While living in Bagdad, Iraq, Hikmet Pauls owned a factory that specialized in manufacturing terrazzo tile. When he moved to California, he used his experience and knowledge to start a career in the stone industry. After several years of working for a stone fabricator, Pauls opened his own fabrication shop, Marjan Stone, in San Diego, CA.
When I came to the U.S. in 1998, my family, my wife’s family and a lot of my community were already in San Diego,” said Pauls. “It made sense to be close to them. I applied for work at a stone fabrication company in San Diego, and they hired me the same day because of my previous experience. I worked there as an estimator, sales person and quality controller for about three to four years, and then I started my own business.”