Remarks by Engineer Ghassan Saab, Corporate Leader LARP II
Open Ceremony, Beirut, Lebanon - September, Friday 12, 2008

His Excellency Minister Mohammad Safadi representing President Michel Sleiman, honorable members of the Lebanese government and Parliament, Madam Ambassador, distinguished members of LARP, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I stand here before you completely flattered by the honor the LARP has bestowed on me by asking me to lead this delegation and address this distinguished gathering. It is an occasion every native son of our beloved Lebanon who emigrated to the many corners of the world in search of opportunity, would be honored to receive.

First, how does a boy who grew up in Shoueifat, or any other village or city in Lebanon, leave his country to a far away land, forges a life in a foreign society and comes back to his native Lebanon decades later addressing a group like this in a foreign language? It is the story of Lebanese emigration that has distinguished our DNA for at least a century and a half. We have made our mark, a good mark, on all walks of life in our new homes, from Australia to the Americas and every continent in between. Whether in business, industry, government, civic or philanthropic,

we have done it all. Our record is one of which our native Lebanon is justifiably proud.

The characteristic story you hear is of the Lebanese immigrant arriving at the shores of a new land, with barely enough money to buy food for one day and no knowledge of the local customs and language. Then in a short time, through ingenuity and hard work, becomes a success. While I have no doubt many can tell this story with honesty; I cannot; it is not my story. When I left Lebanon for the United States, I was not destitute; I spoke good English and already had a job. Most importantly I was equipped with a degree in Civil Engineering from a great American institution: The American University of Beirut.

The job I had was with a construction company and I started out as a 21-year-old intern in 1966.  The rest of the story is not untypical. With hard work and diligence, America was good to me. I was running the company in three years and I owned it outright within eight.

I was able to apply my education in the fields of construction and later real estate development, and over the years built organizations in Michigan and other states.

While America was indeed the land of opportunity, the distinct qualities derived from my Lebanese heritage helped me thrive along the way. A Lebanese wouldn’t be Lebanese without knowing how to deal with people and prioritize education and success at work, coupled with valuing family and his or her roots.

With success came the duty of giving back to the society that welcomed me as one of their own. So I engaged heavily in volunteer work by serving on many boards, charitable, civic and otherwise. This however did not satisfy my burning desire to give back to my native country, my beloved Lebanon. This is not as easy to do as we like it to be.

I can tell you about what I have done in this regard over the years. While they make me proud I say it apologetically is not enough.

I have chosen the avenue of serving American education in Lebanon by being involved with the Lebanese American University at the governance level for over 27 years; as well as with my Alma Mater AUB, in various capacities. My wife and I have set up endowed scholarship funds in both. I have in many ways helped rebuild UCA (Arabic), one of the leading English instruction schools in Lebanon; and bring it back to life after it was destroyed in the war. This was done with my brother-in-law Mr. Walid Abushakra, a leading international educator.

My wife was on the Saint Jude Committee that investigated and established the Children Cancer Center in Lebanon; I cannot take credit for this since it was her work, but can take credit for marrying her.

Two days ago, we dedicated a fire truck for the town of Deir El-Kamar. This was a Rotary funded project. Three Rotary clubs, the Shouf Rotary, Dubai Rotary and my own Flint Rotary in Michigan collaborated on fundraising and applying to the RI Foundation to come up with the necessary funds to buy a fire truck and present it to the Mayor of Deir El-Kamar. This was probably the 15th Rotary project in Lebanon in which I either took a leading role or participated. There are dozens of other projects like this one sponsored by Rotary throughout Lebanon.

Every native son and daughter who is experiencing life in an advanced society wishes to restore that quality of life for Lebanon. Yet there are too few avenues to contribute fully. How do we put the vast experience of the Lebanese Diaspora at the service of Lebanon in a comprehensive manner? For that we need major institutions, governmental and nongovernmental, that are dedicated to this cause.

We can begin with quality of life and environmental issues. I am certain we can marshal enough resources to avert the environmental disaster Lebanon is heading towards. Water quality and availability is not what it should be, sewage and waste treatment is inadequate and air quality has substantially deteriorated, even to the naked eye, over the last few decades. The diminishing of this beautiful country’s green cover is another area where we can start and really make a difference.

While life abroad has certainly been good to many of us, a Lebanese emigrant, does not forget the homeland he or she left behind, always searching for a way to give back and remain involved; my wish today is for Lebanon to create more opportunities for us to contribute, whether in resources or in expertise for the betterment of Lebanese society.

I thank you for bestowing on me this wonderful honor right here in my homeland by giving me the opportunity to speak to you. I wish you a successful conference and Allah yihmi Lubnan.