Satya Tiwari, president of Surya, has been named a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in the Southeast region. This award recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. According to Surya, under Satya’s leadership, the company has grown from $2.7 million in sales in 2004 to more than $80 million last year and has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of America’s fastest growing privately held companies for three consecutive years.
With the goal of creating a one-stop shop for coordinating, fashion-forward home accessories, Satya continues to push the envelope to drive innovation both at Surya and within the home furnishings industry. Reflecting his entrepreneurial spirit, he has incrementally added new categories to Surya’s initial rug line – doubling marketing spend and expanding product offerings at a time when many companies have cut marketing and operating budgets. Similarly, rather than outsource the product development function, Satya has invested in a robust in-house team to accelerate the product development cycle and quickly bring to market fresh, leading edge designs.
“At its core, Surya is focused on helping our customers optimally meet their customers’ needs by offering highly relevant, on-trend home accessories for all lifestyles and budgets,” said Tiwari. “Our exceptional growth would not be possible without our team of dedicated employees, both in the U.S. and India, who share in this commitment and work tirelessly each day to make sure our customers’ expectations are not only met but exceeded. I am honored to be a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and to be in the company of some of the Southeast region’s most forward-thinking leaders.”
Surya currently services more than 6,000 retail, design and e-commerce customers and offers over 30,000 products across a range of categories – including rugs, pillows, throws, wall decor, accent furniture, lighting, decorative accents and a recently launched bedding line, according to the company. The company’s distribution model has resulted in 90% of products shipping within 24 hours.
Award recipients will be announced at a special gala on Thursday, June 26 at the InterContinental Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta. Regional winners go on to compete at the national level. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Nov. 15.
