By FRED PACE on January 27, 2018
HUNTINGTON – Surrounded by family and friends, Huntington businessman Julian Saad humbly accepted the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce’s top volunteer award Friday during the organization’s 13th annual Awards Luncheon at the Guyan Golf & Country Club.

“It means so much to me,” Saad said after receiving the honor. “This great organization has always been in my heart since I joined it in 1988. I know how much this chamber means to the city, the county, local businesses and the communities it serves. It is such an honor to be recognized this way.”
Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bill Bissett said the award is given to a chamber member annually to recognize his or her extraordinary personal commitment and significant impact to the chamber and the community.

“Julian Saad has done so much for this chamber and his community over the past 30 years,” Bissett said. “He has such positivity in everything he touches and gives back so much to his community. Every time I see him, he has a tremendous smile on his face. No matter how difficult the issue may be, Julian is always positive.” Saad’s award was presented to him by his son, Abraham Saad.

“He is the son of a butcher and was born in a little village in the southern mountains of Lebanon,” Abraham Saad said. “One could say where he was raised in Lebanon was the equivalent of being in the Appalachian Mountains. It was not surprising that when he ventured across the Atlantic and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 25, he found himself in a place that was like his home.”

Saad arrived in Huntington in May 1969 and was an electrical engineer by trade, his son said. “He was hired at Ensign Electric on Adams Avenue,” Abraham Saad said. “He worked there for 12 to 13 years until the company closed its doors and he was laid off. It was the turning point in his life. While SMC Electric Products hired him and he worked there for 16 years, it was at this moment at his layoff that this husband and father of four did not want to leave his fate in the hands of someone else.”
In 1988, Julian Saad opened Saad’s Oriental Rugs. In 1991, he opened a second rug store in Charleston. “By 1994, he joined the board of the chamber and he and my mother’s businesses continued to flourish,” Abraham Saad said.

In 2001, Julian Saad purchased the former Mansour’s Market, located at 1049 12th St. in Huntington. “We thought he had lost his mind when he purchased this small market at a time with expanding supermarkets and Walmarts, but he succeeded in a bleak small-grocery market,” Abraham Saad said. By 2007, Julian Saad had expanded his businesses to include liquor and now has Saad’s Fine Wine and Spirits, Southside Spirits and Stadium Spirits. “Anyone who knows him knows he enjoys entertaining and giving back to his community,” Abraham Saad said. “Whether it’s hosting Chamber After Hours events, the Marshall Artists Series reception or attending fundraisers, he loves being part of this community and he loves being part of this chamber of commerce.”

The chamber also recognized and honored other members. The Ambassador Award went to Jason Shepherd with JP Morgan Chase Bank, while the Downtown Live Award went to Bobbie Ward with Manpower. Mendy Aluise, the 2017 Generation Huntington chairperson, presented Generation Huntington awards to Huntington Councilwoman Jennifer Wheeler, the Cabell County Assessor’s Office and Shane Finster with Armstrong. The Women 2 Women Award presented by Ann Stamm of Merrill Lynch went to Juliette Buffington-Tomlin with Woodlands Retirement Community. Robert Sellards, a partner with the Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough law firm, was recognized for his chamber executive committee leadership. Chamber cornerstone members were also recognized.

“A lot of people who lead this chamber are obviously very busy but still find time to volunteer their time to make this chamber better, and this event is a way for us to recognize them for everything they do,” Bissett said. Bissett said the chamber has more than 550 members in Cabell and Wayne counties. “We have everything from large employers to multi-generational, small family businesses in the chamber,” he said. “They all deserve recognition because they are all important by providing jobs and opportunities to those who live and work here.”