How Lebanese Immigrants Help Shape The Greater Moncton Business Community
MONCTON – Lebanon, a country often called “the jewel of the Middle East,” is where the poet Khalil Gibran came from. It’s also where many of the industrious entrepreneurs in Greater Moncton were born and raised.
“The Lebanese are known to have a lot of entrepreneurial spirit in them…You’ll find that even a family of five can open many businesses,” says Mike Timani, the president of the Moncton Lebanese Association.
Many of these businesspeople, like Timani, who owns the bread company Fancy Pokket, and McDonalds’ franchisee Georges Nammour, came to Canada to escape the civil war ravaging the country between 1975 to 1990.
So did Fahd Doumany, the owner of the franchise brand Freddie’s Pizza & Donair, which has seven locations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. He’s working to open another one in St. Stephen’s, wanting to “focus on New Brunswick first.” Freddie’s pizzerias currently employ around 24 people. The Saint John franchise just celebrated its one-year anniversary.
Before he landed in Canada 30 years ago, Doumany was in a precarious situation. At the age of 16, he served at the frontlines of war for the Lebanese military. It was the only way for him to stay safe at the time. Five years, seven months and 20 days after he entered the military – he has a precise memory of the dates – Doumany was finally able to leave and ask for refugee status in Montreal.
Doumany moved to Nova Scotia shortly after he arrived, where many of his family members had settled before him. In Halifax, he began working for his uncle’s store and later managed pizzerias there.
“I couldn’t go to school, so it was best to work for my uncle for a little while and then in the pizza business. A lot of Lebanese immigrants at the time were there, they were really close to my uncle, so I got a job with some of his friends,” he said.
Like many people in the Lebanese diaspora, Doumany’s family arrived through “chain migration,” where the initial settlers would later bring family members or marital partners.
In New Brunswick, there are around 2,830 people with Lebanese origin according to the latest census. Around 450 of those live in Moncton and the surrounding area. The largest early population of Lebanese diaspora is in Saint John.
Doumany’s relatives and family friends, who came from Lebanon and other Arab countries, had started various businesses and restaurants, like Sicilian Pizza and King of Donair in Halifax. He soon decided to start his own in Amherst.
“I started [Freddie’s Pizza] back in 1999,” Doumany said. “Eventually, slowly, I started to bring the family – younger brother, mom, dad. And then I brought my nephews and friends, and I start to bring them over, look after them, open [restaurants] for them, helped them out.”
The founders of PizzaPro and Jack’s Pizza in New Brunswick are also related to Doumany. He had asked them to move from Halifax to help him set up Freddie’s Pizza.
His nephew, Fred Doumany, eventually came to Canada to study in university. Fred opened a Freddie’s Pizza location on Elmwood Drive three years ago.
“[Fahd] got the opportunity to grow, so he moved to Moncton in 2005, that was the first Freddie’s Pizza in Moncton [on Mountain Road],” Fred said. “As the family started to grow and we started coming here, we started a business as well. I choose Moncton because I speak French. And Moncton feels like home, [there are] very nice people here and [our] family is here.”
Having the network of entrepreneurial family and friends in the Maritimes makes it easier to start a business, Fred said.
“I learnt a lot from my uncle. Freddie’s Pizza was already set up and running and everybody knows Freddie’s Pizza. So it was easier for me to start under my uncle’s name, and he helped me a lot in the business too,” Fred added.
And now the Doumanys also help Lebanese newcomers with tips and advice on how to start and build their lives in Canada.
They said the many Lebanese-Canadians and Lebanese immigrants in New Brunswick are contributing to the community with their businesses and skills in the engineering, medical and other fields.
“Sometimes they say, ‘I scratch your back, you scratch mine.’ So in Canada, how many lives did they save when [the Lebanese] came to Canada? A lot of people. I’m one of them. And when I ran away, they don’t throw me out,” Fahd said. “[Canadians are] the most beautiful people…The way they support you, they support from inside [sic] them heart.”
There are two things. There’s us working hard, but it’s also thanks to Canada who give us the opportunity to grow,” Fred added. “We’d like to thank Canada, everybody who buy from us, everybody who help us.”
But even with the various support they get, there’s no shortcut to success.
“You have to work and if I can do it, why you cannot do it?” Fahd said.
“If you’re studying here, don’t overthink, ‘what I’m gonna do after?’ Finish your studies. Step by step, things will come your way after,” Fred added. “You have to work hard, you have to believe in yourself and you have to believe in this country because this country can give you things to grow.”
The Moncton Lebanese Association, which also includes Shediac, Sackville and Amherst, will host its first gala ever on Friday, November 23, at the Casino to commemorate the country’s 75th independence day. Lebanon’s Honorary Consul in Halifax and prominent businessman Wadih Fares will be present.
“The event sheds light on the contribution by the Lebanese diaspora to the society and economy of N.B. and Canada in general. It brings together Lebanese immigrants around Atlantic Canada for an opportunity to network and share their experiences,” said Reem Fayyad, a board member of the association.
“It also helps them share their culture and success with the community at large, inspiring newcomers and encouraging them to settle in the region and to follow the lead of Lebanese immigrants who have chosen N.B. as their home and who now occupy leading positions in the private, government and non- government sectors.”
The gala will include servings of Lebanese food, traditional music, and dance performances by Montreal folkloric dance troupe Les Chevaliers du Liban.
RELATED: How An Immigrant Went From Flipping Burgers to Owning Five McDonald’s Restaurants
RELATED: These N.B. Business Hall-of-Famers Share 4 Tips With Young Entrepreneurs