Ekrem Bardha (born 13 May 1933) is an

Albanian American Albanian Americans ( sq, shqiptaro-amerikanët) are Americans of full or partial Albanian ancestry and heritage in the United States. They trace their ancestry to the territories with a large Albanian population in the Balkans among others to ...

businessman, co-founder of the

National Albanian American Council The National Albanian American Council (NAAC) is a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington, DC that represents Albanian Americans and lobbies on their behalf. Ekrem Bardha Ekrem Bardha (born 13 May 1933) is an Albanian American business ...

(NAAC), and former owner of

Illyria Newspaper In classical antiquity, Illyria (; grc, Ἰλλυρία, ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; la, Illyria, ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illy ...

. He is currently serving as Albania's

Honorary Consul A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and is regarded as one of the most successful Albanians in America.

Early life

Bardha was born in the southern village of Radanj in

Kolonjë District Kolonjë is a municipality in Korçë County, southeastern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Barmash, Çlirim, Ersekë, Leskovik, Mollas, Novoselë, Qendër Ersekë and Qendër Leskovik. The seat of t ...

, Albania. Having escaped from the strict Albanian communist regime in 1953, after one of his brothers was jailed for political reasons, he settled in Detroit and went into the restaurant business. He eventually became the owner of 18

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

fast-food franchises, which grossed over $25 million a year.

References

5. https://exit.al/en/2022/04/01/to-this-british-albanian-success-story-hats-off-to-you-all/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Bardha, Ekrem 1933 births Living people Albanian emigrants to the United States Albanian businesspeople People from Kolonjë