Shri Thanedar, a Belagavi-origin and self-made entrepreneur has won the Democratic primary in Michigan, with community organizations terming it as a “historic first for the South Asian community. Shri Thanedar, 67, won the Democratic primary in the 13th Congressional district of Michigan.
Indian Americans are set to increase their numbers in the US House with Michigan State Rep. Shri Thanedar winning the Democratic primary for an open seat representing most of Detroit.
In Michigan, with 99% of votes counted, Thanedar was leading with 28% to 24% over his nearest rival state Sen. Adam Hollier with six other contestants. He declared victory early Wednesday.
“This race was not about me. Michigan’s 13th Congressional district is one of the poorest in the country, and I will fight for economic and racial justice in Congress,” Thanedar said in a Wednesday statement.
In November, he will face Republican Martell Bivings, who has worked as a liaison with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and ran unopposed in the Republican primary. But in this solidly Democratic-leaning district.
Shri Thanedar, originally from Belagavi, who has experienced a rollercoaster of business successes and failures, is running for Michigan Democratic governor in 2018, saying he is best-suited to help the state in part because of his own comeback story.
Dr. Shri Thanedar immigrated to the United States in 1979 from Belagavi, India to obtain his Ph.D. in polymer chemistry from the University of Akron (1982) after receiving a Masters Degree at the University of Bombay (1977). He then worked as a post-doctoral scholar at the University of Michigan (1982-1984). Shri worked as a Polymer Synthesis Chemist and Project Leader at the Petrolite Corporation in St. Louis, MO (1984-1990).
In 1990, Shri worked at and then purchased a three-employee service company called Chemir. Under Shri’s ownership, the company went from $150,000 in annual sales and three employees to $63 million in annual sales and over 400 employees, a trend that has followed him throughout his successful career. During his professional career, Shri purchased or sold eight different businesses. He is skilled in turning around troubled companies.
Shri’s story began halfway around the world in Mirapur Galli, Shahpur in Belagavi. Growing up as one of six children in a low-income family, he was taught about the importance of education and the need for financial independence. He was enrolled in the local public school system and excelled due in large part to the wisdom installed in me by my mother Sulochana. He used to stay with his family in Mirapur Galli, Shahpur.
He had scored a meager 55% marks in his SSLC (from Chintamsnrao high school ) and had got a job at the age of 18 itself in the State bank of India in Bijapur. But he wanted to do his MSc. But the principal of the Dharwad did not allow him to do so. He had to go up to the Vice-Chancellor for the same and at last he got the permission. But the bank denied him leave for his exams for 15 days and he decided to leave from Bijapur and came to Dharwad for his exams. He slept for only one hour for 8 days and finished his studies. Even before his exams got over he got to know that he had been fired out of his job from the bank. His book ही श्रीची इच्छा (English: This Is Shri’s Wish) was a bestseller which is a memoir by Dr. Shrinivas Thanedar.
