Posted March 10, 2015
Nazrul Chowdhury’s story is one of MAKING the American dream a reality through an intrinsic entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with hard work and perseverance. An immigrant from Bangladesh, he learned survival skills early and soon realized he could make it as far as he wanted in this country.
And he has done just that. He formed a part-time business at age 24, spent two years trying to get it off the ground and worked diligently for many years to make it successful. Today, Tire Cord USA, a division of BMS International, Inc., is one of the largest distributors of “substandard” tire cord fabric and related products in the world. (Read more in this week’s lead story here.)
But the odds were stacked against him early on. He couldn’t speak English when he came to the U.S. at 17 on a student visa. But he put in many extra hours to learn the language while attending Howard College in Big Spring, Texas. His parents gave him enough money for two semesters, but he was on his own after that. Without tuition money and living expenses less than a year later, he took several jobs to make ends meet before landing at Bealls Department Store. He climbed the ladder at the retail chain for several years before the company saw enough in him to name him manager of its new store in Dallas.
A strong desire to own his own business continued to nag at him, he said. He had watched his father run an international trading business in Bangladesh, and he knew he could do something like that in the U.S. So he and four friends formed BMS International in 1989. But after the business floundered for a year, his partners backed out and he was left with the decision to close the business or keep plugging to find customers. He chose the former. He finally landed a customer, but only after months of learning everything he could about global business. Soon, with more orders coming from the client in Bangladesh for below-par tire cord fabric, he would leave Bealls to operate BMS full time.
A 12-year career at the retailer gave him the knowledge and skills he needed to run the business, he said. “That was probably one of the best things to happen to me,” he said. “They had a great training program for managers, and I managed about 70 employees.”
For the last 26 years, Chowdhury has grown and expanded the business, as well as diversified into other areas, including warehousing and warping. He developed a loyal customer base by operating his business in an honest, fair manner and by treating employees, suppliers and customers like his own family, he said.
The epitomy of the American Dream
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The ever-gracious Chowdhury knew he could not succeed on his own, he said. “My customers and suppliers have always been very kind to me,” Chowdhury said. “I would like to thank them for all their support.”
When I interviewed Chowdhury recently in his Cherryville, N.C. office, he wore a perpetual grin when reflecting on his personal history and the company’s success. He owes a lot of his accomplishments to the United States, but living here in and of itself does not spell fortuity, he said. “I think this country has more to offer than anywhere else in the world, but the person has to be motivated enough to work hard and work honest,” he said. “If anyone tells you somewhere else is better, I know for sure it’s not. America gave me a better chance to make it on my own. Other countries don’t have the same opportunities as we have here. But again, you have to have the drive to succeed.”
Entrepreneurship can’t necessarily be taught – it must be part of your DNA, he added. “It is in my blood,” Chowdhury said. “Before I even started this business I was always looking for something that would allow me to be my own boss. I went to (multi-level marketing) meetings for Amway and Primerica and I tried to sell cars as a broker. I don’t remember everything I did, but my wife tells me that since the day she met me more than 30 years ago, I’m always thinking about ways to better myself.”
Certainly, many Americans take for granted the opportunities that exist in this country. We all could learn a lot from Chowdhury and others who have lived with limited freedom to choose your own destiny. Too many have forgotten or never learned the true meaning of our national ethos.