Manahar (Manu) Shah came to the United States from India in the mid-1970s hoping to create opportunity for his family and for others with a natural stone company. He has done just that with remarkable success.

In 1981, while still operating out of their basement, Shah secured the contract to supply the black granite for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. With their entire savings invested in the project, they made sure it was executed perfectly.

Shah soon moved the company to Southern California near its focal distribution points. Since then, he has grown the company into a worldwide flooring, wall and countertop-surface business with nearly $2 billion in annual revenues and 2,500+ employees worldwide.

He has been recognized for his achievements with the 2007 Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Distribution, Manufacturing, and Security category. He also received the Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Award from Purdue in 2018.

In 2018, his family generously donated $2.5 million to launch the Shah Family Global Innovation Lab at Purdue Engineering. The lab is designed and equipped for exploration and problem solving to generate global impact.