Archive for the ‘SEEDS’ Category

When the global recession and spike in energy prices hit Jordan in 2008, entrepreneur Suzan Kilani saw a business opportunity. She and other partners started an energy efficiency company that helps commercial and residential clients identify ways to cut their fuel bills. “Everybody was complaining because they could not afford to pay their electricity bills,” says Kilani, a 2009 graduate of SEEDS. ”So we thought, ‘This is the right time to do this business.’” SEEDS is a women’s entrepreneurship program that Thunderbird runs in partnership with the Business Development Center in Jordan. Funding comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program provides two weeks of business education for Jordanian women at Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona. Watch the video above to learn more.

Jordanian fashion designer Shahd Al-Zubaidi promotes her company everywhere she goes. During two weeks of SEEDS courses at Thunderbird, she frequently wore clothes that she designed herself. SEEDS is a women’s entrepreneurship program that Thunderbird runs in partnership with the Business Development Center in Jordan. Funding comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program provides business workshops and site visits for Jordanian women at Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona. Through the program, Al-Zubaidi also will receive two years of business mentorship from 1981 Thunderbird graduate Babs Ryan, author of America’s Corporate Brain Drain and the founder and president of Sparks Worldwide. Watch the video above to learn more.

Jordanian businesswoman Lara Sami Khamash grew up in a home with plenty of good food. “My mother is a very good cook, and she enjoys talking about her recipes,” Khamash said. “She wanted to share this love with her children, so she taught us to cook at early stages.” Khamash, who runs a human resource management firm, has a new company that will share her mother’s kitchen creations with families across Amman. “We’re trying to do it in a very authentic way,” says Khamash, a 2009 graduate of SEEDS, a women’s entrepreneurship program that Thunderbird runs in partnership with the Business Development Center in Jordan. Funding comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program provides two weeks of intensive business education for Jordanian women at Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona. Through the program, Khamash also will receive two years of business mentorship from 1984 Thunderbird graduate Colleen Foster, owner of Colleen Foster & Associates. Watch the video above to learn more.

Jordanian businesswoman Hind Al-Fayez works in outdoor advertising, but her dream is to establish a television station that promotes Jordanian culture. “There is big demand for such a TV station,” says Al-Fayez,  a 2009 graduate of SEEDS. “We lack variety and the options of local and national TV stations.” SEEDS is a women’s entrepreneurship program that Thunderbird runs in partnership with the Business Development Center in Jordan. Funding comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program provides two weeks of intensive business education for Jordanian women at Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona. Through the program, Al-Fayez also will receive two years of business mentorship from Jill Hanks, a special projects producer at KPNX-TV (Channel 12) in Phoenix. Watch the video above to learn more.

Business is a family matter for Hala Shalan, a Jordanian entrepreneur who runs a fire alarm and security system  business with her husband. “Husband and wife together 24/7, that is a challenge on its own merit,” Shalan says. “But we’re trying to separate business from family.” Shalan is a 2009 graduate of SEEDS, a women’s entrepreneurship program that Thunderbird runs in partnership with the Business Development Center in Jordan. Funding comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program provides two weeks of intensive business education for Jordanian women at Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona. Through the program, Shalan also will receive two years of business mentorship from Julie Lutz, a 2006 Thunderbird graduate and global marketing manager with Ingersoll Rand. Watch the video above to learn more.

Jordanian businesswoman Fatima Al-Turk put her family first and still found time to launch a human resource management company with her husband and two friends. “The most important challenge is the balancing,” says Fatima, who helped start the company in April 2008 after raising her children. “For me, my priority is my home, my kids and my husband, so sometimes I have to concentrate on this and give less importance to my business.” Al-Turk is a 2009 graduate of SEEDS, a women’s entrepreneurship program that Thunderbird runs in partnership with the Business Development Center in Jordan. Funding comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program provides two weeks of intensive business education for Jordanian women at Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona. Through the program, Al-Turk also will receive two years of business mentorship from human resource professional Shelle Cleveland, president of The Ashley Cleveland Group, an organizational effectiveness and executive coaching firm in Arizona. Watch the video above to learn more.

Shireen Yacoub, the communications and outreach associate manager for the Business Development Center in Jordan, talks about SEEDS, a women’s entrepreneurship program that Thunderbird runs in partnership with the BDC. Funding comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program provides two weeks of intensive business education for Jordanian women at Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona. Watch the video above to learn more.

Jordanian businesswoman Nedal Shtaiwi went to work quickly after the Business Development Center hired her to open an office in Aqaba. Shtaiwi organized Aqaba’s first career fair, which attracted 4,000 applicants for 1,000 jobs from 150 companies. “The event was a great success,” says Shtaiwi, a 2009 graduate of SEEDS, a women’s entrepreneurship program that Thunderbird runs in partnership with the Business Development Center. Funding comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program provides two weeks of intensive business education for Jordanian women at Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona. Through the program, Shtaiwi also will receive two years of business mentorship from Connie Kadansky with Exceptional Sales Performance. Watch the video above to learn more about Shtaiwi’s story.

Hanan Nahar is a Jordanian businesswoman and entrepreneur, but she is also a mom with a passion for early childhood development. Her goal is to launch an interactive Web site on parenting and child care. “Eighty percent of the brain develops in the age between zero and five, so it’s a very important stage for children,” says Nahar, a 2009 graduate of SEEDS, a women’s entrepreneurship program that Thunderbird runs in partnership with Jordan’s Business Development Center. Funding comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program provides two weeks of intensive business education for Jordanian women at Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona. Through the program, Nahar also will receive two years of business mentorship from Karen Barr at Raising Arizona Kids magazine. Watch the video above to learn more about Abu Duqer’s story.

Environmental engineer Muna Hindiyeh, Ph.D., has plans for a company that will turn food waste into irrigation water. “It will help in unconventional ways to produce new resources of water that will help keep landscaping green,” says Hindiyeh, a 2009 graduate of SEEDS, a women’s entrepreneurship program that Thunderbird runs in partnership with Jordan’s Business Development Center. Funding comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program provides two weeks of intensive business education for Jordanian women at Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona. Through the program, Hindeyeh also will receive two years of business mentorship from Laura Burgis, an environmental engineer with Burgis Envirolutions in Arizona. Watch the video above to learn more about Abu Duqer’s story.