TACCI had an exclusive interview with one of the well-known Turkish entrepreneurs of the tri-state area, Mr. Mehmet Bilici, who told us about his work life and his "Turkish Mall" project. 

Mr. Bilici, could you please tell us about yourself and Istikbal USA?

I have been living in the USA for more than 30 years now.  I studied Administration in Turkey. Prior to my business career, I received a Business Administration degree from Anadolu University and a master degree in International Relations from Farleigh Dickinson University. Even though I received several job offers from different institutions in Turkey upon completing my education, I decided to start my business life in the US. Back then one of Turkey's biggest problems was its trade balance deficit. So as an entrepreneur, I wanted to promote Turkish products here, from the beginning. This is now our biggest pride. Also, introducing a Turkish brand and making it well-known in one of the toughest markets, is another thing we are proud of . All the retailers that we do business with etc. know about us, especially our trademark "Click - Clack". This represents the sound that the sofa beds make when you convert them into a bed. It is as simple as that. Until 2008 our sales had rapid growth but the recession suspended the growth a bit somewhat. In 2008, our yearly volume of import from Turkey was more than 1000 containers a year. We are and have been probably the biggest Turkish company in means of container volume with the US. 

We are located  in a place (Clifton, New Jersey) where the population is very diverse: both Americans and the international community reside here. The number of Turkish population in this region is close to half a million, thus it's the biggest in the country. Including all the other Turkic people, the number goes up to one million. This has been very helpful in spreading the word, since there people are familiar with our line. But our main target has always been reaching out to all of the US and that's what we have been trying to achieve. Turkish brands and products have been doing very well, especially in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, therefore so the we have high demand from these people. Only a very small part of our sales are made to the Turkish community, right now. People from Russia, Poland, Balkan countries and the rest of the US are now appreciating our quality and service. 

Could you please tell us about your Turkish Mall Project?

Turkish Mall Project is something we have been working on for the last 5 years. We have been doing trade between Turkey and the US for the last 15 years and we have witnessed a lot of companies fail because of the distributors and the wholesalers they work with. The simply can not make enough profits to survive. Our goal is to create a direct connection between those companies and the consumers here. It's a win-win project. It is planned to be right here, in this big space we already have.

We also want to share our experience with the newcomer companies from Turkey who are looking to invest in the US. Therefore, we envisioned the "Turkish Mall" project, to serve as a "one-stop-shop" for the people of the region, where they can find all their needs from clothing to home appliances, from furniture to groceries. We are planning to create a premium shopping facility where distinguished Turkish brands are represented. 

Our world today, is very small and globalization has reached everywhere. Our brand can be found in many chain stores and we keep receiving Thank You letters from those stores for the quality of our service. It is also not that easy to be featured in those big stores (JC Penney, Raymour & Flanigan, Eldorado, etc.) because the customer satisfaction is crucial and you should meet those requirements to be there. We do not only carry furniture items. We have all kinds of mattresses, bedding products, carpets, window needs. That gives us to chance to provide almost all needs of a home.

How did your paths cross with Istikbal? And what's the story behind their operation in the US?

I made my first attempts to do trade between Turkey and the US, in the beginning of 90s. I started with carpets, I was importing Turkish carpets to the US market. Then, I had the chance to meet the executives of Istikbal, which was starting its operation outside Turkey. In 1995, we brought two containers with Istikbal products. However those products were the exact same products that were designed for the Turkish customers and it took us a long time to sell them. Then, with slight changes and customizations according to the US market, we started selling more and more each month. Our products are mostly multi-functional. Families love Istikbal products because of the huge storage space we provide within our products. After becoming a fairly known brand, we talked with the headquarters of Istikbal and we told them that we also want to do wholesale along with retail. Istikbal Turkey was very eager as well, so we started distributing the products to more than one hundred stores in a year. And this led to a partnership in 2001. Right now, we are celebrating our 10th anniversary with a customer base of 2000 retailers.

What are the future goals of Istikbal USA?

We are trying to focus on increasing our sales in different ways, including our wholesale, our sales in the chainstores and also our sales on the internet. We are already featured in very well-known US chain stores and we are planning to expand this network. Our products are becoming more popular day by day. Our "click-clack" system (a special futon system which allows easy storage) has been well-known among the industry players. We are already a very well-trusted brand in the region and we are wishing to make this the same in all of US. We also want to get back to our plan about opening stores, which we had suspended because of the recession. Finally, our target is to make all of the products of Istikbal available in the US. Currently we are carrying all types of items but we want to bring all the available options simultaneously to the US market. 

What are your thoughts about TACCI? What would you like to say to the other members?

We have been members of TACCI since its establishment, in order to support its efforts to increase bilateral trade between the US and Turkey. US is a huge economy with it's giant population. Turkey and US have very close political relations however the economic relations are still not at the desired level as we all know. Personal efforts are never enough so organizations like TACCI are very important and I personally believe that all the Turkish American businesses should support it.

What are your recommendations to those who are trying to become successful in the US?

We have been receiving job applications continuously... Currently we have more than 50 employees in our operation. Our first priority has always been being able to work as a team. The way we live our lives has changed tremendously. Improving personal skills and education in general are crucial today. Our doors are open to people who analyze themselves right and who have something to contribute to our network. I do not believe that unemployment is one's destiny. I believe it's about being incapable and not doing anything to fix it. The conditions will comply with your efforts at the end of the day. 

Thank you for your time and your support for TACCI!

Interview by Safak Dogan / safakd@turkishuschamber.org