Four outstanding foreign-born business owners were celebrated at the ninth Barry M. Portnoy Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards Benefit on March 8, 2022, at the Royal Sonesta Boston in Cambridge, MA. The Immigrant Learning Center thanks the immigrant entrepreneurs, sponsors, supporters and attendees who made the evening a success.
2022 Barry M. Portnoy Immigrant Entrepreneur Award Winners
Business Growth
Roger Magalhaes
Brazil
Roger Magalhaes is the founder of Shades in Place and Trading Up Consulting, LLC. While he was employed as a truck driver, Roger started installing window treatments part time. In 2006, he took the leap to start his own installation business, Shades in Place. With more than 500 five-star reviews from his growing list of satisfied clients, Roger’s services are sought after by clients and designers throughout the region. His advice is sought by professionals around the world, and in 2020 he took his commitment to this industry further with the launch of a training and consulting business, Trading Up Consulting, LLC.
Neighborhood Business
Jitka Borowick
Czech Republic
Jitka Borowick is the founder and CEO of yoga and wellness studio Nové Yoga and award-winning eco-friendly cleaning business Cleangreen. Started in 2008 as a one-person enterprise, Cleangreen currently employs 18 people on a year-round basis. In August 2020, Jitka launched Nové Yoga to share her commitment to healthy living with her community and eventually the world. Jitka has received many accolades for her leadership, business acumen and commitment to Cape Cod, including being honored as 2016 Small Business Owner of the Year from Cape Cod SCORE and 2018 Alumna of the Year from Cape Cod Community College.
High-Tech Business
Ling Chai Maginn
China
Ling Chai Maginn is the founder, president and CEO of Jenzabar, Inc., a software and services provider for educational institutions at more than 1,300 campuses worldwide. Unique among higher education technology providers, Jenzabar, Inc. offers support for the entire student lifecycle, from candidates to graduates and beyond. Ling was recognized by EY as an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 New England Award Winner. A student leader in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Ling was nominated by two Norwegian legislators for the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize. Her commitment to activism continues as the founder of the not-for-profit All Girls Allowed.
Life Science Business
Avak Kahvejian
Canada
Avak Kahvejian is a life sciences inventor, entrepreneur and CEO. Avak developed and commercialized the world’s first single molecule DNA sequencer for Helicos BioSciences. At Flagship, he leads a team to invent and launch new therapeutic platforms. The first company he founded, Rubius Therapeutics, engineers red blood cells to provide therapy for rare diseases, cancer and autoimmunity. Since 2011, Avak has also helped found Cygnal Therapeutics, Generate Biomedicines, Ring Therapeutics, Cellarity and Laronde. Avak is a leader in the Armenian community in Massachusetts and chair of the Board of Directors for the International Institute of New England.
Two hundred and sixty-seven Massachusetts business owners and innovators from 68 countries have been nominated and recognized for their outstanding accomplishments through the Barry M. Portnoy Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards.
- Fitzroy Alexander, Traditional Breads Inc., Lynn (2014 WINNER)
- Herby Duverné, Windwalker Group, Boston (2016 WINNER)
- Wendy Estrella, Estrella Law Firm, Lawrence (2016)
- Eduardo & German Fernandez, Brothers Market, Inc., Dorchester (2016)
- Francisco Fernandez, Happy Supermarket, Dorchester (2016)
- Boppanda Ganapathy, Boston Services, LLC, Burlington (2018)
- Fausto Garcia, Five Star Plating, Lawrence (2018 WINNER)
- Jose Garcia, Ebi Sushi in Somerville, Sapporo Ramen in Cambridge and Sushi Kappo in Boston (2018, 2019)
- Rafael Guzman, RM Technologies, Inc., Lawrence (2013 WINNER)
- Elias and Juana Interiano, El Potro Mexican Bar & Grill in Lowell, Malden and Somerville (2018)
- Ely Kaplansky, Kaplansky Insurance, Needham (2019)
- Venkat Kolluri, Chitika Inc./Cidewalk, Westborough (2015)
- Marc-Andre Lebel, FRX Polymers, Inc., Chelmsford (2016)
- Christine Lin, The Cambridge Institute of International Education, Waltham (2014)
- Yan Liu, TVision Insights in Boston (2018)
- Ravi Meruva, IconSoft, Burlington (2015)
- Lisandra Mones, Glitterati Style, Salem (2013)
- Charbel Najem, Capstone General Contracting, Worcester (2014)
- Vijay Nalamada, Avco Consulting, Worcester (2017)
- Joseph Ngaruiya, A Better Life Homecare, Springfield (2019 WINNER)
- David Nguyen, US Bedding Inc., Fall River (2017)
- Larry O’Toole, Gentle Giant Moving Company, Somerville (2016)
- Hitendra Patel, IXL Center, Cambridge (2016)
- Dmitriy Peregudov, GiftBasketsOverseas.com, Arlington (2014)
- Daniel Perez, DPV Transportation Worldwide, East Boston (2017)
- Jose de la Rosa, Guardian Healthcare, Jamaica Plain (2017 WINNER)
- Tony Salem, Sea-Dar Construction, Boston (2016)
- Ashish Sangani, GIRI Hotels, Quincy (2012)
- Amir Shiranian, Amelia’s Taqueria, Inc., Boston and Brighton (2017)
- Julia Silverio, Silverio Insurance, Lawrence (2012, WINNER)
- Helene and Thomas Stohr, swissbakers, Allston and Reading (2015 WINNER)
- Sushil Tuli, Leader Bank, N.A, Arlington (2012)
- Son Vo, TTS Trio, LLC, Fiskdale (2019)
- Paolo Volpati-Kedra, Sauces ‘n Love, Inc., Lynn (2013, 2015)
- Rosemary Agbede, Unique You Salon, Lowell (2013)
- Maria Alcantara, Lawrence Training School, Inc., Lawrence (2018)
- Adolfo Alvarado, Tu Y Yo Mexican Restaurant, Somerville (2018)
- Victoria Amador and Rosa and Nisaury Tejeda, Tremendous Maid LLC, Jamaica Plain (2014 WINNER)
- Yovanny Arias, Sharps Barber Shop, Hyde Park (2018)
- Elias Audy, Cypress Automart, Brookline (2016)
- Denise and Sambath Ban, Simply Khmer Restaurant, Lowell (2014)
- Carlos Barbosa, Colors of Cape Cod, Hyannis (2019)
- Victor Barros, Systemize Networks, Stoughton (2014)
- Arturo Barroso, Boston Shoe Service, Boston (2014)
- Edan Barshan, Universal Dental Plan, Boston (2014)
- Umesh Bhuju, Zumi’s Espresso and Ice Cream, Ipswich (2012, 2013, 2018 WINNER)
- Veronice Biscalquim, Outstanding Cleaning, Inc., Somerville (2018)
- Freddy Blanco, Don Quijote Market, Boston (2018)
- Jitka Borowick, Cleangreen, Inc., Barnstable (2017, 2018)
- Brad Brown, The Blue Frog Bakery, Jamaica Plain (2018)
- Alberto Calvo, Stop & Compare Supermarkets, Chelsea (2014, 2015)
- Angelica & Diana Cardona, Chocolafee, Revere (2016)
- Martin Carrera, La Veracruzana, Amherst and Northampton (2015)
- Frank Chan, Chan Insurance Agency, Boston (2019)
- Eva and Nick Chau, Tai Tung Pharmacy, Boston (2016)
- Henry Chung, Pho Saigon, Lee (2012)
- Sebastian Corbat, Del Sur LLC, Lowell (2019)
- Mario Cruz, Mario’s Subs and Salads, Roxbury (2017)
- Luiz DaCosta, Modular Concepts LLC, Marlborough (2019)
- Agusto “Gus” DaCunha, Ola Cafe, Somerville (2019)
- Tom Dang, Pho Da Lat Restaurant, Lowell (2013)
- Javier Diaz, Rincon Caribeno Restaurant, Hyde Park (2014, 2015)
- Larry Dossantos, 912 Auto, Dorchester (2012 WINNER)
- Margarita Druker, Persona Jewelry in Boston (2018)
- Mai Du, Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy, Malden (2016)
- Calvin Duong, New Century Auto Collision and Service Center, Lowell (2013)
- Ahmed Egal, Car Service Boston, Boston (2015)
- Edna Etienne, LeFoyer Bakery, Mattapan (2019)
- Yessy Feliz, Tails, Inc., Jamaica Plain (2017, 2019 WINNER)
- Tania and Antonio Forte, Red Fez Bar and Grill, Chicopee (2018)
- Ruth Francis, P&R Ice Cream and Restaurant, Mattapan (2015)
- Julia Frenkle, Opus Design LLC, Brighton (2016)
- Fernanda Ghi and Guillermo Merlo, Artango Dance School, Brighton (2018)
- Shelia Gibbs, Optical Expressions, Springfield (2018)
- Zoila Gomez, Gomez and Palumbo LLC, Lawrence (2019)
- Jose Antonio Guerrero, Cafe Azteca, Lawrence (2014)
- Suraj Gurung, Asian Star Markets LLC, West Springfield (2016)
- Andres Gutierrez, JP’s Massage Therapy Center, Jamaica Plain (2015)
- Dheyaa Habeed, Baghdad Bakery and Market, West Springfield (2016)
- Eli Hsu, Tepthida Khmer, Lowell (2012)
- Janet Hung and Delia Vildoso, Tiny World Child Care Inc., Brookline (2014)
- Juan Ingles, Imigrante Latino America Services, Chelsea (2013)
- Kham Inthirath, Envision Digital Group, Worcester (2017)
- Mahmud Jafri, Dover Rug & Home, Natick (2013 WINNER)
- Marie Claire Jean-Guillaume, La Ronde de Marie Claire Early Learning Center, Hyde Park (2013)
- Jean Jose, J&R Enterprises, Malden (2019)
- William Joseph, Globo Computer Center, Lynn (2019)
- Fahri Karakaya, Pera Mediterranean Bistro, Williamstown (2018)
- Sandra Katz-Deleon, Center For Bilingual Services, Lawrence (2016)
- Inna Khitrik, Inna’s Kitchen, Boston (2018)
- Rowaid Khudhur, STELA TECH, Worcester (2017)
- Sun Kim, Sun Kim Bop, Springfield (2018)
- Nai Nan Ko, Ko Automotive Group, Wellesley (2014)
- Fatima Langa, Muqueca Restaurant, Cambridge (2016)
- Hong Liu, A Friendly Inn at Harvard, Cambridge (2015)
- Francisco Lora, Tropicana Market, Salem (2013)
- Gerardo Loza and Hilda Torres, My Little Best Friends Early Learning Center, Malden (2016 WINNERS)
- Josefina Luna, CEROcoop, Boston (2017 WINNER)
- Roger Magalhaes, Shades in Place, Franklin (2012)
- Valentin Maldonado, Continental Construction Group LLC, Lynn (2017)
- George V. Markos, Brother’s Deli, Lynn (2015)
- Giuseppe Masia, Giuseppe’s Fresh Pasta and Fine Foods, Inc., Newburyport (2019)
- Danaris Mazara, Sweet Grace Heavenly Cakes, Lawrence (2016)
- Ricardo Miranda, Miranda Auto Body, Springfield (2014)
- Moe Mobasherat, Omnidentix & Associates, Medford (2016)
- Mike Mohamed, Il Forno Restaurant, Acton, Fitchburg and West Boylston (2017)
- Miriam Morales, Recreo Coffee and Roasterie, West Roxbury (2019)
- Ekaterina Morozova, Lash Boutique, Hyannis (2018)
- Tarun & Simi Narula, Spice Root Indian Restaurant, Williamstown (2012)
- Anthony O. N. Ngethe, Nursecare Transportation, Methuen (2015)
- Ky Nguyen, Kingston Station, Boston (2015)
- Phong Nguyen, Yoki Restaurant, Medford (2014)
- Phalla Nol, Phalla’s Produce, Lowell (2019)
- Elizabeth Nolberto, Ellie’s CPR and First Aid Training, Lawrence (2016)
- Jignesh Patel, Jay Square, Beverly (2016)
- Colette Phillips, Colette Phillips Communications, Boston (2016)
- Damaris Pimentel, ULTRA Beauty Salon, Jamaica Plain (2013, 2015 WINNER)
- Roger Samkhon Pin and Soben Pin, KhmerPost USA, Lowell (2014)
- Gildardo Preciado, Preciado Corp d/b/a Tertulias Café, Boston (2019)
- Antonio Rodrigues, TNT Cleaning Services Inc., Assonet (2016)
- Elizabeth Rodriguez and Gladys Ruiz, Little Children Schoolhouse, Brookline (2015)
- Maria Rosa, Yeska Cakes, Lawrence (2013)
- Monica Ryan, Strawberry Child Care, Watertown (2017)
- Nabil and Joseph Sater, The Middle East & ZuZu, Cambridge (2014)
- Magbe Savane, Makomas LLC, Revere (2016)
- Harley Silva, Cape Cod Marble & Granite, Inc., Hyannis (2017)
- Manuel Silva, Silva’s Mini-Market, Lowell (2013)
- Marc Silva, Somerville Sustainable Cleaning, Cambridge (2014)
- Shane Smyth, Hugh O’Neill’s Restaurant and Pub, Malden (2019)
- Neily Soto, Soto Real Estate Services, Lawrence (2012)
- Joe de Souza, Modelos Market and Cafe, Somerville (2016)
- Rodrigo Souza, Comeketo Brazilian Steakhouse, Leominster (2018)
- Helene and Thomas Stohr, swissbakers, Reading (2013)
- Abrar Ali Syed, Pine Banks Animal Hospital, Malden (2012)
- Sabrina Tan and Chin Lee, Flavours of Malaysia, Pittsfield (2014)
- Malee Thai, Pailin Market, Lowell (2012)
- Douglas Tran, All Seasons Table, LLC, Malden (2013, 2016)
- Hong Tran, LEHONG Attorneys at Law, LLC, Malden (2019)
- Long Tran, Viet Thai Restaurant, Lowell (2012)
- Huoi Trinh, My Xuyen Corporation, Dorchester (2012)
- Angel Valdivia, Angel’s Painting, Inc., Framingham (2013)
- Carlos Vargas, Vargas & Vargas Insurance, Dorchester and Stoughton (2015)
- Myra Vargas, J & P Cleaners, Jamaica Plain and Roslindale (2017)
- Tania Vega and Jose Roberto Vega, River Grille, Hyde Park (2015)
- Patria Veras Valenzuela, Sonia’s Bridal, Jamaica Plain (2013)
- Yolanda Villamil, Alpha Travel Agency, Worcester (2015)
- Weidong Wang, Baba Sushi and Chuan Sushi Restaurants, Worcester (2014)
- Angela Westen, Angela Westen Insurance Agency, Lowell (2013, 2016)
- Ahmed Yusef, Suitmen LLC, Worcester (2019)
- Raj Aggarwal, Localytics, Boston (2017)
- Vikram Aggarwal, EnergySage, Cambridge (2014)
- Ahmed Albaiti, Medullan Inc., Cambridge (2017)
- Edison Almeida, eCurv Inc., Cambridge (2016)
- Rajini Anachi, mZeal Communications, Littleton (2016)
- Ash Ashutosh, Actifio, Inc., Waltham (2013)
- Mahmud Awan, Tech Man International LLC, Southbridge (2015)
- Aki Balogh, MarketMuse, Inc., Boston (2018)
- Panos Bethanis, survey.com, Boston (2018)
- Himanshu Bhatnagar, HB Software Solutions, Lowell (2013)
- Sridhar Bogelli, Apps Associates LLC, Acton (2018)
- Vladimir Bulovic, QD Vision, Lexington (2016)
- Dries Buytaert, Acquia, Burlington (2015 WINNER)
- Kris Canekeratne, Virtusa Coroporation, Westborough (2012)
- Sandro Catanzaro, DataXu, Boston (2017 WINNER)
- Lior Div, Cybereason, Inc., Boston (2018)
- Semyon Dukach, SMTP, Inc., Cambridge (2015)
- Max Faingezicht, ThriveHive, Boston (2018)
- Alexander Falk, Altova, Inc., Beverly (2018, 2019)
- Joshua Feast, Cogito Corporation, Boston (2015, 2017)
- Lingping Gao, NetBrain, Burlington (2017)
- Ashifi Gogo, Sproxil, Inc., Cambridge (2013, 2014)
- Bart Heilbron, BlueConic, Inc., Boston (2018)
- Bettina Hein, Pixability, Boston (2014, 2018 WINNER)
- Lissy Hu, CarePort Health, Boston (2017)
- Qichao Hu, SolidEnergy Systems, Woburn (2018, 2019)
- Fauzia Khan and Mansoor Khan, Alere Analytics, Lowell (2014 WINNER)
- Larry Kim, MobileMonkey, Inc., Boston (2019 WINNER)
- Minh (Sam) Le, HeliDirect LLC, Malden (2017)
- Idriz Limaj, connectRN, Inc., Waltham (2019)
- Natan Linder, Tulip Interfaces, Inc., Somerville (2018)
- Jennifer Lum, Adelphic Mobile, Waltham (2017)
- Mihael Mikek, Celtra, Inc., Boston (2016 WINNER)
- Gaugarin Oliver, RedEgg Solutions, Waltham (2012)
- Bhaskar Panigrahi, Unique Computing, Cambridge Technology, CellExchange, ConnectM Technology Solutions, Ecovent Systems and Cambridge Energy Resources (2017)
- Christina Qi, Domeyard LP in Boston (2018)
- Vasu Ram, Content Raven, Marlborough (2015)
- Rama Ramakrishnan, CQuotient, Cambridge (2015)
- Markus Rex, ownCloud, Lexington (2016)
- Pedro Santos, OsComp Systems, Somerville (2014)
- Anil Shah, MRCC Solutions, Billerica (2017)
- Swapnil Shah, FirstFuel Software, Lexington (2014)
- Omri Shor, Medisafe, Boston (2016)
- Elad Shoushan, Ready4, Boston (2017)
- Marin Soljačić, WiTricity Corporation, Watertown (2013)
- Nagarjuna Venna, BitSight Technologies, Cambridge (2017)
- Massimiliano Versace, Neurala, Inc., Boston (2019)
- Dinesh Wadhwani, ThinkLite LLC, Natick (2015)
- Anita Worden, Solectria – A Yaskawa Company, Lawrence (2015)
- Xavier Xicay, Tuatara Corp., Boston (2014)
- Sudhir Agrawal, Idera Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge (2016)
- PJ Anand, Alcyone Lifesciences, Lowell (2016, 2019)
- Patrick Anquetil, Portal Instruments, Inc., Cambridge (2019)
- Garo Armen, Agenus, Inc., Lexington (2016 WINNER)
- Bela Asztalos, PhD, Boston Heart Diagnostics Corporation, Framingham (2014, 2015)
- Pravin Chaturvedi, PhD, IndUS Pharmaceuticals, Woburn (2014)
- Laxman Desai, Toxikon Corporation, Bedford (2015 WINNER)
- Johannes Fruehauf, BioLabs and LabCentral, Cambridge (2017 WINNER)
- Guangping Gao, Voyager Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge (2018)
- Waleed Hassanein, TransMedics, Andover (2019)
- Jan Kieleczawa, Wyzer Biosciences, Cambridge (2019)
- Michael Koeris, Sample 6 Technologies, Woburn (2017, 2018 WINNER)
- Magdalena Leszczyniecka, STC Biologics, Cambridge (2016)
- Chiang J. Li, Boston Biomedical, Inc., Cambridge (2013 WINNER)
- Vincent Linder, Claros Diagnostics, Woburn (2012)
- Alexey Margolin, Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Newton (2017)
- Davide Marini, Firefly BioWorks, Inc., Cambridge (2014)
- Salvatore Mascia, CONTINUUS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Woburn (2017)
- Krishna Menon, Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc., Beverly (2015)
- Babak Movassaghi, InfiniteMD, Inc., Boston (2019)
- Bernat Olle, Vedanta Biosciences, Inc., Cambridge (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 WINNER)
- Marta Ortega-Valle, Greenlight Biosciences, Medford (2019)
- Ajikumar Parayil, Manus Bio, Cambridge (2017)
- Elisabet de los Pinos, Aura Biosciences, Cambridge (2016)
- Shahin Pourrahimi, Superconducting Systems, Billerica (2017)
- Josef von Rickenbach, PAREXEL International Corp., Waltham (2014 WINNER)
- Derrick J. Rossi, Moderna Therapeutics, Cambridge (2015)
- Ram Sasisekharan, Visterra, Inc., Waltham (2019)
- Amarpreet Singh Sawhney, Ocular Therapeutix, Inc., Bedford (2012 WINNER)
- Sharon Shacham, Karyopharm Therapeutics, Newton (2019)
- Jonathan Thon, Platelet BioGenesis, Cambridge (2018)
- Oliver Yu, Conagen, Bedford (2016)
- Vincent W. Coljee, Excelimmune, Inc., Woburn (2012)
- Bin Wu, Phosphorex Inc., Hopkinton (2019)
- Andrey Zarur, Greenlight Biosciences, Medford (2014, 2019)
- Yang Zhao, Memsic, Inc., Andover (2012, 2013)
