Economic Development

• Tufenkian Artisan Carpets, Nepal and Armenia New York–based James Tufenkian started his business with a simple plan: design beautiful carpets using ancient Tibetan weaving techniques. In the 20 years since he founded Tufenkian Artisan Carpets, he has built a multimillion-dollar corporate, philanthropic, and now tourism empire that employs 4,000 local artisans and craftspeople in Nepal and more than 1,000 in Armenia and that continues to have a profound influence on the economies of both countries. In Nepal, the nonprofit arm of the company has implemented worker-welfare programs, providing schools, housing, medical facilities, and a water-purification plant for workers. After the fall of Communism in Armenia in 1993, Tufenkian returned to his ancestral homeland and helped resuscitate the traditional art of carpet weaving, to build an economic engine for the developing nation. Today, the company has set its sights on tourism and is intent on creating an infrastructure in Armenia to introduce the country to the world. Tufenkian has already built three hotels in the Armenian countryside; he is constructing four more that showcase the design and craftsmanship of local artisans. Tufenkian and his company have proven remarkably effective at taking on large-scale challenges—and the results of their work impressed our judges. "This is a group that is thinking big, thinking broadly, thinking powerfully," juror Sean Southey says. www.tufenkiancarpets.com