The InterContinental Mzaar Mountain Resort and Spa in Lebanon was recently listed in the 50 most scenic mountain resorts by U.S. News & World Report.
The resort was featured alongside worldwide favorites like the Gstaad Palace in Switzerland and Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Colorado.
Located about one hour northeast of Beirut, the resort has over 135 furnished rooms and suites along with conference facilities and exquisite variety of dining venues, according to their website.
“Experience luxury amid snowy peaks at this InterContinental hotel less than 32 miles northeast of Beirut. Though you could easily spend your entire vacation skiing and snowmobiling in winter or hiking and rafting in summer, be sure to take advantage of the resort’s cinema, shops, heated indoor pool and kids fun center. Or, retreat to your Alpine chalet-inspired room or the on-site spa for a massage, facial or body treatment. When you’ve worked up an appetite, sit for a meal at one of six restaurants that serve everything from Japanese fare to Lebanese mountain cuisine to American classics.”
The InterContinental Mzaar Mountain Resort and Spa was named among the world’s most scenic mountain resorts. (Facebook/InterContinental Mzaar)
To learn more about the resort and reserve your room for a future visit, click here.
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Florida voters have sent a Lebanese American woman to Congress — a 5-foot-tall powerhouse Democrat who beat out a Latino Republican in a hotly contested Midterm race.
Donna Shalala, 77, is the second Lebanese American woman to hold a seat in U.S. Congress. The first was Ohio congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar, who served from 1977 to 1993.
Shalala is arguably one of the most qualified freshman members of Congress. She previously served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton, and as president of the University of Miami from 2001 to 2015.
The political veteran and fierce Trump critic beat her Republican opponent Maria Elvira Salazar with 51.7 percent of the vote.
Donna Shalala is the second Lebanese American woman to be elected to U.S. Congress. (Facebook/Donna Shalala)
“Mr. President, ready or not here we come,” Shalala told supporters during a victory speech in Florida. “Tonight I want you to hear a message of unity.”
Shalala was born in Cleveland to a Maronite Catholic Lebanese family — the daughter of Edna Smith and James Abraham Shalala. Her mother, a prominent Ohio attorney, practiced law for 50 years before retiring at age 91.
Her mother is recognized in Ohio as the first female attorney of Lebanese descent to practice law in Cleveland. Shalala, who will serve a large Latino population in her district, told NBC News she has an “extensive network of cousins throughout Latin America.”
“Lebanon has a long history of migration to the Americas, so while her grandparents settled in Miami at the turn of the century, their brothers and sisters settled in Cuba, Brazil, and Mexico,” NBC News reported.
Shalala will be sworn in Jan. 3 in Washington, D.C.
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The Central Station Boutique Bar in Beirut was featured among “The World’s 50 Best Bars of 2018.”
The World’s 50 Best Bars is an annual listing of the finest bars and alcohol establishments around the globe. Central Station was number 27 on the list!
The bar got its name from the once-functional Beirut train station, which is located near the Central Station Boutique.
The Central Station Boutique Bar is known for its “ability to deliver some very creative drinks,” according to the list. (Facebook/Central Station Boutique Bar)
“The menu is an appealing balance of humor and flavour, with a nice emphasis on taking something that feels familiar and reimagining it with a contemporary edge,” the list said.
The bar is located on Armenia Street, Mar Mikhayel in Beirut and is open 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. 7 days per week.
“The space elegantly combines dark wood with quirky touches, such as the railway carriage wheels suspended from the ceiling, while a long, focal-point bar runs the length of the room,” the list added.
Learn more about the Central Station bar and The World’s 50 best Bars list at this link.
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Billboard wrote that Slaiby’s “Achievement Of The Year” was when longtime client Abęl Makkonen Tesfaye notched his third consecutive Billboard 200 No. 1 single.
“Seeing Abel take over that stage and knowing how much it meant to him was very special,” Slaiby told Billboard. He has been working with the artist since 2012.
The entertainment media brand also recognized the Lebanese entrepreneur’s philanthropic efforts to build a Ugandan hospital with artist French Montana that opened in March of this year.
Learn more about Wassim SAL Slaiby and Billboard’s list of Power Players at this link.
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Two of Brazil’s main parties have nominated candidates of Lebanese descent for the country’s upcoming presidential election in October, according to an article by The National.
Fernando Haddad, former mayor of São Paulo, is running on one of the largest political movements in Latin America — the left leaning Workers’ Party.
Haddad was previously the running mate of presidential candidate Lula da Silva. He is widely expected to become a presidential nominee after Lula’s candidacy was denied by the Supreme Electoral Court due to his conviction for corruption crimes.
Fernando Haddad was Mayor of São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, from 2013 to 2017. (File photo)
Geraldo Alckmin, chairman of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party, is also a candidate for Brazil’s highest office. He previously served two non-consecutive terms as governor of São Paulo.
“Mr Alckmin, seen as a candidate for the business community in a country reeling from a crime epidemic and poverty, may have his work cut out but he is vying to replace Michel Temer, the incumbent and another politician of Lebanese heritage – his parents emigrated from the town of Btaaboura in northern Lebanon in 1925,” The National wrote.
Gerald Alckmin served as the Governor of São Paulo from 2001 to 2006. (File photo)
Lebanese descendants have called Latin America home since the late 1800s. They immigrated to Latin countries in two waves, most prominently after the collapse of the Lebanese silk trade.
“Should any of them be successful, they would join a long list of other children of Lebanese emigrants who have made their mark on Latin American politics, joining the recently-elected president of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Beníte and Argentina’s First Lady Juliana Awada,” The National reported.
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As a young girl growing up, actress Shannon Elizabeth always maintained close ties to Lebanese culture. After all, her parents belonged to a local Lebanese-Syrian club in Waco, Texas, and building a strong community bond was central to the family.
“I was really proud of that side of my life,” Elizabeth told Lebanese Examiner. “To be able to experience the food and the culture for me was something I felt a lot of people were missing out on.”
The actress – best known for her iconic roles in American Pie, Scary Movie and American Reunion – was born to a Lebanese/Syrian father and mother of English, Irish and German descent. She says she was always closest to the Lebanese side of the family.
Actress Shannon Elizabeth said she is proud of her Lebanese roots. (Facebook/Shannon Elizabeth)
“I remember going to my grandparents’ house quite a bit and it was always about cooking and Lebanese food,” she said. “I would get into the kitchen with my grandmother and help make Syrian bread.”
Elizabeth now maintains a non-profit animal rescue organization in Cape Town, South Africa called Animal Avengers. She started the organization in 2001 to help in the global effort in saving animals from going extinct.
Ironically, one of her favorite foods growing up was kibbeh nayyeh, or minced raw lamb or beef mixed with fine bulgur and spices. Now, her favorite Lebanese dishes are limited to vegetarian options like grape leaves and falafel.
“My relatives don’t understand it,” she joked. “There are a lot of great things that don’t have meat; it’s just about exploring it.”
Elizabeth initially started her organization as a dog and cat rescue, but expanded to South Africa after learning of the global poaching crisis. Through crowdfunding, she raised $30,000 – and the rest is history.
Shannon Elizabeth is best known for her iconic role in American Pie. (Facebook/Shannon Elizabeth)
“I loved the people (of South Africa), I loved the culture and I felt like I was closer to the issues here,” she added. “I felt like there was more that I could be doing with my platform.”
Although she is still active in the film industry, Elizabeth said she is dedicated to her organization, which could soon start work in the Middle East. In fact, she already helped sponsor a lion from Lebanon.
“There is a Lion that was rescued that I was told was originally from the Middle East,” she said. “I did a lifetime sponsorship for him to help pay for his expenses.”
She said she still has many connections in Hollywood, and hopes to someday build connections in Beirut.
“I would love to go to Beirut because that’s where our ancestors are from,” she added. “I’m waiting for the right opportunity, but it is very high on my list to get out there very soon.”
The Chairman and CEO of Société Générale de Banque au Liban (SGBL) Antoun Sehnaoui has bought the Pikes Peak National Bank in Colorado Springs, according to a spokesperson.
Sehnaoui is new the chairman of the Colorado-based bank and plans to use it as a hub for expansion across the United States.
He entered negotiations for the acquisition two years ago as an opportunity to expand around the world.
“(It’s an) excellent opportunity based on the bank’s solid management under an experienced, professional leadership team,” Sehnaoui said in a statement.
Currently, the bank has three locations around the Colorado Springs area with total assets held at almost $89 million. The bank has about 30 employees.
Antoun Sehnaoui is also a film producer and avid collector of the arts. (File photo/Imdb)
Sehnaoui was born in Lebanon in 1972 and moved to the United States during the Lebanese Civil War to study International Finance and Banking at the University of Southern California.
British-Lebanese banker Paul Raphael is now an executive vice-chairman of the Swiss multinational investment bank UBS, a source told finews.asia.
According to the website, UBS said it was discussing options to terminate Raphael earlier in the year but he made a comeback. He will now be Head of Europe and Emerging Markets for the company.
The 56-year-old banker is fluent in Arabic, French, Portuguese, and Spanish and English. Raphael received a bachelors in Economics from the University of Maryland and a Master of Science in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
The latest move marks a dramatic shift from news reported earlier this year (finews.com)
Paul Raphael previously served as a managing director for Credit Suisse and Merill Lynch. His experiences include Chairman of Central Europe, Middle East and Africa & Head of IBD for the Asia-Pacific Region.
A spokesman for UBS did not confirm or comment on the story.
Forbes Middle East recently released a list of the top 10 women entrepreneurs in the Middle East that “have championed the most innovative ideas and received the most external funding” in 2017.
Two women from Lebanon made the list at numbers 6 and 9!
The list included women of Arab origin based in the Middle East who were “making waves” in their respective industries.
Nadia Moussouni, named number 6, is the co-founder of her startup Energy 24 that raised $3 million.
Founded in 2011, Moussoun’s Beirut-based startup seeks to create alternative energy storage and generators and currently consists of two technicians, plus four technicians on contract basis.
Nadia and co-founder Antoine Saab (Executive Magazine)
At number 9, Loulou Khazen Baz raised $1.8 million for her startup Nabbesh.
Founded in 2012, Baz’s startup is the Middle East’s first online freelance work marketplace.
Loulou previously won the TV show “The Entrepreneur” in 2012 for the Nabbesh idea and oversaw the planning of new startups in the healthcare, education and technology sectors.
On TV, Kevin O’Leary is a staunchly money-driven businessman known for his big investments and blunt off-the-cuff remarks. But when the cameras are off, the multimillionaire is a proud family man who has passed down his Lebanese values to his children.
O’Leary is best known for his role in the ABC television series Shark Tank, where he is one of five ‘shark’ investors who listen to entrepreneur pitches and choose whether or not to invest in their startups. He is also the co-founder of the billion-dollar tech company SoftKey Software Products.
The Canadian-born businessman was raised by an Irish salesman father and Lebanese businesswoman mother. He spoke candidly to Lebanese Examiner about his rapid success in the world of business, and how his Lebanese values still carry on to this day.
“Lebanese culture is one of the most successful entrepreneurial cultures on earth,” O’Leary says. “I’m very proud to say that because it’s true.”
All In the Family Business
Growing up, O’Leary was surrounded by business and hard work. His grandfather immigrated to Montreal, Canada from Hasbaya, Lebanon and built a successful clothing manufacturing company called Kiddie Togs.
“That’s how I learned family values, and I think those things are very important,” O’Leary says. “You don’t realize that until you get older. The work ethic in Lebanese families is legendary.”
Kevin O’Leary and his mother Georgette Bookalam. (Twitter/Kevin O’Leary)
O’Leary’s mother, aunts and uncle all worked hard to keep the family business running, but they always made time for family. His mother Georgette Bookalam died in 2008, and her sons credit their successes to her teachings.
“My mother Georgette was one of the most influential people in my career,” O’Leary says. “To this day, her wisdom and advice guide me in almost every business choice I make.”
The O’Leary home valued family. Sunday dinners were an important part of his life growing up, and it started a special tradition that continues today.
Kevin O’Leary and his family. (Facebook/Kevin O’Leary)
“I remember every Sunday if you didn’t show up for dinner that (my grandmother) prepared all day long, you would burn down in perpetuity,” he says. “I appreciate that because I have those same rules now. I try to get my family together no matter where we are every Sunday to keep that tradition going.”
Lebanese DNA
O’Leary once lived in Cyprus, and would visit Beirut often in the sixties before troubles broke out in the region. His experience in global investments have taken him around the world – and he always finds a Lebanese friend with an incredible business story.
“Lebanese are very smart investors,” he says. “If you go to any city in the world, you’re going to find that the core Lebanese community is very successful. Very often, they own all the real estate in town and lots of different businesses.”
Through his travels, he always finds a good Lebanese meal, too.
“It’s no surprise to me when I go to South America, Cambodia, Europe, wherever, I always go for a good meal,” he says. “I look for a good Lebanese restaurant.”
Kevin O’Leary on the set of the ABC series Shark Tank. (Disney ABC Press)
The entrepreneurial spirit flows through the Lebanese blood, he adds. Today, when he lectures at universities all over North America, he shares these stories with American and Canadian students.
“Some of us are born to create wealth, and others are meant to work there,” O’Leary says. “That’s just the way it is. They are both noble pursuits, but Lebanese have built businesses, they take risks and they support their families – they have a cultural disposition to do that.”
Kevin O’Leary and his mother Georgette Bookalam. (Twitter/Kevin O’Leary)
O’Leary believes his grandmother and mother played a central role in his career. He calls them “powerful matriarchs,” and says they exist in every Lebanese family.
“I’m a big supporter of women entrepreneurs – women are very good at business,” he adds. “I think the Lebanese culture was one of the first to support the concept of matriarchal values.”
These values, he says, are part of his career decisions, every day.
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