INDO-US In The News

By ERNEST HOOPER
Published May 22, 2007

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Jill Isaac stands before the cameras in the WEDU studios putting the final touches on the latest episode of Small Business Academy, but not without displaying her penchant for perfection.She begins the take but stumbles ever so slightly. I’m not even sure why she stops, but she starts over. She does it again before achieving the perfect closing on the third take.The stops and starts make me wonder if the frustration of being both producer and on-air talent for the show ever becomes too taxing, but nothing seems to dent Isaac’s love of television.

“For me, it’s about the influence and impact it has on the masses, ” Isaac said. “Society needs steering, and it’s not going to necessarily happen through books anymore.”

For the past eight months, Isaac has tried to steer people into the world of small business. The show profiles local entrepreneurs in an effort to inspire others.

The next installment, which airs Thursday at 9 p.m., explores how family-run Sol Davis Printing dealt with the death of Wilbert Davis, one of the first soldiers from Tampa to die in Iraq.

Upcoming shows will feature Jeffrey Hess of Hess Fine Arts and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.

With WEDU sitting in a local enterprise zone, the station has a goal of promoting business development. Both Isaac’s show and a second program, Suncoast Business Forum, aim to educate about business opportunities.

Her show debuted in September. Reaction from friends and even strangers has Isaac convinced of the program’s impact.

One person asked her about starting a tea room after seeing a profile of Kim Pham, co-owner of Tampa’s Kaleisia Tea Lounge.

“I’m helping people. I know I am, ” Isaac said. “I’m encouraging them to get off the miserable situation they’re in with that minimum-paid job and inspiring them to start small businesses.”

Diversity also plays an important role.

“Tampa Bay is completely diverse, but it’s not being represented through the airwaves, ” Isaac said. “If you look at the representation of the community, it’s not reflected in TV.”

Isaac said she empathizes with entrepreneurs because of her own background. She worked as a producer for a number of small television news networks in Asia after graduating from the University of Toronto.

Her resume includes productions in such cities as Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Hong Kong; New Delhi; Bangalore, India; Singapore; Bangkok; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Karachi, Pakistan.

She returned to North America to earn two master’s degrees from Seton Hall’s Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Affairs. Now she calls St. Petersburg home and says the area around the Vinoy Resort looks just like Singapore.

In addition to the show, Isaac also teaches a class on intercultural communications at the University of Tampa.

Television, however, remains her first love.

“This medium is one of the greatest influences out there, and I think that gets me excited, ” Isaac said.

It makes me want to take a chance. Almost.

That’s all I’m saying.

 

Jaseline Johnson

University of Tampa, adjunct professor

Larry Halstead

Web Editor/Staff Writer

Johnson is currently teaching cross-cultural communications at UT, a course that taps into her experience as a television producer in Asia. Fluent in Malayalam and French, she became a media consultant after a successful run as a producer.

But during the Asian economic crash in the late 1990s, Johnson lost her job as a producer because she was an expatriate with no seniority at the company. The layoff proved to be a life-changing event.

Johnson had produced game shows that won an Asian Television Award in 1998. At the awards night, she parlayed that recognition into becoming senior producer for Dateline Malaysia, which was heavily covered by international media and gave her the exposure and experience that prepared her for her next step.

That success enabled her to become a media consultant for various networks in Asia over the next four years until she was appointed as an associated producer for Canadian Broadcasting Corp. in Canada.

Her expertise in corporate media and her fluency of Asian language brought her numerous clients from countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and the American United Emirates.

Working with international corporations has given Johnson an opportunity to mingle with some of the world’s richest and most powerful businessmen. One common thread among them was: “You must never get too used to a comfort zone. To be successful, you need to work outside of your safety net,” she said.

Success seems to be connected with action and successful people make mistakes, but they don’t quit, she added.

Johnson was recently accepted to the board of directors for the United Nations Association for the United States of America, Tampa Bay Chapter. She is also establishing a soup kitchen in St. Petersburg to feed the homeless and poor.

lhalstead@bizjournals.com | 813.342.2467

By AAKASH M. PATEL

	Dr. Akshay Desai

Seven Indian Americans received the prestigious Ellis Island Medals of Honor on May 12 for 2007, up from five last year, reflecting and increase in influence of the community in mainstream America. Among the seven were Florida physicians Akshay Desai, Kiran C. Patel, both of the Tampa Bay area, and Mammen Zachariah in South Florida. All three were presented the award at a ceremony for 100 recipients in New York.

The award was established by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO) in 1986 to pay tribute to U.S. citizens who have made important civic, artistic, scientific and commercial contributions to America. Four U.S. presidents, several senators, congressman and Nobel Prize winners are among the remarkable group of past recipients. The Ellis Island Medals of Honor are sanctioned by the U.S. Congress and recipients’ names are listed in the Congressional Record.

A St. Petersburg-based physician and entrepreneur, Desai is founder and CEO of Universal Health Care Inc. He serves on the state’s Board of Education and is a member of the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

	Dr. Kiran C. Patel

A Tampa-based physician and philanthropist, Patel is chairman of the nonprofit Dr. Kiran C. Patel Foundation for Global Understanding that develops and funds a wide variety of programs in health, education, arts and culture. He serves on the board of trustees of the University of South Florida and is a member of the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

	Dr. Mammen Zachariah

A Fort Lauderdale-based physician, Zachariah is a cardiologist at Holy Cross Hospital. The hospital’s Zachariah Family Wellness Pavilion promotes heart-disease prevention. In 2004, then Florida Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Zachariah to the Florida Board of Medicine, a position in which he serves today.

“2007 marks another great year for achievement in many fields by a diverse group of individuals,” NECO co-chairman Nasser Kazeminy said. “NECO is proud to honor those who make a difference in all of our lives, and who embody those core human values which we as Americans cherish.”

For Zachariah and Patel, the Ellis Island Medals of Honor award seems to run in the family. Zach Zachariah, the brother of Dr. Mammen and also a Fort Lauderdale cardiologist, received the award in 2004. Dinesh Patel, the brother of Dr. Kiran and a founding managing director of vSpring Capital in Utah, received the award last year.

The other Indian Americans included in the list were: Kirti Desai of New Jersey, president of a construction company; Jacob Eapen, a pediatrician from California; Smita Shah of Illinois, president of an engineering and construction management firm; and Daniel Thomas, a periodontal specialist from Kansas.

Aakash M. Patel is secretary of the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and can be reached at 813-936-5100 or Apatel@bankonparagon.com

Tampa Bay Business Journal - May 4, 2007 by Danielle Randall Staff WriterThe closest Indian consulate to Tampa is Houston, and that’s too far for Bay area port and elected officials given India’s growing positioning as a global business force.A just concluded visit to Tampa by Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen and his wife along with Houston-based Consul General S.M. Gavai didn’t land a local consulate in Tampa, but it did make progress in laying a groundwork for increased international business with Asia.”It’s all about opportunities and future growth,” said Richard Wainio, director and CEO for the Tampa Port Authority. Last week, Sen made a round of visits to high-profile government officials such as Mayor Pam Iorio and renown philanthropist Dr. Kiran C. Patel. Sen and Gavai were guests of honor at an Indo-US Chamber of Commerce event held at the University of Tampa April 25. “We’re trying to get in on the ground floor and cultivate those opportunities, and we’re hoping to grow existing fertilizer [and steel] export trade to develop and further diversify trade relations,” Wainio said. Mayor invited abroad Real business connections between the Bay area and India’s business community begin with government officials having a better understanding of each other’s needs, elected officials said. Sen’s visit with Iorio and Mark Huey, Tampa’s economic development administrator, resulted in preliminary talks about working together. “It was a mutual commitment to try to broaden ties,” Huey said. “This is another example of Tampa’s growing prominence in the international market.” At the end of his visit with the mayor, Sen invited her to make a trip to India. For at least 25 years, India has had a trading relationship with the Port of Tampa. India receives nearly 100,000 tons of Tampa-originated cargo a year, the Port said. The port’s Asia Gulf Express Service began last August and utilizes two shipping lines, Emirates Shipping Line and ZIM Integrated Shipping Services. Combined, the lines provide 10 vessels with the capacity of 3,000-TEU each (20-foot equivalent units, or 20-foot container) direct from China, stopping in Korea, Panama and Kingston en route to Tampa weekly, the port said. But there’s a lot of room for growth. The port is hoping to further grow its container trading service connections to India in the next few years, Wainio said, pointing out that India could be among the top three largest global economies in the world based on projected gross domestic product in 20 years. Positioned for growth Connections with India are likely to impact every community in the country in coming years, said Santosh Govindaraju, chairman of the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce. That makes communication between government officials key in making sure Tampa businesses don’t miss out on profitable business opportunities, he said. Tampa is also well positioned because it is home to some of the most prominent Indian American business people and philanthropists in the United States including Kiran C. Patel, who recently made a $18 million contribution to the University of South Florida. The community also includes Dr. Akshay Desai, president and CEO of Universal Health Care, a member of the Florida Board of Governors. Others include Shilen K. Patel, a director for Tampa-based Central Bank, and Raxit Shah, a hotelier who has served on the board for the InterContinental Hotels Group in Atlanta. drandall@bizjournals.com | 813.342.2463

From left to right: consul general from Houston Shri S.M.Gavai; Richard Wainio, director of Tampa Port Authority; Braham Aggarwal, president of the Indian American Chamber of Commerce in Orlando; Samant Sharma, president of the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce in Tampa; Ambassador Ronen Sen; Santosh Govindaraju, chairman of the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce in Tampa; and Aakash M. Patel, secretary of the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce in Tampa. View Larger

United Way Women’s Leadership Annual Lunch Gala
Date: April 26th, 2007
Time: 11:30 am -1 pm
Location:
Renaissance Tampa Hotel
International Plaza
Click here for more information

May 18th and May 19th

To be held at the University of South Florida and the Embassy Suites Tampa-USF (Near Busch Gardens)

Those interested in gaining visibility for their business should please complete and send the sponsorship packet to Samant Sharma. This stands to be a great event with over 4,000 attendees expected! Please act soon as limited amount of booth space remains! To download the International Business Summit Sponsorship Packet, please click here.  Summit Packet.

Thank you,
Samant Sharma, CFP(r)
Assistant Vice President
Financial Advisor
Merrill Lynch
26301 US Highway 19 North | Clearwater, FL 33761
Phone: (727) 799-5615 | Fax: (727) 797-8353 Toll Free: (866) 799-5615 samant_sharma@ml.com
http://fa.ml.com/SAMANT