Team Greenway: Naomi (Left), Amir (Center), Makenzi (Right), Khosro Khan (Front-Center)
Dr. Mounir Girgius founded Greenway Biotech Inc. in 1989 after successfully serving southern California for over 20 years. He eventually decided to sell the company due to health and personal matters.
At the time I (Amir Tajer) just graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering -- eager to begin a new chapter in my life, and start my own business.
Most of my family and friends thought it would be a big mistake for a 21 year old to start his own business without any real life experience. They thought I should either work for a few years or continue my education by pursuing a master’s degree in management/business before starting on my own.
However, I was done with school and never had the desire or personality to work for someone else. Ever since I was a little kid I always dreamed of having my own business.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what I really wanted to do. I looked at many different types of businesses from manufacturing kit cars to a franchise restaurant. But none of them seemed to convince me.
All I knew was I wanted to do something that would positively influence the world -- something fulfilling and special to me. That’s when I came across Greenway Biotech, Inc. which reminded me of when my parents used to tell me growing up “The best business is the food business”.
When I joined Greenway Biotech, Inc. in 2012, I didn’t know much about the industry. I spent countless hours reading and learning about the agriculture and food industries. Growing your own food without the harmful chemicals available in most commercial fertilizers and pesticides, intrigued me.
At the time I was obese (about 300 lbs) with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc. I struggled with my health since the age of fourteen. At one point, I exercised regularly 4 to 5 times a week without seeing any considerable improvement in my health. I remember growing up, my mom always tried her best to raise my sister and I healthily, but I loved fast food way too much.
My mom jogged every day and for years she tried to have me join her, but I never did. After speaking with a nutritionist, I learned that the most important factor in our health is our diet.
Once I changed my diet, I lost about eighty pounds. I immediately knew helping others become healthier and continue leading a healthy lifestyle was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
When I became Greenway's CEO, over 98 percent of our sales came from local nurseries, landscape companies, and golf courses. But we decided to change our business motto and started selling online for the very first time after 24 years.
Once we had changed our business motto, half way through 2013 over 90 percent of our sales came from homeowners. Additionally, after many requests from our customers to carry beauty and personal care products, we introduced our latest line of products including Magnesium Chloride and Epsom Salt.
Ultimately, I would like to thank our loyal customers for their continued love and support because without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today. With their support we’ve managed to increase our sales over 1000% in less than 4 years.
We appreciate their choice of living a healthy lifestyle and caring for our environment.
Thank you for growing with Greenway!
Amir Tajer | President