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ABOUT US

Nobody does it better …

Steve and Sy are among the most respected Oriental rug experts in the United States

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Steve Boodakian
steve@themeragroup.com
Phone: 617-721-9232

Steve is a Certified Rug Appraiser (CRA); a founding member of the New England Antique Rug Collectors; a past trustee of both the Oriental Rug Retailers of America (ORRA) and the Oriental Rug Dealers of Massachusetts; and was voted the National Oriental Rug Retailer of the Year by his peers.

 

Steve has consulted to numerous industry partners and has been a keynote speaker for the Oriental Rug Retailers of America (ORRA) annual conferences; the University of Delaware Symposium on Islamic Art; the New England Interior Design

The show, and other industry gatherings.  Steve’s lecture topics include “Mosaics In Wool,” “Avoid Getting Tied in Knots,” “Using Consumer Education as an Effective Marketing Tool” and a course entitled “Oriental Rugs – A Comparative Study of Quality, Condition and Relative Value in Today’s Market.” 

 

Steve was the consultant to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Affairs and the Eastern Massachusetts Oriental Rug Task Force whose purpose was to help keep Massachusetts consumers safe from predatory sales practices and misrepresentation of goods.

Steve Boodakian graduated from Bucknell University with a degree in management in 1974 and immediately went to work at the Oriental rug business begun by his grandfather. He is the former president of Koko Boodakian & Sons.  In 2008 the business was sold and Steve joined Sy as a principal of The MERA Group. 

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Sy Mahfuz
sy@themeragroup.com
Phone: 603-759-5193

For more than 45 years, Sy has been selling, appraising, cleaning and repairing oriental rugs. As a motivational sales trainer he has presented seminars and led workshops for individual companies of all sizes, civic organizations, colleges, and trade associations both nationally and internationally, sharing his signature technique for stronger sales ...dancing!

 

“The first thing you need to do is learn how to dance with your customer. There’s a rhythm to it when you learn how to carry them across the floor and at the end, leave them wanting more”.

 

Sy’s entertaining and anecdotal approach to providing memorable service, based on real life successes, resonates with audiences across all industries. His training sessions have had measurable positive effect on the bottom line of many of MERA’s prestigious list of clients which include, among others, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Amerigroup, NH Chamber of Commerce, AmericasMart Atlanta, The Las Vegas National Flooring Show, Karastan Industries, MT’s Dining Group and J. Lawrence Hall.

 

Representing the third generation to take an active role in their very successful family business, Sy has achieved national recognition as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on Oriental Rugs. He is a Certified Rug Appraiser (CRA) and a past trustee of the Oriental Rug Retailers of America (ORRA). 

 

In 1999, Sy was named National Oriental Rug Retailer of the Year; and Retailer of the Year by the NH Chamber of Commerce Executives. He was honored as recipient of the Eminence Award for Small Business of the Year in 2008.  One of Sy’s proudest accomplishments was being instrumental in getting House Bill 1391 passed in 1994 which significantly strengthened consumer protection statutes in New Hampshire.

 

Sy’s leisure interests include being a proud “Jiddo” (grandfather) and getting away on his Harley.

Need more details? Contact us

We look forward to hearing from you.

Steve Boodakian:  (617) 721-9232    steve@themeragroup.com

      Sy Mahfuz:  (603) 759-5193    sy@themeragroup.com

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