A Family Businessman: Ron Boji
By Sarah Kittle
Ron Boji is an extremely successful businessman who happens to base many of his life decisions on a series of “Louie-isms” – sayings he has heard his entire life from his father, Louie (Louay) Boji, a successful businessman in his own right.
Louie Boji brought his young family to the United States from Iraq in 1968, just a few months after Ron was born in Baghdad. Louie dreamt of a better life for his young family and moved them to California. He worked hard to provide for them and achieve the fabled American Dream. Like many transplanted Iraqis, Louie found his niche in the grocery and convenience store business.
The family moved to Michigan when Ron was seven, to strengthen the family bond with those who were already established in the state. Louie branched out into finance, management, and real estate development. This was the budding foundation on which the Boji empire was built.
Family Business
Today, the Boji Group has more than half a billion in annual revenue and over 600 employees. Ron is the president and CEO; Louie is the chairman. Their holdings include more than 60 buildings, spread across the state and even across the country to California. That’s where Ron’s career began, with a little company called Computer Warehouse.
As Louie’s only son, Ron was trying to make his own way in the world. He wasn’t interested in running a grocery store; the MSU building construction management graduate had other ideas. In Sacramento, California, Ron found success with the store he opened there. The company offered him some choices to move back to the Midwest—Grand Rapids, Lansing, or Toledo. The self-titled “MSU Dawg for Life” chose Lansing.
Fast forward a few years to the third location opening and $15 million in sales for the company. Two years after acquiring the Ingham County Democratic Building in downtown Lansing, the Bojis received an unsolicited offer (that was more than the original purchase price) for just a slice of the property.
Louie wanted to flip the land for another property, the Michigan National Building, using a real estate investment tool called a 1031 exchange. Ron wasn’t sure. This is when his dad asked, “Are you with me or not?” Ron’s answer, of course, was “Yes.”
Boji Group is spread out among four industries: real estate development; petroleum, with 12 gas stations in Michigan; distribution in the form of United Wholesale, which supplies their gas stations; and lodging, with 7 hotels including Ron’s favorite, the Marriott in East Lansing.
All About Relationships
Ron knows about relationships. He and his wife, Heather, have been married for 26 years. They have four daughters: Madelyn, Isabel, Grace, and Evelyn. When Ron talks about them, his face lights up. He is particularly excited about his eldest daughter’s wedding this summer.
As a development company, Boji Group specializes in leveraging public-private partnerships. Their first major development was a $51 million building that houses offices for the state Senate. Boji has a great working relationship with the State of Michigan, especially the Department of Health and Human Services. Boji Group owns 11 properties that hold their departmental offices.
Ron gives a lot of credit to Dennis Muchmore, a Lansing lobbyist he met inside Boji Tower before it was Boji Tower. Muchmore gave him advice, telling him that he was investing in an institutional, political building rather than bricks and mortar. That advice paved the way for a strong relationship between the company and the state government.
The company also has strong ties with Henry Ford Health, whom Ron credits for saving Louie’s life in March of 2019 when the family patriarch had a debilitating stroke. Boji Group has given more than $5 million to the health system in the last few years.
The family has strong ties to the Chaldean Catholic Church. Ron’s uncle is Fr. Manuel Boji, now retired, who recently celebrated his 50-year anniversary with the Diocese. Boji Group contributed millions to the Mar Eliyah Retreat Center in Oxford, and they have pledged half a million for the Chaldean Community Foundation (CCF) towards the construction of a Bishop’s Library in their planned Oakland County Campus.
“Ron Boji is a true pillar of our community,” says Martin Manna, CCF and Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce president. “His partnerships and projects drive our region forward. This is why we are honoring him at our 20th Annual Awards Dinner as Businessperson of the Year.”
Boji Group has recently completed their new office in Birmingham, where they are poised to invest upwards of $170 million. The walkable streets and variety of shops, stores, and restaurants makes the area highly desirable. “Everybody wants to be in Birmingham,” says Ron.
And he’s here to stay.