Anoosheh Oskouian
Ship & Shore Environmental Inc.
Signal Hill
Business: Environmental solution provider
Year Founded: 2000
Number of Employees: 85
2021 Revenue: $19 milliom
Rank on List: 39
As far as Anoosheh Oskouian of Ship & Shore Environmental Inc. knows, she is the only female leader of a company that makes RTOs, or regenerative thermal oxidizers.
“We’re a solution provider for clean air,” Oskouian said.
RTOs are a combustion device that controls volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants and odors by converting the emissions into a source of heat.
The units capture and destroy particulate matters on an industrial level and are made for manufacturers. Among Ship & Shore’s diverse roster of clients are creators of skylights, sunglasses and shopping bags.
Originally from Iran, Oskouian came to the United States during her high school years. She worked as a chemical engineer prior to heading her company, beginning in 2000.
Oskouian spoke with the Business Journal about being a female business leader and transforming a company.
Question: What prompted you to go out on your own and become a business owner?
Answer: I had started working here. The facility was in existence. They used to do sheet metal fabrication. They used to have ships come to the shore in Long Beach and they needed a lot of work done. They used to do repairs. I had the opportunity to come here with a business partner and brought up the possibility of having technology available. Moving forward, we were to have shares of the company. The business partner was not educated. He could not understand where we were headed. One day, he told me, “You really have a business mind for this. I’m moving my sheet metal fabrication to Reno and if you really want to, you can buy the assets of the company.” So I decided to become a business entrepreneur. It sort of fell on my lap.
How did you transform your business?
I kept two engineers and a team of 10. Little by little, we started doing more projects on the pollution-control side. It was challenging to take a leap of faith to get going and see where all of this would take us.
In your experience, has being a woman helped you more or hurt you more in starting or operating your business?
It’s been a challenge to be a woman in this business and trying to prove it to a lot of the folks that I come across in order to let them know that we have been around for a long time, we’re a company standing on solid ground. People at first encounter, they can’t believe that I would be the CEO of this company. A lot of times, once I had the opportunity to talk to them on the technical level, they realize that I really have a good head on my shoulders and a technical mind.
What’s been the biggest reward of being in your business?
As cliché as it may sound, I truly feel that I am contributing to the cleaner air we all breathe. We’re contributing to a better environment and we’re contributing to solutions to address climate change and we’re not just standing on the sidelines. I believe we have made a major impact, definitely in Southern California. At the end of the day, I feel absolutely great about what I do, and I feel that I’m working toward the betterment of the planet.
What’s your assessment regarding the likelihood of the United States economy entering
a recession?
It depends on who you’re talking to. The economists are saying we’re headed for a recession, the interest rates are going up. I do feel we were in a bubble that was totally inflated, especially in real estate. However, I don’t think the recession is going to be as bad as they’re making it sound.
What advice would you give a woman who wanted to start her own business?
I do some mentoring. I always go to high schools and try to promote STEM and have young girls think of going into technical fields. As long as you show up to your business with a lot of passion and care for what it is you’re trying to do, I really think it’s a must in every profession. You need to really love what it is you do, and you really need to believe in what you do and you really as a woman need to be ready to hear a lot of no’s, because right off, that’s how people think and categorize you and box you into what they think a woman should or should not do. You have to believe in yourself first before you ask to be respected and taken seriously. Any position that a man can hold, a woman with the background and tenaciousness and commitment and passion can do a much better job.
If you could turn back time, what would you do differently in regard to your business?
As humans, we always seek to improve our style of handling things. I love what I do despite all the challenges, the ups and downs. The downturns we had in the economy in 2007-2008 were very difficult. I probably would have invested in more of a younger generation. At the beginning, we tried to have a lot more seasoned engineers on board. But overall, there’s not a lot of things that I would have done differently. I try to run my business like a family-owned business. I care for the employees we have. Because of that, we still have a lot of our original crew with us.
– Michael Aushenker
