1870 - 1945
Shemuel Hay
Founding Seed
Shemuel, a pioneering landowner in Tehran, Iran, started from modest beginnings. Shemuel built a budding business empire consisting of property ownership and farms, laying the foundation for his family legacy.
Norollah & Mohtaram Hay + Six (6) kids
1912 - 1984
Norollah Nuriel Hay
Industrial Visionary
Norollah Nuriel son of Shemuel and our CEO's middle name, was a true Titan of Industry. Utilizing his close friendship with Reza Shah Pahlavi and the higher echelons of Iran's military elite, Norollah Nuriel built a powerhouse conglomerate, making him one of the country's most respected industrialists.
FOUR (4) BUSINESS UNITS
1. Infrastructure & Agriculture:
He was instrumental in constructing roads, tunnels, railroads, bridges, as well as farming, significantly contributing to Iran's modernization, including the Trans Iranian Railway.
2. Exclusive Importing:
Established the AHYA IMPORTING to import major global brands for the greater Middle East, many under Exclusive Importing Agreements.
3. Manufacturing:
The Cashmeran Company's state-of-the-art plants produced fabrics and uniforms for the Iranian military utilizing 10,000 cutting-edge Platt electrified textile spindle machines imported from Germany, operating nationwide around the clock. He also invented an efficient process to dehair English cashmere, a trade secret of Norollah and his family.
4. Real Estate:
Norollah acquired entire towns and developed two 50k population provinces - Bumehen and Varamin. He also purchased The Queen of Sheeba Hotel, a prestigious hotel in Eilat, Israel. Despite the Shah's overthrow, Norollah's estate still holds significant holdings in Iran. There is an ongoing matter before The Hague Court seeking over $2 Billion from the Iranian regime for Asset Confiscation.
1943 - Present
Samuel Mehdizadeh
Modernization Architect
Samuel educated abroad in the UK, a Graduate of England's Ellesmere College in Shropshire, Sam married Norollah's daughter Gilda, and took over the reins of the family business. To counter the currency fluctuations experienced by the family business, Sam expanded the conglomerate to add exporting of Iranian goods abroad. As wealth in Iran expanded, Sam added retail ventures, launching Tehran Antique Gallery, Iran Handicraft Center and Tehran Electronics, to cater to the demand for high end products from the country's elite. As the owner of one of Tehran's preeminent office buildings, Sam secured a lucrative lease with the U.S. Government on behalf of the American Embassy's Consulate to Iran. Upon the eve of the Iranian Revolution, Sam and his family migrated to New York. Within a year, Sam started Unique Handicraft in 1978, importing giftware from Iran, building it into a national distributor to retailers, such as Sears, Belk, Dillard's, Macy's, Lord & Taylor. He also established Nissan Realty and purchased his first Commercial Real Estate property in 1981, a 90,000sqft building in Long Island City, NY. He then founded United States Fiberglass in Brooklyn 1984, a company that produced molded fiberglass products for various industrial and residential applications.
Tehran Antique Gallery, Iran Handcrafted Center
Norollah passing the torch. Samuel & Gilda's wedding
Iran Antique Gallery
Norollah (Israel) to Samuel (N.Y.)
Queen of Sheeba Hotel Eilat, Israel 1960s
Queen of Sheeba Hotel Eilat, Israel 1960s