Coming out of Bowling Green State University with a freshly minted MBA in hand, Dan Ridi wanted nothing more than to work for a big American business and climb the corporate ladder.
But things didn’t go as expected.
Instead of climbing the rungs of corporate America, Mr. Ridi built his own ladder, one that led to the establishment of the S&G chain of convenience stores that now operates at 66 locations in western Ohio and southeast Michigan. The company also owns some stores that are leased to independent operators, including some that are branded as “Ridis” and are operated by Dan Ridi’s brother.
It was an improbable climb for a man who was born in a small village called Qusra that is situated 30 miles northeast of Jerusalem in the West Bank and has a current population of around 5,400 people.
“I always said I wanted to go study in America since I was 13 or 14 years old,” Mr. Ridi said. “I was kind of made fun of for that. It was like a taboo at that time for someone from my village to do that.”