Small Business Today Magazine DEC 2014 NOUN INVESTMENTS | Page 9
and his brothers joined others in the fight for their Christian faith
to protect their families and their community members from annihilation. It was such a horrible time in the history of Lebanon
that over 100,000 Christian people were killed during the Syrian
occupation. Things became so bad that when Tony was 12, he
hid underground with his family for over 100 days, often without food or water. Sometimes great things come out of adverse
situations. Ironically, it was during this time that a friendship was
forged between Tony and an eleven year old girl who was also
hiding underground with her family. Her name was Georgette.
Things improved somewhat after 100 days living underground
and eventually Tony’s oldest brother opened up five stores in
Beirut where perfume, cologne, cosmetics, and beauty supplies
were sold. Tony, who was 13 at the time, began working behind the counter selling perfume and makeup. Georgette would
come and visit Tony at work and buy perfume and makeup from
him. Later on,Tony studied at Pigier French University in Lebanon
where he got a degree in accounting.
Tony and Georgette’s friendship grew as time went by in spite
of the war and adversity around them. Along the way, their
friendship blossomed into love. They were married a month before Tony turned 19 and right after his birthday, they decided to
leave the country and go to the United States for a better life and
a better future. The only thing Tony and Georgette knew about
the U.S. ]H[YH