Ekrem Bardha

Ekrem Bardha
Born	Kolonje, Albania
Title	Activist, Businessman

Ekrem Bardha (born 13 May 1933) is an Albanian American businessman, leader of the Albanian National Front in Michigan (Balli Kombëtar), co-founder of the National Albanian American Council (NAAC), and former owner of Illyria Newspaper.^[1] He is currently serving as Albania's Honorary Consul in Michigan^[2] and is regarded as one of the most successful Albanians in America.^[3]

Early life

Bardha was born in the village of Radanj in Kolonjë District, Albania. Having escaped from Albania in 1953, after one of his brothers was jailed for political crimes, he settled in Detroit and went into the restaurant business. He eventually became the owner of 13 McDonald's fast-food franchises, which gross about $25 million a year.^[4]

Political activity

Bardha, with congressman William Broomfield and others, contributed to the saving of arrested political activist Pjeter Ivezaj in Montenegro and was the reason for the change of US policy in the relationship with Yugoslavia. Bardha has met with ten of the U.S. presidents for the Albanian cause. President Ronald Reagan assured him after a meeting that he will refuse the Greek ambitions in Albania at any cost. Bardha also met with President Bill Clinton before the bombing of Serbia by NATO and was assured that Kosovo will be freed from the Serbian oppression.

References

1. "Illyria – The true voice of the Albanians in America". Retrieved 5 June 2010. Seven years later, Ekrem Bardha, another activist and businessman, became the owner of the newspaper.
2. "Consular and Other Offices: The Embassy of the Republic of Albania". embassy.org. Stapleton-Gray & Associates, Inc. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
3. "Ekrem Bardha biznesmen në Amerikë" (in Albanian). BBC. 21 May 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
4. "Golden Arches to Rise in Tiranë". 29 September 1995. Retrieved 5 July 2010. Bardha, the owner of 13 McDonald's restaurants in the Detroit area, wants to see the Golden Arches tower over Tiranë as well.