GRANT’S DESI ACHIEVER
PHILANTHROPY WITHOUT BORDERS
Chandrakant Shah, helping dig a well in Africa.
By SHAGORIKA EASWAR
Chandrakant Juthalal (Cijay) Shah says he has made philanthropy an important part of his philosophy in word and deed.
Besides his family’s financial contributions to worthy causes globally, he has successfully inspired others to give by leading by example.
“It’s not about how much we’ve donated, but how much that donation was able to garner from others,” says the entrepreneur and philanthropist. “It’s not about donating to high profile causes where your name appears in a newspaper. If my one dollar creates three or four more, I am happy.”
Pressed for details, he mentions raising US$120,000 for the Rotary Club over the years, which earned him a Major Donor recognition and the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow award for humanitarian work from Rotary International; and donating over $250,000 to the Anishnawbe Health Centre in Toronto, the Sanatan Mandir and the Jain Society of Toronto.
He has been involved in a multitude of projects across three continents, including school buildings, fresh water for villagers, toilet blocks for girls in India and orphanages for HIV-affected children in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
A bulk of the money they donated and helped raise for Rotary Club went towards building 100 toilets in rural Maharashtra.
He points out that the lack of toilet facilities doesn’t only affect girls – many of whom are forced to drop out of school – but also young female teachers.
Sharing a meal with students at a school in his ancestral village, Padana, near Jamnagar in Gujarat, sitting on the ground under a tree, Shah saw the need for a dining hall and other facilities. He helped build a school complete with toilets, a library, computer hall, dining hall, canteen and fully-equipped kitchen.
The school caters to nearly 20 surrounding villages and the subsistence farmers in the arid region are unable to provide nutritious meals for their children. “When they started out, they had only a handful of girl students, that number has now grown to 100 girls and 400 boys,” says Shah. “A focus on education and health, while prioritizing women and girls has always been a major thing for me. I believe that access to education should not be impacted by poor health.”
To this end, he helped build hand-washing stations at a school in rural India.
“Making sure they wash their hands before eating reduces possibility of infections, hospitalization and missed time at school. We partnered with a local foundation that donated soap and also with UNESCO in Mumbai. They send representatives to talk to the students about the importance of cleanliness and monitor that standards are maintained. We don’t just give or build and move on, we commit to an ongoing involvement.”
To prevent water-borne diseases like cholera and ringworm, he helped build a 70,000-litre fresh water concrete tank at the Hope School in Mbita in western Kenya. With funds from Rotary and his family they built a pipeline to the municipal water source – three kilometres away – to draw water to large rubber tanks that they provided. When that proved inadequate, Rotary built the tank.
Again, through Rotary and his family, he assisted the Ubuntu Life Foundation source medications and organize medical camps for children suffering from neurological disorders. He’s also donated desktops and laptops to the Ebenezer Children’s Home in Nairobi.
“We go to Kenya every year. I was born there and I still have family there. I always have lots of baggage allowance so I find ways to fill it!” he says with a chuckle. “Every time we go to Kenya we take electronic devices donated by people in Toronto.”
Staff at the orphanage provide training on how to search for information online, how to use email and work on school projects, etc. Several of these children have gone on to become nurses, police officers, engineers and doctors.
His donation to the Anishnawbe Health Centre was made in memory of his father who passed away from diabetes-related complications at a young age.
Diabetes is very prevalent in the Indigenous community, too, and he says he felt it was their duty to support the Indigenous community in a land where the family has found success.
“This is their land, we owe it to them,” says Shah. “I admire Anishnawbe Health’s work to bring together Western and traditional Indigenous medicine to support the First Nation’s community in Toronto. The preservation of culture, identity and communal traditions are important for health.”
At a washing station at a school in India.
Born in Kenya, he did his A-Levels at Oxford and studied chemical engineering at University College of Swansea in Wales, before moving to the US for his MBA at the University of Wisconsin.
Fresh from business school, his family asked him to operate their export/import business in England. Shah then started and managed a steel roofing business in Nigeria, West Africa, for 10 years for his family.
“My roots and my educational and work background place me in a unique position – I have allegiance to many places,” says Shah, explaining the wide reach of his philanthropic projects. “My heart and emotions are invested in all of these places.”
Shah moved to Canada in 1988 with his brother Mahendra, and their families followed soon after. The timing was right, he says, because he and his wife Ranjula had begun thinking about their children’s education.
Upon landing, Shah and his brother explored various business ideas for a few months before finally acquiring a small company called Foamco for just $100,000. Today, Foamco is the largest independent fabricator of polyurethane foam, supplying cushioning foam to the largest furniture manufacturers in Canada. In recent years, the company has diversified into other segments of the furniture industry and has become one of the largest manufacturers of compressed bed-in-the-box mattresses.
The group also owns Ultramatic, Canada’s leading brand of luxury mattresses and adjustable beds. With unique sleep technologies and an innovative showroom concept, the company is embarking on an expansion phase with new stores scheduled to open all across Ontario.
Starting from just seven employees to a workforce of 60 and three facilities across the GTA, it has been a journey of building on family values and helping others along the way. Shah had instructed managers at their plant to hire any new immigrant who approached them for a job – even if he or she was a physician in the country they came from – because any employment history counted towards Canadian experience.
The difficulties for internationally-trained professionals still exist to a degree, he says, but things are much improved now with many programs for newcomers.
Having lived, studied and worked in several countries, he faced no challenges settling in, though he did change his name. “Chandrakant Juthalal was just too much for most Canadians! I shortened it to the initials, CJ, spelt Cijay, to make it easier for everyone!”
As someone wishing to set up a business, Shah faced another kind of barrier. Banks were unwilling to loan money to “East Indians” with no business experience in Canada. With the support of the extended family, they used their own money for the initial period and were able to show the bank a profitable business in three years.
“Then they were willing to lend us more! You know what they say about having to make money to borrow money.”
Ranjula, who studied microbiology at St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai, had been a teacher in Kenya and worked at RBC when the family moved to Canada. However, with the kids growing up and Shah having to be away frequently on business, she decided to focus on the home front and social work.
“We have always believed that family comes first, children’s upbringing is the most important,” he says.
Their daughter Shreya graduated from London School of Economics and worked with Goldman Sachs in London, England, before returning to Toronto and is currently a director on the fixed income bonds trading desk at RBC Capital Markets. She is also a qualified level one Iyengar yoga teacher, shares her proud father.
Their son Adarsh graduated magna cum laude with an engineering degree from Cornell University. He worked for a strategy consulting company in New York, Toronto and Mumbai before joining the family business. He manages the business now, building upon the foundation that his father set.
There’s a funny story behind how Shah’s son took the leadership position. One year, Shah returned from a vacation to find Adarsh sitting in his chair at the office. “I’m going to run this from now on,” he informed his father.
“You know what I said?” asks Shah with a laugh. “I said, ‘Thank you!’ My business commitments had been taking time away from my charitable work and I was happy to step back and let him take the reins.”
He is equally proud of his daughter-in-law, Sona, a partner in an insolvency firm, and “two sweet granddaughters” Sienna and Leana.
He now devotes his time to charitable activities and governance of the Shah family structure. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, hiking, swimming, gardening, travel, wine collection and a good game of bridge.
His tips for newcomers are practical.
As soon as you land in Canada, do a computer course. Even if you are familiar with different programs, join a class, get a certificate.
Chandrakant Shah with his family. “We have a family constitution, a code of conduct. The family philosophy is to honour our elders. I believe I am here because of my family and those are the values we have inculcated in our children. Those are the values our grandchildren will take forward as they thrive in this land.”
Irrespective of your qualifications or work experience in your home country, don’t apply for similar jobs right away. Get a reasonable-paying job, at a lower level if need be, in a mediumscale company. Get a letter of reference after six months and then, with this and the certificate of a course completed in Canada, start applying for better jobs at larger firms.
“We have to prove we have what it takes,” says Shah. “It may seem like I am suggesting immigrants sacrifice six months but think of it as investing six months in your future. If you start firing off resumés for top jobs right after landing, chances are you may end up losing six months or more anyway.”
As for his legacy, he doesn’t think in terms of buildings with his name on them. “To me, it’s immaterial whether the name above a school or a hospital is mine. We have a family constitution, a code of conduct. The family philosophy is to honour our elders. I believe I am here because of my family and those are the values we have inculcated in our children. Those are the values our grandchildren will take forward as they thrive in this land.”
• Grant’s is proud to present this series about people who are making a difference in the community. Represented by PMA Canada (www.pmacanada.com).
