SAM SIMON- FOUNDER and CHAIRMAN of Simon Group Holdings

 

Sam Simon is the Founder and Chairman of Simon Group Holdings (SGH), a diversified holding company based in Birmingham, MI.

Sam arrived in Detroit when he was 9, fleeing persecution as an Armenian Catholic in Iraq with his parents and four siblings. He developed a strong work ethic at an early age assisting his father, Ramzi, pumping gas at a station on Six Mile and Hoover, in addition to delivering newspapers, cutting lawns and shoveling snow.

In 1985, he launched Atlas Oil Co. in Taylor, MI with a single delivery truck, and has built it into a multi billion gallon-a-year fuel wholesaler with over 500 employees. Today, Simon still owns and remains involved in the company’s day to day operations.

With the success of Atlas Oil, Simon formed Simon Group Holdings, an investment manager with multiple office locations in Birmingham, MI. The company is actively involved in numerous industries, including gas, oil and renewable energy, real estate, aerospace and defense, insurance, wine and sports entertainment.

Simon has been honored with many recognitions for his success in business, including: “Entrepreneur of the Year” from Ernst & Young (1999), “Economic Bridge Builder of the Year” from the American Arab Chamber of Commerce (2016), “Visionaries of Detroit” from Fortune Magazine (2010), “Outstanding Business Leader” from Northwood University (2018), Bates Street Society Pillar award for Business Success and Philanthropic contributions (2023) and was previously appointed to the National Petroleum Council by Secretary of Energy, Spencer Abraham. He is also recognized annually as one of the top business leaders in Metro Detroit by DBusiness Magazine, and was featured in Crain’s Detroit’s American Dreams issue, which honors immigrant entrepreneurs who have made strides in our community (2018).

More importantly than his business success, Simon and his wife, Nada, are committed to paying forward their good fortune to help others. In 2009, he and Nada founded the Sam & Nada Simon Foundation. The Foundation is focused on providing direct support to their local communities, including an emphasis on active-duty military personnel, veterans, local law enforcement, immigrant families, and supporting deserving youth with academic scholarships and leadership development opportunities in the communities that the Simon family live and work in. Their signature event is an annual Christmas party at the Selfridge Air Force Base to celebrate local service families for selflessly serving our country. Outside of work and philanthropy, Sam and Nada enjoy spending as much time possible with their twin boys, Peter and Michael, and take every opportunity to gather their extended family.