We had the good fortune of connecting with Omar Altalib and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Omar, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I wanted to give back to my community. My teachers in my elementary school in Peoria, Illinois, taught me the basics of English and arithmetic. My teachers in my middle school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, taught me religion and the foundations of the Arabic language. My teachers in Herndon High School in Herndon, Virginia, taught me psychology, algebra, and history. I wanted to share what my wonderful teachers have taught me with other people and other cultures.

What should our readers know about your business?
It was difficult for me to get to where I am today, business-wise. I had to overcome the following challenges: One challenge is being a member of the Arab American and Muslim American minority communities. Another challenge is navigating both the English speaking and the Arabic speaking worlds. Another challenge is pursuing a career as a Sociologist who disagrees with both the prevailing liberal dogmas and the prevailing conservative dogmas. I overcame the challenge of belonging to multiple minority communities by rejecting the idea of being a victim. I acknowledge that injustice is always being committed, but I refuse to remain silent or blame my laziness on injustice. I struggled hard and found allies who helped me overcome the social, economic and political obstacles I faced. I was not completely successful, but I always refused to blame the system for things that the system is not responsible for. Even when the system is unjust, I chose to work on changing the system, rather than blaming the system.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the area surrounding Alpharetta, Georgia! It is a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia that is multicultural and multilingual. If my best friend visited the area I would take them to eat at the following restaurants: Nara Restaurant (in Johns Creek). Jerusalem Restaurant (in Roswell). Olomi’s Grill (in Johns Creek). Cafe Efendi (in Alpharetta). Bocado Burger (in Alpharetta). And last but not least: Karachi Broast and Grill (in Roswell). We would also check out the following parks and outdoor areas: Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Big Creek Greenway, Lake Lanier, Fowler Park, and the Fernbank Museum in Atlanta.
For shopping, we would visit Avalon shopping mall, The Collection at Forsyth, Halcyon shopping mall and Ponce City Market.
I would also take my friend to see the huge DeKalb Farmers Market, which contains thousands of fruits and vegetables from around the world. For entertainment we would go to Illuminarium Atlanta, which has a high tech and constantly changing sound and light show.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout is dedicated to two amazing sociologists: Dr. Mark Jacobs and Dr. Tom Burns. They are both outstanding professors who mentored me during my study at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The reason I was able to obtain a Bachelors Degree with distinction in both Economics and Sociology is due in large part to them. They both taught me to be analytical, creative and environmentally conscious. I also credit my knowledge of social theory to their outstanding teaching methods. My deep understanding of social concepts enabled my success at the University of Chicago, where I obtained my Masters and PhD degrees.

Email: ohaltalib@gmail.com

Website: www.consultomar.com

Instagram: oaltalib

Linkedin: oaltalib

Twitter: @oaltalib

Facebook: www.facebook.com/oaltalib

Youtube: Dr. Omar Hisham Altalib

Other: www.minaret.org

Image Credits
Darius Idrus

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