Voice for the Arab American community
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| AACC Chairman Ahmad Chebbani. "I'm honored and humbled, and I thank the Detroit News and the nominators |
Ahmad Chebbani, CEO of tax firm, helps immigrant businesses prosper, influences Middle East policy
The Detroit News
June 2, 2011
Warren Avenue in east Dearborn reflects a classic version of the American Dream. Blocks that once were declining now brim with shops primarily started by Middle Eastern immigrants or their descendants.
Ahmad Chebbani, founder, president and CEO of Omnex Accounting & Tax Services in Dearborn, has played an influential role in helping many of those businesses prosper. The 50-year-old Lebanese immigrant has guided hundreds of small entrepreneurs and their families through the strange new world of American taxes.
He has played a pivotal role in helping those businesses get respect in the region via the Arab American Chamber of Commerce, which he co-founded.
And Chebbani still works to get the voice of his community heard in the volatile world of Middle East politics. He has met several U.S presidents, including President Obama, in an attempt to influence Washington's Middle East policy.
Chebbani is chairman and co-founder of the American Middle East Economic Affairs Committee, which organizes the U.S.-Arab Economic Forum that brings together international leaders and businesses to forge economic and personal ties that will foster more stability.
"No one understood the agony of immigrants when I first got here," Chebbani says. Two years ago, he bought the 15,000-square-foot building on Warren Avenue. The building is headquarters for Omnex, which employs 20 and serves 700 businesses.
"I have lived that pain and I want to help change that."
Chebbani is tireless, judging by the number of boards of directors he sits on and political advisory panels to which he's been appointed.
Chebbani came to the United States at age 19, not knowing any English. During one of his first jobs as a gas station clerk, he received an official government form in the mail that "scared him a little bit," he recalls. It was a W-2 tax form.
The experience prodded him to get a corporate finance degree. At first, he simply helped other Middle Eastern immigrants figure out their taxes. As many of them became merchants, he soon became their accountant and financial adviser.
"He's been an amazing influence," said Kasey Chammout, owner of La Pita restaurants, who relies on Chebbani's advice.