Washington DC: USINPAC member Dr. Pradeep Ganguly has been inducted into the Maryland Economic Development Association’s (MEDA) Hall of Fame. Dr. Ganguly has been a member of MEDA since 1984. He is known for his tireless service, for giving back to the community despite the demands of a busy job. His innovations, projects and campaigns have led to economic growth in the State of Maryland and are a source of pride for the Indian American community.

“USINPAC commends Dr. Ganguly for his outstanding service and for being awarded the prestigious 2019 MEDA Hall of Fame Award,” Sanjay Puri, Chairman of USINPAC said.  “Dr. Ganguly is a longtime public servant, serving as top aide to successive governors and county executives in Maryland.  He is highly respected, and has also been a source of strength to USINPAC for years.  We extend our heartfelt congratulations for the high honor he has received which shines a bright light on the profound impact Indian Americans make on communities wherever they reside.”

Dr. Ganguly is the only Indian American in Maryland and the Washington DC region to receive this award.  Dr. Ganguly currently serves as vice president of Prince George County’s Economic Development Corporation.

USINPAC is a bi-partisan organization – the voice of over 3.2 million Indian Americans. We connect our members to candidates of their choice. During the 2020 election cycle, we will be hosting events across the country to make sure Indian Americans are heard. If you would like to be part of this historic effort and bring about outcomes that matter, sign up for our email updates and get involved today @ www.usinpac.com

The Maryland Economic Development Association recently announced its 2019 awards, naming Indian American Pradeep Ganguly to its Hall of Fame.

Ganguly, an executive vice president at Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation from 2011 until last month, was nominated for the honor by Lori Valentine, according to a MEDA news release.

“Congratulations on your selection for MEDA Hall of Fame. We are so excited to celebrate your contribution to the organization and economic development,” MEDA said in a March 31 email to Ganguly, which was obtained by India-West.

Ganguly currently serves as a chief strategy officer at various U.S.-based corporations, providing his expertise when called upon.

Prior to his stint with the Prince George’s County EDC, Ganguly was the vice president of business development at Interra IT; the vice president and marketing manager of the Government Employees Retirement Planning Foundation; a director of the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development; deputy director of Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources and Department of Public Works and Transportation; chief economist and director of research at the Maryland Department of Commerce; an extension associate of the University of Maryland at College Park; and assistant professor at the University of South Carolina.

A graduate of the Delhi School of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Clemson University, Ganguly created the India Business Center in partnership with Maryland Commerce resulting in the attraction of 12 Indian businesses, six of which have moved on to commercial office space.

He is the author of ‘Black-owned Business Enterprises in Maryland == Maryland is #1’. Governor Glendening signed into law the “Minority Business” agenda for his administration based on this report.

Ganguly will be honored at an April 29 dinner event.

Mr. Aziz Haniffa,

It is with Great Pleasure that I submit my sincere thoughts/views on Dr. Pradeep Ganguly of Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation (PGCEDC). This submittal is representative of the thoughts of the Family business in India, S. R. Beadings Limited (SRBL) which has been in business for over 35 years and led by my father Mr. Sanjeev Sachdeva as well as those of sRs McCoy Inc which is headquartered here in Prince George’s County and led by myself.

A little quick history as to how I/we came to know Dr. Pradeep Ganguly; In 2017 sRs McCoy Inc was selected to come to America and start a business by “SELECT USA” a division of the U S Commerce Department. Approximately one month later we did and upon our arrival and review of Representatives from all participating states we decided that our future looked and shined brighter after having met and spoke with Dr. Ganguly. Now let me say that this was a whirlwind process and what made it comfortable and easy to understand was Dr. Ganguly. Not only was he from India and very much familiar with our customs and ways of doing business, he was very informative and knowledgeable of U S Business Practices. I choose to look at Dr. Ganguly somewhat in the same manner as immigrants looked/viewed the Statue Of Liberty, we all have hopes, dreams, fears and anticipation but we don’t know what or where to go to get the answers and that’s exactly Dr. Ganguly helped us with…from helping in getting immigration status to registering of our company and introduction to Financial institutions. These tasks may sound little but have a high value when you do not know where to start from. For that I can think of Dr. Ganguly as an Ambassador, he was and remains “Our Ambassador” as he quickly answered all of our questions and pointed us in the right direction. Within hours, he helped and advised us to secure office space in a very desirable location, surrounding us with ongoing resources to assist with our growth. Dr. Pradeep and his staff at PGCEDC from Day one have been instrumental in helping us to grow our business and presence. More importantly, he is someone that I Trust and consider both a Mentor and Friend, both are going to Tell Me The Truth And Not What I Want To Hear… I make this statement off of the actions and performance of Dr. Pradeep Ganguly.

In the last year we have made great strides and I look forward to continued growth working with Dr. Pradeep Ganguly and the assistance of his staff. Should you have any questions/comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.  

Encl. is picture of our ribbon cutting ceremony at PGCEDC.

Introduction of the Organization:

Shree Hatkeshwara Group has been a pioneer in Trucking and Logistics Industry since its inception in 1999.We operate on PAN India level and specialize in transportation of Cement, GGBS, Steel and Chemicals like LPG and Propane. We transport cargo over 18 million metric tons per year in our own 1250 ++ vehicles. We are currently one of India’s largest fleet owners of bulkers. Shree Hatkeshwara Group is amongst the top three transporters of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. in western India. We offer our customers with services ranging from Rail Rake Management, Inbound and Outbound Freight handling at surface, Primary and Secondary warehousing/redistribution, Third Party Logistics and Surface Transportation services at most economical pricing options. Our major strength lies in customization, understanding customer’s requirement and designing service systems to suit their requirements with the help of dedicated team of qualified persons.

Establishment of USA Business:

Shree Hatkeshwara Group applied for SELECT USA Investment Summit 2016 and got selected to participate in the same in June 2016. After getting introduced to many county officials from across the USA, we received a heartfelt warm welcome from Dr. Pradeep Ganguly from Prince Georges’ County, Maryland. We established the business in Prince Georges’ County, Maryland in February, 2017 the company name being SHCM Worldwide Inc.  Our operations commenced from August, 2018.

As a trucking company the initial setup cost is much higher compared to other services. Our initial setup cost consists to buying trucks, a parking space, insurance, and then the expense for running these trucks. Though having an excellent credit history in India, being a new company in USA, our credit history score was zero. Dr. Ganguly came for our help by being a co-applicant and using his credit history to get us a credit line from the bank. Dr. Ganguly through the Prince Georges’ County, Maryland helped us in getting the best of work force, be it office staff or our drivers and not just that Dr. Ganguly helped us get a new office in the county area for our growing work force. He also helped in getting us the best prices for insurance of the trucks. Our operations are at the Port of Baltimore and hence we needed parking space for our trucks near the port, he helped us connect to the right people for getting us the perfect parking space.

Dr. Pradeep Ganguly has always been a great mentor. He has a great insight of various industries and an exceptional acumen of the market. This help him in providing correct and accurate advice and helping businesses grow. Dr. Pradeep Ganguly is a gem of a person with a great heart and is always willing to help out without any expectations.

At present SHCM Worldwide Inc. owns a fleet of 18 tractors and 36 trailers with a workforce of 23 employees. This would not have been possible without Dr. Ganguly’s support and blessings.

Knowledge@Wharton published a wonderful piece that addresses the issue of diversity and inclusion in today’s organizations, “Beyond Diversity: How Firms Are Cultivating a Sense of Belonging.” (Wharton, The University of Pennsylvania, May 26, 2019). https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/belonging-at-work/ 

Organizations, private AND public, are realizing that diversity and inclusion aren’t enough; what is needed today is a sense of BELONGING. With a real sense of belonging, people at all levels of an organization stay focused on the organization’s mission, goals and objectives, and achieve more.

We envision a workplace that is collaborative, supportive and mutually respectful, creative and innovative. It creates teamwork and produces outcomes that we want to celebrate. 

Often, these attributes go missing when someone – often the “leader” – makes it about themselves, demonstrates passive-aggressive behavior, or shows jealousy of others’ success.

Let’s celebrate the team and the team’s success. Together, we achieve more!https://www.inc.com/john-boitnott/3-signs-youre-toxic-person-in-your-workplace-and-what-to-do-about-it.html?_lrsc=c5929f73-87ce-42d9-8a0e-92931c45998f&utm_source=social&utm_medium=li&utm_campaign=elevate

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” And, how about Michael Jackson, who said (sang): “If you want to make the world a better place. Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.”

I like this timely article by Srikanth Devarajan: “Company Culture – the myth and change,” (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/company-culture-myth-change-srikanth-devarajan/?trackingId=X2EWSio5UtMjTIsKxRxY9A%3D%3D

Devarajan states, “… organizations pride their company’s culture and passionately sell their company’s culture to employees and brand it as vital for success. Companies also spend a lot of time and money to make sure you are a fit into their “design.”

In my view, company culture is mostly defined by how it treats, and interacts with, its employees and stakeholders (not quite “how a company does things around,” as Devarajan states). Do employees feel “included:listened-to, valued, recognized and appreciated? Do employees fully understand the mission, goals and objectives; do they admire the leadership, and would help the organization get there? Are they able to articulate the company mission/vision statement, and a “value proposition”, to clients and customers in a way that relates to the customer’s current needs? Do employees believe that they are not just doing a job, but making a good organization great, helping the customers and stakeholders? 

It all comes from employees feeling that they are “included” – see my article on “Inclusiveness”). Do customers trust you and consider you to be a valuable partner? Do they believe that you can help them grow and become more “profitable”? Does the Board value you and your CEO, support your mission, goals and objectives, remain engaged and help the organization get there? Do they take pride in the success of the CEO and the organization?

It starts with ME, and you, and the organization.

Like Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Or like the legendary entertainer/singer, Michael Jackson said, “If you want to make the world a better place. Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.”

Too often, we get managers (“leader” wannabes) who set up unattainable goals; then use threats to accomplish those goals and targets. They often berate team members in meetings. To such leaders, team members are mere employees whose sole responsibility is to make the “leader” look good! Team members are always worried that they could be next on the chopping block!

You want to lead? You want to be a good leader? Create a circle of trust and make your team members feel “secure.” 

Simon Sinek got it right – good leaders “make their employees feel secure.” They bring Team members “into a circle of trust.”https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_why_good_leaders_make_you_feel_safe

Pradeep Ganguly, MEDA Hall of Fame, 2019. CSO at a U.S. Corporation promoting ThinkTrends.co

Here is a great interview by Jamie Dimon: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/career-advice-from-some-of-the-biggest-names-in-business/jamie-dimon-on-how-to-be-successful

How to be Successful (in your career, business, and in life)

Yes, you can be successful in your career, in business and in life.  Mr. Dimon puts continuous learning on the top of his list (just like “continuous improvement” used to define manufacturing excellence). Here are seven gems you can take away, if you want to build your career, and be successful in business and in life:

1.     Learn, learn, and LEARN. Learning should be a lifelong adventure.

2.     Treat others like you want to be treated.

3.      Don’t worry about your income level – it will rise as your level of expertise, and experience rise, and your successes pile up.

4.     Be open to changing your work/job, even if you like what you are currently doing and like the people you work with.

5.     Take care of yourself – your mind, body and spirit.

6.     Take care of your family (and friends). Spend quality time with your children.

7.     Have humility, openness and fairness. Build trust, so that people would love to work for (and with) you.