in celebrating the important role of immigrants to today’s economy. The awards honor immigrants for their achievements in growth, advocacy, innovation, sustainability, and leadership.
Historically, New Jersey’s immigrant entrepreneurs were responsible for the invention of the transistor, the modern brassiere, the submarine, Vitamin C, game theory, prong setting for gemstones, the chemical synthesis of penicillin and instant coffee. Iconic companies like Lipton Tea, Welch’s Grape Juice, Ballantine beer, and Colgate-Palmolive were founded by immigrant entrepreneurs who chose New Jersey for their homes and places of business. During its history, New Jersey was home to the first successful glass making business in the colonies as well as the largest marine engine building shop, the largest parachute production company , the fourth largest brewery, the sixth largest home builder in America – all of these companies were founded by immigrant entrepreneurs.
2025 AWARD WINNERS
Left to right: Dr. John Pelesko Provost of NJIT accepting the award for Dhiraj Shah along with Arthur Kapoor Winner of Growth Award and Marion Reinson, judge.
Immigrant Entrepreneurs Honored for
Making a Difference in New Jersey
The NJ Business Immigration Coalition honored the winners of the 12th Annual 2025 New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards for their achievements and the important contributions they’ve made to the growth of the economy. The ceremony, which took place at the statewide Multicultural Business Expo on June 24, celebrated the success of NJ immigrant entrepreneurs who hail from India, Germany, China, and England.
“We bring people who have come to America from all over the world together in a celebration of success. Our honorees may have struggled to get here–overcoming long waits, a broken immigration process, a changing climate and economic hardship, however, they succeeded,” said Katherine Kish, executive director of Einstein’s Alley and one of the founders of the Coalition. “We admire the talent and spirit of these immigrant entrepreneurs whose great accomplishments were made possible by the American values of opportunity, equality, freedom that allowed them to build these wonderful businesses right here in NJ.”
Immigrants have founded 37.2% of NJ’s new businesses and they start small businesses at more than twice the rate of native-born Americans. Today, millions of American workers are employed at immigrant-founded and immigrant-owned companies.
The NJ Immigrant of the Year Award was presented to Dhiraj Shah, founder and general partner of ASY Capital, Edison, a high-growth investment firm. At ASY Capital, Shah plays an active role in helping entrepreneurs successfully scale their early-stage companies, leveraging expertise in investment strategy, operations, and growth acceleration. Prior to founding ASY Capital, from 2006 to 2021 Shah was the founder, president, and CEO of Avaap. He continues to serve as executive chairman of Avaap’s board.
Shah also serves as co-vice chair of the Board of Trustees at New Jersey Institute of Technology and is a member of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Innovation Institute.
The Caspar Wistar Award for Growth Award was presented to serial entrepreneur Arthur Kapoor, founder, Infotech Global, Inc., a software development company headquartered in Piscataway, and co-founder of Elligint Health, an integrated population health management (PHM) platform based in Edison. An entrepreneur with 35 years of experience building financial, clinical, and operational platforms that solve challenges for diverse industries, Kapoor partnered with fellow entrepreneurs to create Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs for the furniture industry in 1986. In 1991, he entered the healthcare field by founding Med-Link Technologies, which became the fastest growing healthcare claims clearinghouse in the US.
Kapoor was an early pioneer in interoperability and health information exchange, providing the infrastructure for the New Jersey Health Information Network. He founded a home for Indian orphans in 2010. He was knighted by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta for his charitable work around the world in 2011. Kapoor serves as the co-executive vice chair of the Foundation Board of Directors at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and was recently appointed as a Commissioner for the New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority.
The Ida Rosenthal Rising Star Award was presented to Ada Yung, chief enthusiasm officer, The Little Gym of Montgomery/Hillsborough. In 1997, Yung received a scholarship to come to the United States. She was accepted by Georgetown University in Washington, DC, to study in its School of Foreign Service. After graduation, she worked at a tech start up then a think tank. She always had the desire to follow in her Hong Kong family’s footsteps and be an entrepreneur.
Now Yung is building a company that is uniquely designed for children ages 4 months to 12 years old. Programs and classes offered are designed to help develop a child’s motor skills and confidence. To date, her company has helped more than 5,000 families develop their children and celebrate childhood.
The Albert Einstein Award for Innovation was presented to Yidian Liu, co-founder, PolyGone, located in Princeton. PolyGone was co-founded in 2021 by immigrant Princeton grads Nathaniel Banks and Yidian Liu, who were named Forbes 30 Under 30 fellows in response to the global inaction in addressing escalating microplastic contamination levels. Within two years of its founding, PolyGone has secured more than $3 million in funding from private venture capital, federal and state grants. In May 2025, PolyGone secured its seed round funding, which will allow the team to continue its growth, create more high-quality jobs, and develop critical hardware technologies in microplastic interception and recovery.
The Dieter Weissenrieder Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Suresh Kumar, president, The Indus Entrepreneur, NJ Chapter, based in Newark. Dr. Kumar is a professor, serial entrepreneur, start-up mentor, non-profit leader, and author with a zeal for taking chances, learning, and exploring new frontiers. Born in India, Suresh co-founded his first venture in 1999, Nex Age Technologies in Iselin, igniting his passion for leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
He was the key founder of three high growth technology startups–all of which he led to successful exits. Dr. Kumar completed his doctoral degree in 2011 with a study on high-growth Asian American immigrant entrepreneurs. He has presented papers, conducted professional development workshops, and mentored entrepreneurs. Currently, he serves as a professor and Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Ying Wu College of New Jersey Institute of Technology. The recipient of many awards, Dr. Kumar was honored with the Ronald Reagan Gold Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership, named a Deloitte Fast 50 Technology Entrepreneur, and his company was ranked on the Inc. 500/5000 five times.
“Immigrants have made important contributions to the growth of the US economy and their contributions extend beyond high-tech and Fortune 500 firms,” Nicholas Montalto, chair of the NJ Business Immigration Coalition Board. “Throughout history, New Jersey’s immigrant entrepreneurs were responsible for iconic brands like Lipton Tea, Welch’s Grape Juice, Ballantine beer, and Colgate-Palmolive. We are pleased to be able to honor the leading NJ immigrant entrepreneurs of 2025.”
2024 AWARD WINNERS
2024 Winners: (From left to right): Leo Alquiros, winner of the Caspar Wistar Award for Growth; Burin Nimon Regjaj, winner of the David Sarnoff Award for Advocacy and Community Engagement; Dieter Weissenrieder, winner of the Immigrant Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award; Shihab Kuran, winner of the Albert Einstein Award for Innovation; and Jordan Hu, winner of the Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year Award
NJ Business Immigration Coalition to Honor Immigrant Entrepreneurs from
Kosovo, Taiwan, Jordan, Philippines, and Germany
Who Are Making a Difference in New Jersey
Entrepreneurs active in Princeton, East Hanover, Old Bridge, Watchung, and Westfield, NJ to Be Honored on June 25th in Edison
Edison, NJ (June 19, 2024) – The NJ Business Immigration Coalition will honor the winners of the 11th Annual 2024 New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards at the statewide Multicultural Business Expo on June 25 from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Pines Manor in Edison, NJ. The winners hail from Kosovo, Taiwan, Jordan, Philippines, and Germany.
The winner of the Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year Award is Jordan Hu, Founder and CEO of RiskVal Financial Solutions, LLC in Princeton, NJ. Jordan Hu came from Taiwan to the United States holding a degree in Applied Mathematics from National Tsing Hua University and then graduated with a master’s from NJIT. After a decade long Wall Street career, in 2001 Hu founded Risk Val which is now a multimillion-dollar company. Today, Risk Val’s 60 employees produce products that are used by trading desks at Tier One banks throughout North America.
Another NJIT graduate, Dieter Weissenrieder, founder, and CEO of the Weiss-Aug Group based in East Hanover, an internationally recognized leader in precision metal stamping, injection molding, value-added assembly solutions and tooling has won the Immigrant Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Mr. Weissenrieder grew the original four-person precision contract metal stamping company he founded with a partner in 1972 into a multimillion-dollar enterprise with six locations and 700 employees.
The Albert Einstein Award for Innovation will be presented to Jordan native, Dr. Shihab Kuran, based in Watchung. Dr. Kuran is an investor, serial entrepreneur and a seasoned executive in the global semiconductor, power and cleantech sectors. He founded and ran several private companies and served as an executive/board member at eight public companies including SunEdison and NRG. He founded and ran Petra Solar which put up to 200,000 solar panels on utility poles in New Jersey. Currently, he serves as President and CEO of Power Edison and Executive Chairman of EV Edison. Power Edison built the world’s largest mobile battery storage system here in NJ and EV Edison is building the US largest EV charging super hub located in Kearny, NJ. Dr. Kuran was named by NJBIZ as one of “The 100 most powerful people in New Jersey business”.
The Caspar Wistar Award for Growth winner is Leo Alquiros, owner, and head chef at Tropical Hut Philippine Cuisine. Leo went from a young street vendor in the Philippines to a corporate research technician in the US food industry. He honed his skills taking food and catering courses gaining valuable industry knowledge. In 1999, Leo opened his first restaurant in Old Bridge. Today, celebrating 25 years in business, Tropical Hut Philippine Cuisine is a network of Filipino restaurants and grocery stores with six locations throughout New Jersey and New York offering a wide variety of imported food items from the Philippines.
The David Sarnoff Award for Advocacy and Community Engagement will be awarded to Burim Nimon Regjaj, who came to the U.S. from Kosovo at age 19. Burim graduated from Hunter College with Honors and went to work in finance. He became
successful in property management. In 2018 he bought Outta Hand Pizza and now splits his time between the restaurant and real estate property management. Burim helps minority students in Kosovo, but does most of his philanthropic work in the U.S. He chairs the Homeless Veterans Fund with six regional Rotary Clubs. He raises funds for rebuilding the Westfield American Legion Post and for the Y's Men Club. Burim is a board member of the Downtown Westfield Corporation, the Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Westfield, NJ. In addition, he serves as Secretary to a newly established 501C3 Albanian American Relations Council in DC and NYC.
“We are excited to present the 2024 Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards to an outstanding group of immigrants who have made amazing contributions to New Jersey,” said Katherine Kish, NJBIC Awards Chair and one of the Founders of the NJ Business Immigration Coalition, sponsor of the awards.
The New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards honor immigrant business leaders helping New Jersey communities thrive. The awards, named after historic entrepreneurs, were created to highlight the social and economic contributions of New Jersey's immigrants to communities throughout the state and celebrate the important role of immigrants to today's economy. The awards are sponsored by the NJ Business Immigration Coalition, a broad-based coalition of New Jersey chambers, associations
and organizations.
The Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards ceremony was held on June 25, 2024, at 4:00 PM at the Pines Manor in Edison, NJ as a part of a statewide Multicultural Business Expo organized by the Middlesex Chamber, a member of the NJ Business Immigration
Coalition. The event is open to the public.
2023 AWARD WINNERS
2023 Winners: (From left to right): Alex Martinez, winner of the Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year Award; Jaime Lucero, winner of the David Sarnoff Award for Advocacy and Community Engagement; Diana Mejia, winner of the Josephine Ho Award for Non-profit Entrepreneurship; and Alex Wang accepting for Princeton Nu Energy CEO Chao Yan, winner of the Albert Einstein Award for Innovation.
The NJ Business Immigration Coalition honored first-generation business leaders at the 10th Annual New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards on June 27, 2023, for their contributions to business, innovation, nonprofit work, and supporting the state’s economic growth. The Awards were an integral part of the Middlesex County Regional Chamber's state-wide Multicultural Business Expo held at the Pines Manor in Edison, NJ.
The winners of the Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year Award are Alex Martinez and Paula Guevara, owners of Paradise Flowers Distribution in South River, NJ. Since coming from Columbia in 2005, Paula and her husband Alex Martinez have grown the business to become the number one distributor and importer of hydrangeas. They distribute flowers throughout the tristate to event planners, florist shops, and other wholesalers and import them from Italy, Holland, Africa, Israel, and Thailand growing it into a multimillion dollar business.
The Albert Einstein Award for Innovation winner is Chao Yan, founder and CEO of Princeton NuEnergy, a Bordentown-based innovative clean-tech company spun out from Princeton University in 2019 and focused on the direct recycling of lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles and consumer electronics.
The David Sarnoff Award for Advocacy and Community Engagement was awarded to Jaime Lucero of Harrison, NJ, a native of Mexico, for his role as a “Servant Leader”, addressing the needs of the less fortunate and creatively and purposefully acting to create institutions that help meet those needs through Fuerza Migrante, a binational movement of key migrant organizations from throughout the U.S. that empowers the Mexican community abroad through education.
Columbia native Diana Mejia, founder of the Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center in Madison, NJ, was awarded the Josephine Ho Award for Non-profit Entrepreneurship. Self-funded from her personal retirement account 22 years ago, Wind of the Spirit is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating, organizing and mobilizing for just immigration reform.
“We celebrate NJ immigrant entrepreneurs who founded businesses in New Jersey, are creating jobs and are fueling the local economy,” said Katherine Kish, Awards Chair, NJ Business Immigration Coalition. “These first-generation immigrant business leaders have made a positive impact on their communities and we honor their contributions to the state.”
2022 AWARD WINNERS
Hudson County Chamber celebrates immigrant-powered entrepreneurship at 4th annual HOLA N.J. Conference
Partners with New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition to Champion Diversity
James Barrood is keynote speaker at the event. - Courtesy photo
Business leaders and immigrant entrepreneurs will be gathering for the fourth annual HOLA New Jersey Conference next Wednesday, according to an announcement from the hosts, the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce and the New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition.
The event has quickly become the chamber’s platform for promoting issues related to diversity, equity & inclusion among business leaders in Hudson County. This year, the NJBIC will announce the winners of its annual Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards.
“The goal of our HOLA N.J. Conference is to engage business leaders in an ongoing dialogue on issues of diversity, equity & inclusion,” Maria Nieves, CEO and president of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, stated. “This year, the conference will shine a spotlight on the innovation that immigrant entrepreneurs continually contribute and with our partner, the NJBIC, to recognize the diversity of immigrant leaders who are helping to boost our local economies.”
The event will also feature two nationally renowned experts on immigrant innovation and entrepreneurship. The keynote speaker will be James Barrood, two-time TEDx speaker and author of “Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Global Insights from 24 Leaders” and “Lessons from the Great Recession.” Leah Boustan, professor of economics and director of the industrial relations section, Princeton University, joins as the featured speaker.
The NJBIC will also recognize winners of its Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards, which honor successful New Jersey immigrants in six categories for their outstanding contributions to the state’s economy.
2019 AND 2018 AWARD WINNERS
Immigrant Entrepreneurs Honored for Making a Difference in New Jersey
The winners of the 7th Annual New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneurs awards were honored on Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at Rutgers University. The awards program featured Rutgers Chancellor Christopher Molloy as the keynote speaker and was hosted by the Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“We congratulate this year’s winners for their contributions to the State of New Jersey and recognize the importance of immigrants to NJ’s economy and society,” says Katherine Kish, Executive Director, Einstein’s Alley
The New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards honor immigrant business leaders helping New Jersey communities thrive. The awards were created to highlight the social and economic contributions of New Jersey's immigrants to communities throughout the state and celebrate the important role of immigrants to today's economy. The awards are sponsored by a broad-based coalition of New Jersey chambers, associations and organizations including the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce, Diversity Dynamics, Einstein’s Alley, Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce, NJBIA, the New Jersey Chinese-American Chamber of Commerce, Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
The 2019 winners, their NJ business location and country of origin are:
- Nicholas Marcalus Award for Sustainability – Anabelle Radcliffe-Trenner (United Kingdom), Founder & Principal, Historic Building Architects LLC, Trenton, NJ
- Caspar Wistar Award for Growth – Sandeep Agarwal (India), President and CEO, Pure Indian Foods, Princeton Junction, NJ
- Albert Einstein Award for Innovation – Wei Wang (China), President and Founder, UrbanTech Consulting Engineering, Mt Laurel, NJ
- Rising Star Entrepreneurial Award- Veronique Cardon (France), Founder and CEO, The CogniDiet Program, Princeton, NJ
Anabelle Radcliffe-Trenner, Founder & Principal, Historic Building Architects LLC, Trenton, NJ will be honored with the Nicholas Marcalus Award for Sustainability. Annabelle Radcliffe-Trenner was born in London and educated in the United Kingdom. In 1983, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Dundee University, Scotland and in 1986 a graduate professional degree in Preservation Architecture from the University of Edinburgh. She passed the UK’s Architects Registration Board Licensure Exam, completed a two-year professional work experience, and was issued a license to practice architecture in the UK in 1986. Radcliffe-Trenner came to the US when she married a citizen in 1988 and worked with local firms. In 1994 she obtained a Certificate in Architectural Conservation (Preservation) from the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, in Rome, Italy.
That year, having earned reciprocal architectural licensing in the U.S., Radcliffe-Trenner founded her own company, Historic Building Architects, LLC, a professional practice focused on restoring nationally significant historic landmark properties. HBA, based in Trenton, recently achieved its 25-year anniversary of successful operations. With a total staff of 8, HBA is certified as a Women-Owned Business Enterprise and a Small Business Enterprise by the State of New Jersey.
HBA has become a national leader in Historic Preservation Architecture, one of a handful of architectural practices in the US combining preservation architecture and material conservation services exclusively for historic properties such as religious buildings, museums, courthouses, and others in the public realm, listed on the National Register; many are National Historic Landmarks. HBA has won awards for over a dozen preservation projects.
Radcliffe-Trenner is a sought-after lecturer and writer on preserving the built cultural heritage, and a longtime Board Member of the Association for Preservation Technology International. She has been interviewed on National Public Radio and NJ Television on historic preservation issues, and about restoration by NBC and Fox Business News, following the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral,.
Sandeep Agarwal, President and CEO, Pure Indian Foods, Princeton Junction, NJ will be honored with the Caspar Wistar Award for Growth. Sandeep Agarwal worked for years as an IT specialist on Wall Street before founding Pure Indian Foods (PIF). His Indian heritage gave him an appreciation for the health benefits of Indian traditional foods like ghee, herbs and spices. He and Nalini started the business part-time after making a small batch of ghee and finding out that his family and friends loved it. It is now their full-time business.
The company has grown rapidly and has created 10 full time jobs in New Jersey, and is recognized as a leader in development and marketing of authentic, organic traditional Indian foods across the U.S. Sandeep’s interest in dairy history grew out of his family’s fifth-generation ghee business (started by his great-great-grandfather in 1889) and the culturally significant role that dairy plays within his Indian heritage.
Today Pure Indian Foods is one of the most respected Organic Ghee companies in North America. He brought the Ayurvedic Medicinal Ghee concept to a culinary level by introducing unique herb/spiced ghee products sold as food, which were recognized by The New York Times. PIF continues the family tradition of creating pure, wholesome Indian-heritage ingredients and foods for everyone to enjoy. PIF ghee is made from milk from grass-fed cows, so the products are natural and non-GMO and certified organic. PIF has expanded rapidly in the last few years as the business has innovated and expanded their product lines. The ghee product now comes in a variety of flavors and is the basis of new meal starter “Curry in a Hurry”.
PIF has been featured in numerous national publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and GQ magazine. Recently Sandeep and Nalini’s story was featured in NJBiz, highlighting their unique and growing New Jersey-based business.
Sandeep is a member of the board of directors for the NJ Food Processors Association and committed to enhancing public health through the promotion of access to natural foods.
Sandeep is a graduate of David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies’ two-year herbalist training program and one-year graduate program. He has spoken at symposiums in USA and India. Sandeep initiated a website (www.butterworld.org) to educate people on the health benefits of dairy fats like ghee.
PIF contributes to the philanthropic organizations KickCancer, Real Food Recovery and the Weston Price Foundation, all devoted to promoting health through improved diet
Wei Wang, Ph.D., PE, President and Founder, UrbanTech Consulting Engineering, Mt Laurel, NJ will receive the Albert Einstein Award for Innovation. Through his successes with UrbanTech after working on the Marine Parkway and Third Avenue Bridges, Dr. Wang has continued to innovate and tackle engineering challenges. In 2011, alongside Kiewit Construction Company, a leading construction firm in the United States, UrbanTech played a major role in Amtrak’s Replacement of Two Bridges in Middletown, Pennsylvania. As principal-in-charge, Dr. Wang served as the structural engineer of record and was responsible for the design and construction procedures to facilitate the removal and replacement of two railroad bridges on the same route over one weekend. UrbanTech has since established itself as a leading force in Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC)Dr. Wang led UrbanTech in the Replacement of the Kosciuszko Bridge in 2017. UrbanTech was responsible for the demolition schemes of the Kosciuszko Bridge approach and main spans. The approach truss spans of the Brooklyn Connector were replaced using Replace-in-Place construction methods. The main span was lowered onto a barge system with eight computer-controlled strand jacks working in tandem. The project was awarded Best Bridge Project by Engineering News-Record.
In the last 3 consecutive years, UrbanTech was selected by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) and FORTUNE as one of the 100 fastest-growing inner city companies. UrbanTech has annually increased its rank since its first award in 2016. The Inner City 100 program selects businesses in underprivileged urban areas that offer “access to national visibility, executive education, and networking opportunities”. ICIC considers a company’s annual revenues and high-growth rates from the last five years.
UrbanTech and Dr. Wang’s successes would not have been achieved without the support of the engineers and staff forming the growing and innovative company. With two growing offices in New York City and South Jersey, 86% of UrbanTech’s employees are first and second generation minority immigrants.
Dr. Wang acknowledges the challenges of citizenship in the United States and sponsors employees seeking work visas and the opportunity to receive a green card. UrbanTech’s vast cultural background invites different ideas to the table--allowing for innovation to address current engineering challenges.
The Rising Star award will be presented to Veronique Cardon, Founder and CEO, The CogniDiet Program, Princeton, NJ. Veronique is a Holistic Nutritionist with a Master’s degree (summa cum laude) in Holistic Nutrition from the Clayton College of Natural Health. She started to meditate in 2005 and gained a Certificate of Completion in CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) applied to weight loss at the Beck Institute for the Advancement of Human Behavior in Philadelphia-PA, in July 2013. She also holds a Commercial Engineer degree (magna cum laude) from the University of Brussels, Belgium. She also attended special management and leadership programs at INSEAD in France and the Harvard Business School in the US.
After graduating from university, Veronique was a General Manager in Scandinavia, UK, Latin America, and Eastern Europe for a pharmaceutical company called UCB Pharma. She earned “Young Businesswoman of the Year” from the Financial Times in 1994. She then took a job in Atlanta, GA as the Head of Marketing, for UCB Pharma, working with Pfizer to launch a UCB - invented product for allergies called Zyrtec®. She stayed in the U.S. after her 3-year expatriation contract, got a green card, and ended up at Johnson & Johnson and then Pfizer, in leadership roles of growing importance. After a wonderful career, mostly in marketing and sales, she went back to school, got a master’s in nutrition in 2006 and become a full-time entrepreneur.
Veronique’s weight loss program, The CogniDiet, is based on the principles that your brain is plastic and can develop new behavioral and thought pathways. Applied to weight loss, it allows you to start to adopt new healthier behaviors and lose weight for the long-term.
The judges for this year’s Awards were previous award winners Kamal Bathla, CEO Maestro Technologies and Rashaad Bajwa, CEO Domain Computers and this year’s event host, Lina Llona, President of the Middlesex County Regional Chamber.
The Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards are named for great, historic New Jersey immigrant entrepreneurs. The many nominees represent small mom and pop businesses as well as large corporations; ranging from high-tech firms to professional service providers, from manufacturing operations to restaurant and financial institutions. Combined, they employ hundreds of people and do billions in sales.
September 2018 Event Honors Business Leaders in Trenton, West Windsor,
North Brunswick, Monmouth Jct., Edison, and Elmwood Park New Jersey
Winners of 2018 Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards presented by the NJ Immigrant Entrepreneur Award Coalition
From left to right:
Pierre Hage Boutros, Pierre’s Restaurant, Caspar Wistar Award for Growth
Suchitra Kamath, Minute Man Press of Edison, Rising Star Award
Kamal Bathla, Maestro Technologies, 2018 Immigrant of the Year
Jack Li, Windsor Athletic Club, Albert Einstein Award for Innovation
Anita Guerrero for her father Jose Guerrero, Spencer Bank, David Sarnoff Award for Advocacy
Manuel Hernandez, Manny’s HVAC, Honorable Mention for Growth
Christina Jeng, enfoTech, Honorable Mention for Innovation was not present
Trenton NJ (Sept. 26, 2018) – The winners of the Sixth Annual New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneurs Awards were honored on Wednesday, September 26th at the Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce Multi-Chamber Networking Event at The Embers Restaurant, 3793 US1 South, Monmouth Junction (South Brunswick), NJ. ~ DOWNLOAD PROGRAM BOOK
The 6th Annual New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards honored immigrant business leaders helping New Jersey communities thrive. The awards were created to highlight the social and economic contributions of New Jersey's immigrants to communities throughout the state and celebrate the important role of immigrants to today's economy. The awards are sponsored by a broad-based coalition of New Jersey chambers, associations and organizations including the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce, Diversity Dynamics, Einstein’s Alley, Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce, NJBIA, the New Jersey Chinese-American Chamber of Commerce, Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
The 2018 winners, their NJ business location and country of origin are:
- 2018 Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year – Kamal Bathla, Managing Director, Maestro Technologies, Trenton, NJ (India)
- Caspar Wistar Award for Growth - Pierre Hage-Boutros, Founder, Pierre’s of South Brunswick, Monmouth Junction, NJ (Lebanon)
- David Sarnoff Award for Advocacy and Community Engagement – Jose Guerrero, President, Chairman and CEO, Spencer Savings Bank, Elmwood Park, NJ (Spain)
- Albert Einstein Award for Innovation - Jack Li, Owner, Windsor Athletic Club, West Windsor, NJ (China)
- Rising Star - Suchitra Kamath, Owner/President, Minuteman Press Edison, NJ (India)
- Honorable Mention Growth - Manuel Hernandez, Owner, Manny’s HVAC & Home Improvement, Trenton, NJ (Dominican Republic)
- Honorable Mention Innovation - Christina Jeng, Founder and President, enfoTech & Consulting, North Brunswick, NJ (Taiwan)
Kamal Bathla, Managing Director, Maestro Technologies, Trenton, NJ will be honored as the 2018 Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year. Employing 180 people, Maestro is an award-winning big data solutions and cloud platform company that Inc Magazine named one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. for three consecutive years, starting in 2011. As the Managing Director of Maestro Technologies, Kamal is guiding the transformation of his company, applying its leading-edge expertise in software architecture to big data, Machine Learning, blockchain, IoT and cyber security Solutions. In November 2017, he moved Maestro Technologies from Edison to Trenton, NJ, to an 85,000-square-foot headquarters known as the SMART Applications Innovation (SAI) Center, a nerve center of technological innovation run by an accomplished team of technologists who serve private and public sectors and the communities in which they operate. He is passionate about transforming Trenton to the Innovation capital of New Jersey with technology centric programs driven by public/private partnerships.
Pierre Hage-Boutros, Founder, Pierre’s of South Brunswick, Monmouth Junction, NJ will be honored with the Caspar Wistar Award for Growth. In 1990, Pierre bought the Old Butler, a small deli and general grocery and opened Pierre’s Deli adding rooms over the years. He further expanded his establishment, purchasing the property adjacent to the deli and restaurant and opened the bakery. Pierre’s dream all along was to bring together his restaurant, bar, and banquet facilities all under one roof.
Jose Guerrero, President, Chairman and CEO, Spencer Savings Bank, Elmwood Park, NJ was selected for the David Sarnoff Award for Advocacy and Community Engagement. He has been Spencer Bank’s leader for 30+ years as President, CEO and Chairman. He came from Spain when he was 13 and started off as a youth in the Accounting Department and quickly rose up the ranks. He managed all these professional challenges while being both a banker and small business owner.
Jack Li, Owner, Windsor Athletic Club (WAC), West Windsor, NJ will receive the Albert Einstein Award for Innovation. Under Jack's guidance, WAC has transformed from a gym facility to a true community center employing 98 people. Beyond providing its members with state of the art athletic facilities, WAC is a hub for the local community, serving as the venue for a wide array of events, including local commercial events, political campaign events, an Asian Art show and a college job fair. The WAC has also partnered with numerous vendors to provide Advantage Tennis, Monroe Basketball Academy, International Chess Academy, Princeton Art Academy and a summer camp.
The Rising Star Award will be presented to Suchitra Kamath, Owner/President, Minuteman Press, Edison. NJ. In 2016, she started her new enterprise, the Minuteman Press of Edison. Before making this career change to a business owner, she was directing and managing global programs for regulatory & policy change for Tier-1 investment banks on Wall Street in New York City. Since she acquired Minuteman Press, it has seen a 500% growth in terms of sales. Due to her quick expansion of her business, she was awarded “Top Achievement in Marketing“ award during the 2017 Franchise Expo organized by Minuteman Press. Currently she manages a staff of three employees and an intern.
An Honorable Mention Growth Award will be presented to Manuel Hernandez, Owner, Manny’s HVAC & Home Improvement, Trenton, NJ. Manny came to the US in1980 from the Dominican Republic where he started working in restaurants in New York City. Manny has owned different businesses including a mechanic and auto body shop, a grocery store as well as a promotional company promoting the first Latin Nights in Staten Island. When he came to NJ, he started as a construction manager for MYG management from 2004 to 2006 supervising the renovations of at least 75 properties in Trenton, NJ. He then formed a partnership with Melvin Lebron and they created Lebron Mechanical. In 2013, Manny received a Master License for HVAC and started Manny's HVAC and Home Improvement while maintaining Lebron Contracting.
An Honorable Mention Innovation Award will be presented to Christina Jeng, Founder and President, enfoTech & Consulting, North Brunswick, NJ. Christina grew up in Taiwan and earned her law degree from National Cheng Chi University in 1980. She immigrated to the USA in 1982. In 1994, Christina, with other two business partners, created enfoTech & Consulting Inc., which is dedicated to providing IT solutions for environmental protection.
The judges for this year’s Awards were Rashaad Bajwa, CEO of Domain Computer, one of last year’s winners, Dr. Arturo Osorio-Fernandez, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Rutgers University and Lina Llona, Executive Director of the Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards are named for great, historic New Jersey immigrant entrepreneurs. The many nominees represent small mom and pop businesses as well as large corporations; ranging from high-tech firms to professional service providers, from manufacturing operations to restaurant and financial institutions. Combined, they employ hundreds of people and do billions in sales. ~ DOWNLOAD PROGRAM BOOK