Shiraz designs a hit in Miami

His work appears in several magazines in the United States; his unique style indicative of the creative mind of this young man. Now the third largest manufacturer of customised home theatre wall units in Florida, Shiraz Ali, 31, is founder and chief executive officer of Miami Design Center Inc, with offices in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. As CEO, his portfolio also includes design engineering, architectural planning, financial projection and overall project management.

His humble beginnings were in Trinidad where Shiraz attended the Tunapuna Government Secondary School. It was here, he said, “I had the best teacher one could possibly have for technical drawing. Mr Tull inspired and taught me a lot. It was in his class that I developed a passion for drawing and designing and I knew from that point that I wanted to be an architect.” Later on, armed with a degree in architecture from Mobile, Alabama, Shiraz answered an advertisement from one of the largest cabinet manufacturers in Florida. During a three-year stint with this company, he realised the potential of the industry and decided to embark on his own.

“In 1995, I started from my bedroom, rented a small warehouse, hired three guys and went into the business of cabinet making using my own designs and engineering background. It was not easy at first but very soon, I was contracted by Sears to do exclusive kitchen remodelling for them. This was no easy feat. I was the first West Indian to be sub-contracted by a Fortune 500 company as large and renowned as Sears. My work was channelled through the counties of Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. I took a risk and it paid off!”

Although he gave up his contract with Sears in 1999, Shiraz still does consultation work for them when requested. “At this point, I had good financial investments and felt I wanted to do even more. In January 2000, I decided to embark upon a new venture. I saw the need for the personal touch in home theatre decor, so I launched off into custom designing of home theatre wall units: a home theatre unit comprises of a big screen or plasma TV, electronic components, surround-sound speakers, lighting effects and storage facilities. I was able to offer very competitive prices for my custom-designed units; this remains so today.”

His factory in Miami is just 3,000 sq ft and sub-contracts eight other cabinet shops to handle the volume of work. Product offerings comprises of 12 species of wood in addition to customised colouring via specialised computer programming. To do this, he scans the object that needs to be matched and develops a formula to manufacture a stain of that exact colour. Each unit is individually designed to the customer’s taste with material selected to suit one’s particular decor. Design enthusiasts can access his website at www.miamidesigns.com and preview a sample of his work.

Born in New York to Trinidadian parents, Shiraz visits TT about five times a year. He looks forward to these short visits, the most recent being a mere month ago. He says he feels invigorated by these family reunions. All his childhood memories are in Trinidad where he lived, while his mother, a graduate in psychology, business management and media broadcasting, was studying in New York. Sadly, his parents passed away while he was still in high school and so “home” for him was with relatives in Trinidad. After successfully completing CXC examinations, he returned to the United States and took up residence with an aunt in Alabama.

A normal day for this single, very eligible and enterprising entrepreneur starts at 5 am. An hour later, he is already headed to the factory where he spends maybe an hour supervising current work, and then he is off to meet with clients. As designer, accountant, salesman, engineer and production manager, Shiraz is on the go until late evening. “My office is in my home. I find it more convenient than an office in some business complex. I respond to all e-mails, phone calls and faxes. Customer satisfaction is my number one priority.  I have learnt never to misjudge a client.”

As a member of various societies, among them the TT/USA Chamber of Commerce, Shiraz is constantly busy. He is an avid racing car enthusiast and collects exotic salt-water fish. He is one of the sponsors of the USA Mastana Bahar annual show, Miami Carnival, other West Indian events and activities in three Miami mosques. “I must say that it has been difficult to survive successfully in the United States because of my Muslim name and culture, not only for me but for other professionals, even students. Especially since September 11, it has not been easy. It’s a constant battle but I am proud of my heritage; I have survived and advanced.”

Shiraz has considered opening a production facility in Trinidad but concluded that because of the freight costs involved, this would not be feasible; in addition, the market is too small here. He is driven by the element of competition in the US and credits his success partially to this. Very excited about his most recent accomplishment, he talks at length about an agreement with Sound Advice, the largest retailer of high-end electronics in the US. Sound Advice supplies and supports Miami Design Center at all their home shows and events. This benefits both parties tremendously, since a whole package is offered, including advice on electrical installation. These events are held three times a year at large convention centres in Florida, attracting over 500,000 local and international visitors every time. His company is one of about 200 participating in these displays. Apart from this exposure, Miami Design Center advertises in the Florida Design, Parklander and Interior Design magazines as well as local Miami newspapers.

Shiraz has his vision set on becoming the premier home theatre company in the US. With the business acumen that he so obviously possesses, there is no reason why this young man would not achieve the goal he has set himself. His advice to anyone contemplating a career is to “get into something you either love or like a lot. Success comes by virtue of hard work. If you like what you are doing, you will be driven to spend long hours, sometimes seven days a week, towards attaining your goal.”