DEARBORN — On March 26, during a ceremony at Byblos Banquet Hall, four local businesses were inducted into the 2015 American Arab Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. 

This year’s Entrepreneur Hall of Fame inductees include Saad Abbo, founder of U.S. Ice Corporation; Sam Elhaf, president of Royal Furniture and Gifts; Nasser and Nemer Ziyad on behalf of all five partners of the Ziyad family of Ziyad Brothers Importing and Zouher Abdel-Hak, owner of N.J. Diamonds.  The 2015 Emerging Entrepreneur Award was given to Adnan Cheaitli, owner of Xushi Ko.

Attendees heard about the state of Michigan’s small business economy from speakers Steve Arwood, CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation; Tim Attalla, executive director of Wayne County Edge; Camille Walker Banks, executive director of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Detroit and Vicky Rad, deputy director of the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development.

Several elected and public officials attended the event, including dignitaries from the federal, state and local level.