David Shavolian

David Shavolian is a Jewish immigrant from Iran who today is engaged in the business of real estate. The world of real estate sparked his interest after working in his father’s garment business. Although he does some work in residential real estate, David’s primary focus is on commercial real estate properties.

At the present, David is focusing his attention on about three or four major projects. One of these projects in particular involves the negotiation process for the retail portion of a building located in the borough of Queens, Ridgewood in New York City. The other portion of the building in question currently houses a Lucille Roberts women’s health club and fitness center for a lease of 15 years.

The building was originally two separate buildings before David Shavolian had it converted into a single unit. This included the construction of a new elevator shaft and laminating the building in white glass so it would transfer to a prominent building in the area.

This is just one example of how Shavolian displays his unique talent and shows that he has an eye for the potential of a property or an area. He is able to choose real estate in up and coming areas, identify where they need improvement, and see it done to make the property as successful as possible. He chose the Queen’s building in particular based on this, as he knew that the community was favorable. Sure enough, his insight proved to be accurate and , approximately eight months later, an article in the New York Times proclaimed Ridgewood to be one of the most happening Neighborhoods in New York.

David Shavolian may be a successful businessman in the American real estate industry now, but the path he traveled was not an easy one. He has endured struggles and hardship, and his present success stands as a testament to his drive and determination in the face of adversity and uncertainty.

Journeying across the World in Pursuit of Freedom

David Shavolian was born in 1971 in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. As a Jewish person living in Iran, David faced some form of persecution. Despite Jews having lived in the area of Iran for over 2500 years, they find themselves living as second-class citizens in their own country in a variety of different ways.

Although conditions have improved greatly for Jews in Iran in the past decades, much of the Iranian Jewish community still lives under suspicion. Though they enjoy a measure of religious freedom, many Jews are the targets of unwarranted suspicion and false accusations by the Iranian government. Common amongst these accusations are claims to be in cooperation with “imperialist America” or the Zionists, a movement within Judaism that sees the Jewish people more as a sovereign nation than a religious faith. Jews convicted of having ties to either are often sentenced to imprisonment.

At the young age of 13, David Shavolian was forced to escape this persecution by retreating Iran. His father had already left the country on his way to the United States. However, in order to prevent Jewish emigration, the Iranian government generally does not allow Jewish families all travel at the same time. This meant that David’s journey would prove much more difficult than simply going to the airport and getting on a plane bound for America.

Instead, David rode on the back of a camel from Iran to Pakistan, traveling all of the way to the city of Karachi. He remained there for a month simply trying to survive before finally acquiring a visa that would take him to Austria. Once there, Shavolian then had to apply for the necessary permits to travel to the United States. Four months later in 1986, Shavolian finally arrived in America.

Although David Shavolian had finally attained his goal of reaching the United States, his difficulties were not yet over. The young Iranian Jewish boy who stepped off the plane had little money in his pocket and could not speak a single word of English. Luckily David was able to get in touch with his father, who had already been in the country for years.

Reunited at last, his father wasted no time in enrolling his son in a local high school. Here David learned English and, after his graduation, worked with a dry cleaner. Shortly thereafter, his father opened up a business for the manufacturing of ladies’ garments, and David joined him in the business. Driven by ambition, the father-son duo turned to the real estate market together, and Shavolian began learning all of the important real estate business skills that have led him to industry success today.

Coming to the Rescue of Israeli Orphans

In addition to being the backbone of his businesses, David Shavolian’s father was also a major leader in his community. He was a generous and compassionate man, admired and respected by many. He had a desire to give back, which he passed along to his son, which was best exemplified by the father-son duo’s work with the Israeli orphanage Ohr-Hashalom.

The man who ran Ohr-Hashalom organization approached David’s father and explained how the difficulty they encountered in raising the funding that they needed. In response, David and his father both became highly active and personally involved in raising funds for the organization. Thanks to their efforts, the orphanage grew from just 25 children to over 150 children.

Ohr-Hashalom prides itself on its inclusiveness. It accepts children from any background without asking how or why they are there. It then provides these children with the food, shelter, clothing, and education that they need in order to become successful adults. And although his father passed away five years ago, David Shavolian continued his good work with the Ohr-Hashalom orphanage in his honor.

After the recent economic recession took its toll on the real estate industry, many businessmen and –women in the field began to worry about their futures. But for David Shavolian, whose past has already presented him with so much hardship, the future only looks bright in comparison. He faces the future with renewed fervor having confidence that

For starters, despite his success in the field so far, David plans to ramp up his real estate business efforts. This means skillfully managing his handful of current projects and seeing them through to completion before taking on even more new endeavors.

David retains his eye for potential quality when it comes to scouting out new real estate properties with which to work. He plans to put this skill to use identifying new, up and coming trends and demands in both commercial and residential real estate. In this way, he can ensure that each of his properties is tailored to best match its area while appealing to the broadest range of potential buyers possible.

Shavolian also plans to continue his work with Ohr-Hashalom, the orphanage in Israel that he and his father have helped to fund for many years now. David keeps his father’s legacy of sound business in service to the community alive by continuing to procure funding for this admirable organization. Though he was not an orphan himself, growing up as a child of a religious minority in his homeland of Iran showed David what it is like to be a child facing want and hardship. Now he hopes to spread his success to those children facing similar or worse circumstances, giving them a chance that they may not otherwise have had. David Shavolian wants to impact the lives of children so that they understand that with effort and hard work, absolutely nothing is impossible for them.