76 Business View - August 2015
have to return to Chicago. Eager to have me continue
with the project, He said: ‘Well, stay here in Houston
and start your own company.’ So I did.”
Over the decades, with no actual master plan, Jamalu-
ddin took advantage of every opportunity that came
along. “Mostly, I was a good engineer, seeking out chal-
lenging problems coming up with unique technical so-
lutions. However, I had very little sales and marketing
and business experience.” Humble words, given that
his acumen has turned Epcon into a thriving industry
leader with close to 100 employees. Growth came “a
little bit at a time” – organic growth, vertical growth,
with no infusion of outside capital. “Starting out with
no other talent than my own, I trained the rest of the
engineers and the other staff, and cultivated a unique
company culture that embraces innovation and the
unknown,” he says.
MANUFACTURING
