“How-To”: Immigrant Family Business Panel

Thursday, April 27, 2023
  8:00 - 10:00 a.m.  - In-person & Virtual
Virtual program starts at 8:30 a.m.
Zoom link is in confirmation email. Reminder email goes out one day prior to program

The Institute for Family-Owned Business (IFOB) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the success of family-owned businesses in the State of Maine.  Eighty percent of businesses in Maine are family-owned and we have over 140 family-owned businesses across the State, from all sizes and industries, who are part of the IFOB.  Annually in the fall, we hold an awards program with over 400 in-person attendance and live streamed to celebrate these family businesses with the Maine Family Business Awards.  

At the IFOB, we have a few immigrant family-owned businesses  who are part of our organization.  We’ll hear from Michael Molisho, American Diamond Cleaning Services and Maine Med Cleaning Services, about his journey to Maine and setting up his business.  We’ll learn more about how he’s been able to connect with the IFOB and what services may be helpful to him and the immigrant community.  

We'll also hear from Lucie Narukundo, who founded the Moriah Store for immigrants in the area who miss the authentic African food they could not find here in Maine along with all her community leadership efforts. 

We’ll also highlight The Indus Fund which is a community supported micro loan program for the immigrant community in Maine. Their mission is to significantly expand the available capacity and capability of bank loans to service the needs of small business owners within the immigrant community which represents 45,000 immigrants.  

We’ll discuss the immigrant businesses challenges and successes, and see how we might be able to encourage more of these family businesses to apply for the awards and/or join the IFOB.  We welcome any immigrant family businesses to be our guests for this program, to help us understand what we can do to help them in their journey.

Speakers:  

Kerem Durdag, President & Chief Operating Officer, GWI and Founder and Managing Partner, The Indus Fund

Kerem Durdag is currently President and Chief Operating Officer of GWI, a leading ISP/telco in Maine. Previously he served as the Entrepreneur-In-Residence for the Maine Technology Institute, a quasi-public loan and venture capital entity. He was the CEO of a start-up (in the sensors market) leading it to growth and eventual acquisition by a public company. Another start-up he led (medical device and advanced materials) was sold in 2016 to a global Chinese company after he failed to sustain the growth trajectory. He has also been the CTO of a large US subsidiary of a public German semiconductor and optical media company and prior was the leader of the engineering department of an electronics company which went public (twice). He is also the founder and managing partner of the Indus Fund which works with banks to provide micro-loans to immigrant business owners. With an inherent strong bias towards action, a long-time advocate for the inclusion of immigrant and refugee voices in societal conversation and extremely passionate about doing his part to close the economic and digital divide. Karem also serves on several Boards and is a 

Gene Ardito is the President and CEO of cPort Credit Union. He is responsible for the overall strategy and direction of cPort, ensuring that it remains focused on staying true to its values while providing members with the best possible financial experience. Since 2004, Gene has focused on providing innovative products and services to meet members' evolving needs. He believes in collaboration and partnership and works tirelessly to build strong relationships with members, employees, and the broader community. Prior to assuming the CEO role at cPort Credit Union, Mr. Ardito spent his career working in working in senior corporate finance management roles at Central Maine Power, UNUM and Fleet Bank.  Mr. Ardito is a graduate of Providence College.

Family Business Panelist(s):

Michael Molisho, Founder & CEO, Maine Med Cleaning Services, American Diamond Cleaning Services

Michael Molisho is currently the Chief Executive Officer for Maine Med Cleaning Services and American Diamond Cleaning Services.  Founded in 2018, his company has worked with numerous clients throughout Southern Maine with a new headquarters in South Portland.  With nearly 150 part-time and full-time employees, their vision is to build their business by using the safest and best cleaning equipment and products that are environmentally friendly, non-toxic and biodegradable.   They complete projects efficiently and on schedule, and go above and beyond to form lasting relationships with their clients.

  A native of Congo Michael has a marketing degree from the Hasselt University in Flanders Belgium  and a Business Management degree from USM.   He is a community leader and mentor who has helped over 150 new Mainers since moving here in 2008.  He first worked at Barber Foods, then Maine Medical Center and RTP while attending USM.  Prior to coming to the US, he worked for the EU on transfer station programs and at Congo Clean in the Congo. He speaks seven languages including:  Lingala, Swahili, French, Russian, German, Marathi and English.  American Diamond Cleaning Services was a Semi-Finalist in the 2022 Maine Family Business Awards.

Lucie Narukundo, Founder & CEO, Moriah Store

Lucie Narukundo is the founder & CEO of Moriah Market at 364 Cumberland Avenue in Portland.  A native of Congo, who moved to Maine in 2011 from Rwanda where she sold fabric, she first worked in Maine for nursing homes and did housekeeping.  She founded her market as she and other immigrants missed the authentic African food that they could not find here in Maine. 

She learned English, got a license from the City of Portland, then connected with Claude Rwaganje, Executive Director of Prosperity ME who helped her connect to CEI and found a source to import her products.  She is a community leader and her market is a hub of activity.  She speaks 14 languages including:  Lingala, Swahili, French, English and many African languages.  She also volunteered for over 10 years with Hospice of Maine.

Thank you to our Sponsors: