All in the - American University of Beirut

Beyond Bliss Streeta l u m n i p r o f i l eImprintMaking anMarie-Joe Raidy was born to bea printer, but for a while she feltcompelled to avoid her destiny. Thedaughter of Joseph D. Raidy, one ofLebanon’s most successful printers,she may have printer’s ink runningthrough her veins, but she was notprepared to admit it. Petite, dynamic,and radiating confidence, after graduatingfrom AUB with a major in graphicdesign and a minor in business (’05),Raidy decided to give the family businessa wide berth because, she says,“I was worried it would interfere inmy private life, my personal freedom,especially in Lebanon.”Instead she went into advertising,followed by animation and websitedesign.“Eventually there was an openinghere and my mother [vice-chairmanat Raidy] told me, you fit the profile,but if you are not going to take it, wewill give it to someone else and later,there may not be a vacancy,” sheexplains. “I decided to take it, get it offmy conscience, and move on. But Idiscovered that I loved printing. I lovedpaper, and I loved ink, the whole process,everything about it. Business isbusiness, family is family, and it hasn’tinterfered in my private life more than itwould have elsewhere. I guess whenyou prove yourself, and I was worriedabout that, it turns out all right.”Now Raidy holds the title,creative director and quality controlmanager, of Raidy Printing Group,“the biggest printing company inthe region.” Along with her brotherDoumit, who runs the Emirates sideof the business, she reports to theirfather, who started working at the ageof 11 and built up his printing empirefrom scratch. “My father is the boss,”she says. “I call him Raidy. I alwayshave since I was a kid; he is my dadand I love him but for me he is Raidy!”Clearly she respects the self-mademan whose energy and dedication towork she has so patently inherited.In Marie-Joe Raidy’s philosophythe term family business extendsbeyond the triumvirate of the fatherand two siblings: “I strongly believe youdon’t have to be blood to be family;any employee who is really dedicated,who travels under the bombs just toget to the office on time every day, issomeone I consider as family. Mostof our employees are like family. Webelieve in empowerment of personnelto provide the best service in the bestworking conditions. Every departmenthere is a link in a chain. If one link fails,the whole chain breaks; that is why weinvest so much in our people.”Raidy’s Beirut headquarters ishoused in a brand new, state-of-the-artbuilding that provides a “one-stop printshop” servicing clients throughout theMiddle East, the Gulf region, Europe,and Africa. Construction began justprior to the outbreak of the 2006 war,which caused the Raidys pause forthought. The board voted to stop thework, but not Raidy. “My father waited44 MainGate Fall 2011 | www.aub.edu.lb/maingate