We’re Honored

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We are honored to announce that Passageways has won June 2016 Small Business of the Month Award from Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce! From our first headquarters in the Purdue Research Park to our offices today in downtown Lafayette, Passageways has been deeply committed to our community. We recognize that it’s only together that we can make a difference. We are so very honored.

Passageways Co-Founder and CEO, Paroon Chadha, accepted the award and delivered the following remarks:

I feel that in this country, uniquely, when people talk about the American Dream, what it truly involves is many small events that happen along the way. I got to experience it, in some measure, firsthand. What I discovered was that many people embraced me when I needed help. Because starting a business is a series of problems that need to be addressed. At first, you really don’t know what you’re signing up for. Whether it was those that trusted our vision at Purdue Federal Credit Union; Bill Arnold and Gail Koehler, or the State Representative writing you a letter, it’s the people who come through. Whether it’s the city helping you when you are looking for assistance, or your initial customers who become your friends whom you confide in, or your staff who has been with you the entire time. That’s what the American Dream is comprised of, at least to me.

You can pretty much get that anywhere in America. But especially in the midwest and the greater Lafayette area, you really are genuinely working with people who are doing it for the greater good. In New York, people will do it! But their motives are too often driven by financial gain. In New Delhi, it’s the same. I happened to grow up in one of those cities. But in West Lafayette, people are doing it for the greater good. They have no reason to help you, but they do. I gave a talk about this recently, at Purdue, and I remarked that in these cities, people will help you and you’ll scratch your head, and it won’t make sense. In his busy life, why is he helping me? That’s the difference you’ll find here, in this city. Now multiply it by a hundred thousand other cities in this country, and you have the American Dream.

As the largest tech company in the region, we believe in the need for leadership. We have invested and nurtured local startups, knowing that our future is directly tied to their talent and success. Passageways and our employees continue to demonstrate a commitment to our community through our Give 1% initiative; donating 1% of our time, revenue, and product to local charities and causes.

Passageways employees sit on local boards, hold public office, and continue to give back to this city, a place we call home. Being recognized as the Small Business of the Month remains a humbling honor. We are deeply grateful that our work to make this a better community has been recognized by our peers.