Iranian of the Day

Washington (USINFO) -- Were you to talk to Isaac Larian about his childhood in Iran, he would not wax nostalgic over childhood games or playthings. In fact, he would tell you that when his friends and cousins played or went on vacation, he did “constant, hard work” helping his father run a retail textile business.

Today, Larian is president and chief executive of the largest privately held toy company in the world, MGA Entertainment, based in Van Nuys, California. (The ranking is based on market share comparisons.)

On November 17, Larian was named national Entrepreneur of the Year at a ceremony in Palm Springs, California, for his “innovation, financial success and personal commitment” in building a world-class business, according to Ernst & Young, the accounting firm that sponsors the annual award. Larian is the 21st winner and will represent the United States at the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in 2008. Only one American has won the world award.

Born in Kashan, Iran, in 1954, Larian came to the United States when he was 17. He said that when he came he had two priorities: “to survive and to get an education.” He graduated from California State University, Los Angeles, with an engineering degree in 1978. But he did not stick to the sciences. “It was no twist of fate” that led him to the toy business, he said. “I have always been interested in the exhilarating nature of selling a product.”>>>

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