青楼传媒 Alum Excels as Award Winner, Business Owner and Philanthropist
Ehab Sweis '98, '05 has many incredible accomplishments under his belt: He's a two-time Inc. 5000 "Fastest Growing Company of the Year" recipient and a Ernst & Young (EY) "Entrepreneur of the Year" finalist, as well as a successful business owner and community-driven philanthropist. An 青楼传媒 alum, Sweis plans to continue pushing forward to accomplish even more.
Through his strategic vision and extensive knowledge of wireless, retail and real estate selection, Sweis, who graduated from 青楼传媒's Graham School of Management (GSM) with degrees in marketing and management, has built successful business models from the ground up. With 23 total years of retail and business management experience, Sweis spent the past 10 years as CEO of Amtel, LLC, a T-Mobile premium retailer operating 152 retail stores in nine markets. Amtel, LLC, is the largest T-Mobile retailer in Texas and the third largest in the nation, and its mission is to be a valued retailer by delivering world-class service and a total solution for each of its customers.
Though Sweis recently sold Amtel, LLC, it was a huge part of his professional growth. When he first decided to start Amtel, LLC, he put a five-year business plan together. The plan called for $3 million to start the business, but he and his business partners only had $1.5 million. They decided to throw caution to the wind. Though it was a risky move given the economic state in 2009, he found his business to be immune to the impact, as phones are considered essential products and recession-proof. Sweis was able to build multiple locations on the east and west coasts and saw plenty of acquisitions and organic growth. The business grew top-line to over $70 million in revenue and double-digit EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) growth. "It's a people-driven business. I enjoy growing markets. My mission is to grow an asset to build into a platform company and monetize it 鈥� that's my passion," said Sweis.
In addition to his business ventures, Sweis' philanthropic efforts have greatly benefited St. Jud