Six immigrant families who flourished after arriving in Canada
They made the most of their lives here by launching businesses that would ultimately become successful, high-profile operations
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To make a successful go of it in Canada, newcomers need special qualities. Especially if they are going to start a business and build it into something really remarkable.
Today we tell the stories of immigrants who made the most of their lives here in Canada by launching businesses that would ultimately become wealth-generators. Some arrived with nothing but their wits. Others started with a small nest egg.
But all are shining examples of entrepreneurial success who worked hard to make their dreams a reality.
Ali family, of Calgary’s SM2 Capital Partners
Naim Ali, a next-generation member of a successful Calgary enterprising family, describes the long journey from the founders fleeing political unrest in East Africa to a successful and harmonious transfer of leadership of the family business.
The Ali family’s story started in extreme poverty in a small village in Tanzania. Through sheer hard work, the family built businesses in printing, manufacturing and import/export industries. But due to political unrest, they made the decision to leave their businesses behind and flee to Canada.
Today, the portfolio of SM2 Capital includes Budget Rent A Car, commercial real estate, hotels and parking facilities. See the family’s story here.
Muraly Srinarayanathas, co-founder of 369 Global Inc.
Having journeyed from Britain to Sri Lanka to India to Winnipeg, Muraly Srinarayanathas’s family understands deeply the challenges newcomers face.
Today Muraly is co-founder and executive chairman of Ajax, Ont.-based 369 Global Inc., which holds a portfolio of companies, from Ontario career college Computek to marketing firm 369Konnect and film production company Station 369. The company’s investments range from venture funds, including one backing immigrant founders, to a pharmaceutical firm, among others.
He is also focused on education and supports for immigrants to help them leverage their skills and talents so they can contribute to Canada’s success as well as their own. Check out the article here.
Elie, Karl and Ralph Nour of Nour Private Wealth
Elie, Karl and Ralph Nour of Nour Private Wealth joined their grandparents in Canada after they immigrated during the Lebanese civil war. The three arrived as teenagers, leaving everything they knew behind, and started their postsecondary educations.
Elie Nour ended up founding the Ontario-based wealth management firm his brothers joined and helped build.
Here, the three brothers share their perspectives on how their immigration experience shaped their approach to life and family business.
Bill Malhotra, founder of Claridge Homes
Bill Malhotra is one of a handful of Canada’s self-made billionaires. He founded Ottawa-based Claridge Homes, and, more recently, made headlines as part of the new ownership group of the Ottawa Senators hockey team.
Malhotra left India at age 22, jumping into the unknown to join his engineer brother, Ashok. He ultimately founded Claridge, which recently finished the tallest building in Ottawa. The firm builds condos, retirement homes and hotels in Ottawa and Florida.
Today the Malhotra Family Foundation raises funds for food banks, health initiatives, youth services and other causes. He tells his story here.
The Hadhad family, Peace by Chocolate
Stuck in a refugee camp in Lebanon for three years and unable to return to Syria, as their livelihood had been destroyed by bombing, members of the Hadhad family sought a safe haven to start over.
They ended up in Antigonish, N.S., sponsored by the small community that welcomed them. The family set about rebuilding the chocolate manufacturing enterprise they had lost, and, eight months after arriving in Canada, Peace by Chocolate was born in 2016.
Here, Tareq Hadhad, founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate and now a Canadian citizen, and his sister Alaa Hadhad tell their story in their own words.
Sukhdev Toor, founder of the Toor Family Foundation
Sukhdev Toor, like many educated immigrants to Canada, could not find work in his field of civil engineering. He ended up founding a successful hotel company and wanted to give back to his community, creating the Toor Family Foundation in Mississauga, Ont.
Here, his daughter, Neelu Toor, tells about how he came to Canada and, while studying for his MBA at the University of Waterloo, he found his way to the hotel business and started a hotel company.
Today, one of the goals of the foundation is to help lessen the stigma of seeking help for mental health, including for the South Asian community.
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