Q: American companies are increasingly offshoring work to your hometown. How do you feel about the offshoring of jobs to India?
A: It’s a very controversial topic. Deep inside, I don’t feel good about exporting jobs. I would like to see our own people employed here. I’m an American. I made my fortune here.
Q: Why did you leave India to come to the United States?
A: I came here from Bangalore, India, in 1982 to get a master’s degree in electrical engineering. My goal was to get a job in America and become an American citizen. I’m among a billion people in India. Here I’m one among 280 million people.
The United States is three times the size of India, so the opportunities were phenomenal here, and there is such a huge demand for electric engineers, I would never be without a job.
Q: Why did you decide to start your own company?
A: When I graduated from Arizona State University, I got a job as a design engineer at GTE – today known as Verizon. Two years later, they sold my division to the West German company Siemens AG. I asked myself one day whether I would ever be president of Siemens.
This was in 1988, and how often do you see minorities as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company? So it was a very easy decision to leave Siemens.
Someone gave me an opportunity to work for them at Telecom Equipment Corp. They said they would help me start my own company if I worked there for six months, but they didn’t fund me. So I borrowed $80,000 from a friend, started Microtech-Tel, and I never looked back.
Three years later I turned around and bought Telecom Equipment Corp. I built this corner office myself, so there’s tremendous pride in that.
Q: Microtech-Tel is a telecommunications provider of office voice and data services. How do you compete with big telecom companies? How do you grow?
A: It has become much harder because there is too much capacity and not enough customers. Four years ago we used to sell a T1 (high-speed data line) for $1,500 a month, and today we sell it for less than $500 a month. We grow by buying companies. I bought three companies this year so we could get their customer base.
We have 50 employees, but we had 100 employees in 2000. After Sept. 11, I had to lay off half my staff. It was very traumatic for me. To tell someone they don’t have a job, you’re hurting their livelihood. There were tears in my eyes many times.
Q: When and why did you start using the nickname “Sam”?
A: Qwest flew me to Denver and gave me a whole day of tests and interviews for its executive fast-track program. The human resources manager told me that whoever passed the tests would never be denied a job at Qwest and would be guaranteed to become a vice president. I passed all the tests, but they never called me back.
The senior manager at Qwest may have thought that “this guy really doesn’t fit in with our crew,” but nobody called me up and said that.
It’s such a long name, I think that could have been one of the reasons, or my accent or the color of my skin. So I licked my wounds and went on with my life.
Q: Do you think people with uncommon, ethnic names face similar problems in corporate America today?
A: I truly believe that. You need to blend with the crowd, become a John Smith or something. My daughters’ names are Sheila and Sonya, because the names are both Indian and American. I want them to blend into the American society. There’s less of a glass ceiling today than 17 years ago, but there is still a glass ceiling; I don’t care what anyone says.
Q: You’ve said that Bangalore is the Silicon Valley of India. What’s driving growth there?
A: There are probably a hundred institutes (schools) in Bangalore alone. That has always been the case there. My dad was an engineer in India in 1951. All the men in my family are engineers. A good job and lifestyle is very important. The growth is being driven by American technology.
Q: Do you feel increased recognition of outsourcing has led to a backlash against India? Have you personally experienced a backlash or discrimination?
A: Yes. I’ve been asked many times if I outsource my work to India. I’m not outsourcing anything; 100 percent of my people are Americans.
I think India is getting a bad rap now. The more jobs that go to Bangalore, the more hatred we might face here.
I’ve created 50 jobs, and 80 percent of my people make an average of $50,000 or more. That’s pretty good, isn’t it? I’m going to take heat for this (from Indians here), but I’m an American and I’m going to look out for America.
Q: TiE (Talent, Ideas and Enterprise) is a worldwide organization of professionals established to foster and nurture entrepreneurs. How did you become involved with the group?
A: I was one of the founding members of the Washington, D.C., chapter and was on the board of directors. When I moved to Colorado, I joined this chapter and was later named president of the board. My term ends in January.
At TiE Rockies we mentor young entrepreneurs, introduce them to attorneys, venture capitalists and possible employees. We help them build a board of directors and advisers. We’ll mentor you so you don’t make the same mistakes we did.
Edited for space and clarity from an interview by staff writer Kimberly S. Johnson.
