Shri Thanedar - Belgaum to Michigan
The story of Shri Thanedar could well be the plot of a Bollywood movie. His rise from poverty in Belgaum to becoming a successful entrepreneur in Michigan and a U.S. Congressman is nothing short of a fairytale.
After earning a Bachelor's in Chemistry, he completed his Masters at the University of Bombay and had a brief stint as a scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). In 1979, at age 24, he left for the US to pursue a PhD in Polymer Chemistry from the University of Akron, followed by an MBA from Fontbonne University.
Thanedar’s entrepreneurial journey began in 1990 when he purchased a small chemical testing lab. He eventually built multi-million dollar companies like Chemir, Azopharma, and Avomeen. Despite his global success, he remains deeply connected to his roots, fluently speaking Marathi, Hindi, and Kannada. He even hosted the first Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in San Jose, USA.
In the political arena, he made history by being elected to the Michigan House of Representatives with a staggering 93% of the vote. He now represents Detroit as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
His memoirs, “Hi Shrinchi Iccha” and “The Blue Suitcase,” narrate this extraordinary journey from a struggling immigrant to one of the most influential Indian-Americans in U.S. politics.
Ravindra Zinjurke
Career Counselor, Journalist & Educator