This man has always been a rebel, even as a child. His childhood curiosity and dare-devil attitude took him to collect scrapes and injuries as medals of his escapades. Looking back, he says, “My mischief, my antics shaped my resilient nature helped me channel my curiosity and allowed me to take risks, meet challenges head on and turn ideas into tangible successes”.
Yet, success is a relatively mild term for what Satish has accomplished in the 40 years of being in the manufacturing industry. After all, how many people can claim that the business school they attended now bears their names! The Satish and Yasmin Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas speaks of a unique legacy that only few can dream of.
Interestingly, it was at the University of Dallas that SB International was born and today it has evolved as part of a group of companies with a huge revenue turnover, employment generation and is said to be one of the largest manufacturers, processors and distributors of oil and gas pipes in North America.
A steel baron with a heart of gold, Satish is also a serial philanthropist. He set up the Gupta Agarwal Charitable Foundation and has made major contributions including one to the Baylor Scott and White Heart hospital in Plano. He has served as a Trustee of the Southwestern Medical Foundation in Dallas. An ardent supporter of arts and culture, he is the President of the DFW Indian Cultural Society. “We are in serious discussions to commit ourselves to additional philanthropic projects in the fields of education and Children Health Care to study the impacts of meditation on Mental Health.”
Rebel is Born
Satish was born on May 1, 1959, to Chalti Devi and Baij Nath Gupta. They were a family of four brothers and a sister. Childhood years were carefree for him. He remembers being a boisterous child who enjoyed mischief and spending time with his friends.
Talking of his school years in Sonipat, he confesses that though he was not very academically inclined, he did have an affinity for numbers. “I would credit my school’s headmaster, who made us work hard in math, for honing my numerical and analytical skills that serve me well today.”
He moved to Chennai in 1976 for his BA in Economics from Loyola College. “My brother relocated to Chennai to manage our family business. Sonipat was a small town then compared to Chennai and moving to a city meant more opportunities.”
American Dreams
It was not easy to convince his family that going away to study in a distant land was a good idea but once again Satish’s persistence paid off and the family agreed. Gathering all information from his peers, he jetted off to the US in 1979. “There was no Internet back then so I relied on people who had actually made the move, and resources available at the library and the US embassy, which was promoting its educational institutions and advertising for students.”
This challenging move heralded the beginning of a success story worth emulating. During his MBA in International Trade and Management from the University of Dallas, Satish also worked part-time in the university to supplement his living. It was also here that he met a professor who would be instrumental in helping him start his company.
“I shared a business idea with my International Trade professor. I wanted to set up a company to export raw material such as copper, brass, stainless steel, etc, from the US to India. I had received many enquiries from business acquaintances from India and realized there was a demand gap. I had a plan but no idea on the rules and regulations involved in starting a new business in the US. He was already involved in a food export business and liked my proposal and became my partner. SB International was thus conceived in early 1981 before I graduated.”
Life: A Learning Curve
Once SB International took off, there was no looking back. New skills were acquired along the way. Satish says, “It was an entirely new business, and it took us time to establish a niche in being able to source and create a supply chain for secondary raw materials to export them to India which could make use of them”.
As they say, one man’s scrap is another man’s gold. In this case, by-products that were discarded as excess in the US became raw materials for utensils and other items in India.
As is with any business, they had their ups and downs. “Every penny counts when one is starting a new venture. We have had our share of failures and losses.” A partnership had gone all wrong and the other was an investment that took a considerably long time to deliver returns. “When we entered into a partnership with a firm, we invested all our profits into the business. An economic slowdown coupled with a legal dispute over ownership ended in huge losses. The other was an investment in a company that had declared bankruptcy. The state that it was bought in meant it took us nearly 18 years to recover our investment.”
And then the Iraq-Kuwait war happened in the early 90s – adversely impacting their car-export business to Kuwait.
“I learnt the lessons by heart and never repeated them. We learnt to do our due diligence be it in legal processes or working with the right kind of people.”
Today, SB International is a leading manufacturer, processor and distributor of steel pipe and tubing products to the oil and gas industry in Canada and the US. The company has been listed in the Dallas Business Journal as one of the 100 fastest-growing private companies in Dallas for five consecutive years and continues to experience tremendous growth across its ventures.
The learning curve continues as the company continues to diversify under Satish’s able leadership that bagged him a personal invitation to Harvard University’s reputed Owner/President Management (OPM) Program and saw him successfully graduate in 2013.
The Anchor
Be it challenges or achievements, Satish believes that nothing would have been possible without the support of his family.
His wife, Yasmin, has achieved success in her own right. She studied Public Relations at Stella Maris College in Chennai and has earned an MBA (International Trade and Management) from the University of Dallas.
“Yasmin and I were neighbors in Chennai, and she helped me apply to colleges in the US. We both did our MBAs in the same university.”
“She is extremely determined and has had a very successful career in banking before quitting to look after our children. But she continued to actively support my business, and is now the Director and Executive Vice President of SB International. Without doubt, she plays a very important role in our success, personal and professional.”
The couple is proud parents to three children. The eldest son, Arish, has a degree in computer science and joined the family business in 2007. Today, he successfully runs his own conglomerate. He is married to Kanchana. “I am very proud of his achievements, and we are working toward a common goal to ensure that any wealth we create provides multi-generational returns.”
Both the daughters are highly educated and well-settled too. Samantha is a medical professional and lives with spouse, Rajeev, and three children. The youngest, Kiran, is an HR professional. They are also actively involved in the investment process though they are not part of day-to-day operational activities.
His Source of Power
Satish’s spirituality keeps him grounded and also equips him with a giving spirit. He has invested in everything from culture to health, education and other activities.
In 2007, he founded the Gupta Agarwal Charitable Foundation to support education, public health, medical research and cultural awareness. “We also provide subsidized healthcare and currently have four clinics in Dallas that see around 25,000 patients annually.”
In 2014, they generously contributed to build the state-of-the-art SB Hall, home to the college of business for which they are the namesakes and more recently, a major contribution was made to the Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital in Plano for cardiac care research.
Satish has supported foundations like The Art of Living, Think India Foundation, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Symphony, Chinmaya Mission, etc.
As the President of DFW Indian Cultural Society, he remains committed to preserving Indian culture through events that showcase its richness. He is also involved in various goodwill activities in his village in India and has supported a school in Rishikesh, a Mobile Bus service to provide computer literacy in Haryana villages. Recently he funded a Skill Development Center in a village in Haryana through the EKAL organization.
He loves playing tennis, practicing yoga and going on walks. “I also love reading spirituality books. I am a seeker and reading provides me with opportunities.”
An adage goes, “Fortune favors the brave”. It surely has blessed Satish, who has conquered not just the sectors of metal, oil and gas, but has captured everyone’s respect with his heart of gold.