Feroze Bhandara was born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1953. He attended boarding school for two years in Pakistan and then Aitchison College before immigrating to the US to continue his undergraduate education at Oklahoma State University. After two years at OSU, he transferred to University of Wisconsin - Madison. He then went to the Netherlands for an engineering internship and obtained his MBA. Afterwards, he worked in Chicago and New York before going to work for Ford Motor Company on the Mustang assembly line and subsequently satellite technology in California. During this time, he developed skill in real estate, beginning with just 10 homes in the San Francisco Bay Area. After having visited his sister in the Houston area in the 1980s, he noted Houston was a viable candidate for real estate investment. Mr. Bhandara began commuting between California and Houston in the early days of his new venture, later to become the Ardenwood Group. In 1992, the Bhandara family moved to the Houston area. Today, Mr. Bhandara contributes much of his time serving in many District Management Boards and to the Houston Zoroastrian community. In addition to being involved in local community organizations, Mr. Bhandara and his family enjoy traveling together around the world. The interview focuses on Mr. Bhandara's path to the US and the various occupations he has held, as well his current involvement in real estate and the Ardenwood Group. The interview was conducted at Feroze (Fred) Bhandara's home in Sugarland, TX. During the interview, Mr. Bhandara's wife (Shernaz Bhandara) is present at the table and occasionally speaks. Mr. Bhandara's daughter (Zareen) also enters the room during the interview and sits on the side, rarely interjecting. At one point, Mr. Bhandara also brings out a couple of books written by his sister, as well as alcohol produced by the family brewery business. He also shows the interviewers a picture on his iPhone of Mayor Annise Parker presenting him an award.
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