Today we’d like to introduce you to Hussain Ali.
Hussain, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a youngest of 4 siblings growing up in Pakistan, I had a very comfortable childhood and I remember I really enjoyed watching my dad find new Jugaad for fixing things around the house he was always improving & improvising and that kinda sparked my interest in always wanting to know the answer to “what’s inside it” and thus developed this curious nature that led me into the world of computer, cables, networking — the desire was always there to do something different, to be different. After having interned in the IT department at a major oil and gas company at just 16, the doors started to open for me and I seized every opportunity to expand my knowledge. My next job was at a software development house that built online appointment-setting software for U.S. car dealerships — this was during the .com boom of the 1990s, and that company grew from 10 to 100 employees by the time I left.
My journey soon brought me to the U.S., It was on Jan 1, 2000 and buzz of the Y2K bug was in the air – some people really thought that all the computer systems would crash causing great catastrophe I really didn’t care as I was on a journey of the lifetime 19 years old and it was going to be my first plane ride – leaving everything I knew behind me — Some people think I came here for higher education but I know I came here after someone 🙂 she is now my wife of 10 years and mom of our two of 2 Kids, 7-year-old daughter Lamya and 3-year-old son Mohsin. As I write this article I look back at all the jobs I had to do while going to college was insane… When I first landed in the US it was in New York after spending the day with my cousin there I left for New Orleans, where I spent first 20 months of my US experience – Every weekend I spent 24-30 hours working in the French Quarter where I meet so many great people from all over the US and all over the world.
As you can imagine my life as a 19-year-old from Karachi was quite different here while I worked on Bourbon Street every weekend during all sorts of festivals including a badge of honour I carry that I worked at 5 mardi gras festivals in New Orlean infect I’m was also part of the TV show COPS during their Mardi Gras special when I caught someone stealing some stuff from the store where I was working. That show airs till this day every time during Mardi Gras season and I still get random text hey just saw you and TV. I was always good at computers I soon got a job on campus in the computer lab where I worked 20 hrs during the week along with 15 credit hrs of coursework… I soon learned to balance my schedule and got good grades in my classes loved the college experience my dorm roommate was from Nigeria and was a runner and so was I so we both enjoyed each other’s company as well and made so many great lifelong friendships
I did further my education and eventually moved to Houston to pursue the information System Technology Program at College of Technology at University of Houston I again worked at many different places on and of campus and many of them overlapped my focus of always education but I had to work to support myself and pay for my international tuition costs – I started my first semester with appx $5000 for 15 credit hr and I paid appx. $10,000 for 12 credit hrs by the time I completed my degree – talk about the rise in the cost of higher education – so here goes the list of places I worked in Houston:
Dollar Shop in Baytown – The owner paid me to advance payment to help me pay my college tuition – Thanks
Worked at Car Stereo salesman – at this place where I learned how to sell car alarm and sound systems mostly to the customer who could only speak Spanish – after working at 3 different Pasadena area flea markets become the manager at of the flea market store.
Sunglasses Cart at Greenspoint Mall:
The University of Houston – Daily Cougar newspaper as a graphic designer where I won the newbie designer award and also won the UH directory cover design challenge.
Merrill Lynch Financial Advisor – Internship:
City of Houston Internship – Public works – Fleet services department – (My supervisor tried really hard to hire me full time on the basis of my experience where the but the HR wanted to see my degree which I was still working on.
University of Houston – Customer Relation Manager at University Center – This was one of the highest paying jobs on campus.
I also explored my entrepreneurial side by opening up a small shop at the Kings flea market selling Metal dog tags necklace where I was able to etch peoples pictures on the metal using a diamond engraving machine by Roland. I used my graphic design experience to manipulate and take pictures on site and produced the tags right there. I also received outstanding student scholarship at U of H, Towards the end of college I took an internship that turned into a full-time job after graduation and after several years, I eventually became Director of IT at a top Houston sign manufacturing company.
While digital displays were only a small part of that company’s line of products, I had a vision that involved taking those displays to a new level — and that’s where the idea for Houston Dynamic Displays (HD2) was born. I wanted to provide hardware and software that would reflect my out-of-the-box approach. No longer would digital displays be thought of as a simple square computer screen. I wanted to create beautiful display galleries, video walls, consumer-centric content and the most user-friendly software available. And I did just that. Among the many projects I’m proud of, the video wall we installed at the Houston Museum of Natural Science box office stands out as one I’m particularly proud of because of what that building means to the city. The Houston Museum of Natural Science is the fourth most-visited museum in the U.S., and HD2 had the pleasure of providing an award-winning tech upgrade to it. As it hangs, the L-shaped installation measures 65 feet along one wall, and 25 feet along the adjacent wall — massive enough to grab attention in an area with heavy foot traffic.
I discovered early on, however, that my story was going to involve so much more than digital signage, software, and sales. After a wonderfully enlightening and educational experience with TEDx Houston that initially inspired me to believe in myself and this city, and take the leap of faith to start my own company but I also learned a great deal about the people and culture of Houston — my new city — and I began to feel as though I was home here. People were doing great things for the community — driving positive change for education, the local government and social causes. This inspired me to become involved, to make an impact of my own, to contribute my part to the city I’d grown to love.
As such, I joined and helped organization such as Houston Food Bank, Greater Houston Partnership as an Ambassador, Houston Restaurant Week, Creative Morning Houston, currently I’m involved with Rotary Club of Houston, a group of business leaders who work toward a common goal of benefiting the community and the world, and the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping prisoners enter society as rehabilitated, full-fledged entrepreneurs. I have been involved with Prison Entrepreneurship Program since January and will be for a very long time thanks to The Rotary Club of Houston. It’s a unique opportunity to break from your life on the outside, no cell phone for 5-6 hrs, very very motivated inmates who are genuinely trying to break the cycle and meet some great volunteers. Then join me next time.
This program is helping to keep 93 inmates out of every 100 out of the prison when the national average is 50-70 out of every 100 go back to prison in 3-5 years. Yes, really these figures are crazy. You can learn more and donate your time and money online at www.pep.org That brings me to where I am today.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Living through the collages days and dealing with problems and challenges as part of daily life I’m just well insulated to deal with challenges with a mindset of opportunity for improving – I’ve only faced one real obstacle in my time as an entrepreneur: Hurricane Harvey. I watched and waited as that storm pummelled my city, destroying homes and business, ruining our infrastructure and putting a freeze on our economic growth.
Business owners lost their property, and priorities shifted — digital displays were no longer a necessity as recovery efforts began, and my business suffered as a result. I refused to let this challenge define me. I saw it as an opportunity — an inspiration to give back to my community. I’m thankful each day that I’ve been fortunate enough to have a happy, healthy family; that I’m surrounded by positive people; and that I’ve been able to keep my business running even after such a devastating situation.
Please tell us about Houston Dynamic Displays | HD2.
HD2 is a professional digital signage firm that provides turnkey consultative design, engineering, project management and system integration services for the development of commercial digital signage solutions. We currently service a steadily growing clientele consisting of businesses in retail, healthcare, food services and more.
Our turnkey approach has proven to eliminate mistakes often associated with large integration projects and maximizes the efficiency by which various subcontractors complete their work. This allows us to deliver digital signage systems on schedule, on budget and in perfect alignment with owners’ expectations. We’re proud to be able to say we are the only turnkey digital signage firm in Houston that can offer face-to-face expert consultations and customer service along with our products — it’s what sets up apart from the competition.
As part of my passion project, I get to work on some cutting-edge technologies to help first responders with an In-Depth Study of Fire Fighting Simulation using AR/VR Immersive Tech to Scientifically Measure the effectiveness of User Interface devices and its Impact on User Experience and Knowledge Transfer.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For me, true success comes only when your happiness and achievements span three levels: business, personal and community. You must be able to connect all three of those areas and do things you’re proud of in each. I regularly ask myself several questions: Are other people happy about what I’m doing? Am I financially stable? Am I growing as a family man and businessman? Are my loved ones happy, and am I elevating them with me? Are my clients happy? Is my business growing at a rate that allows me to serve my community? The main reason I joined the Rotary Club of Houston is that I have a need to serve others, and in joining this club, I have an opportunity to expand my resources and combine forces with other like-minded contributors who want to create positive change. That, to me, is success.
And as I grow my business, I wish to grow my level of community service along with it. The Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) I’m participating in has been by far one of the most rewarding experiences of my community service journey. Few people realize that while the U.S. is home to only 4.4 percent of the world’s population, 25 percent of all prisoners in the world are located here. PEP teaches prisoners to become productive members of society, start their own business and, most importantly, become good citizens. Not too many people voluntarily interact with prisoners, but if it means I’m helping create a better world in some way — and I believe it does — I’ll gladly continue doing so. To me, this mindset is that of a successful person. Success shouldn’t be measured by the number in your bank account; it should be measured by how you live your life.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.houstondd.com
- Phone: 7134932565
- Email: hali@houstondd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houstondynamicdisplays/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HD2Tx/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HD2Tx
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/houston-dynamic-displays-houston
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hussainali/
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