2 Indian Americans Among Businessmen Felicitated by Trump

By Little India Desk | October 25, 2017

United States President Donald Trump felicitated two Indian American businessmen and seven others on Oct. 24 to recognize the contribution of minority-owned businesses during the National Minority Enterprise Development Week, being observed during Oct. 22-28.

Trump felicitated Sharad Thakkar, the president of Polymer Technologies and Services Inc, and Karan Arora, the director of Natural Vitamin Labs, PTI reported. Their organizations received awards for Minority Energy Firm of the year and Minority Export Firm of the year, respectively.

“The awards program celebrates and recognizes the outstanding achievements of minority entrepreneurs, as well as individuals and organizations that have demonstrated leaders in advancing global minority business enterprise,” according to the White House statement.

Polymer Technologies and Services is based in Ohio and is involved in plastic fabrication — recycling plastics to create valuable raw material. The company works with plastic industry individuals to transform their throwaway scrap plastic into valuable raw material. They help organizations do cost analysis to “minimize the cost of handling scrap and/or by-products”, among other services.

Arora’s company is family-owned and based in Florida, where they have a 95,000 sq. Ft. office. They have been supplying natural health products to clients worldwide for the last 25 years.

Both men came to the United States as students and are citizens today.

“There is a big demand (globally) for US-made products, which have more value anywhere in the world,” Arora told PTI. He also commended the tax reforms undertaken by the Trump administration, adding that the simplification of the tax code is a boon for small enterprises.

“Minority-owned businesses are a bedrock of the American economy and will be a critical component in the countries new period of economic revival,” the White House statement said. Trump has advocated a plan so that all minority communities could flourish, it added. However, during Trump’s election campaign he had taken a stance that appeared to be opposed to minorities, calling many such groups illegal immigrants.

Thakkar, who hails from Baroda, has been living in the United States for 30 years, and said that Indian-Americans are making great contributions to the country’s economy.

“I am very proud that this country gave me this opportunity,” he said. “The opportunities that we had have been fantastic, tremendous.”

The U.S. president, who felicitated nine minority business-owners, including the two Indian-Americans, said his administration is deeply committed to empowering minority business owners.

“We’re working to lift government barriers so that you can thrive, prosper, and grow,” he said.