Board of Trustees
Murat Guzel
CEO, Nimeks Organic/Natural Food Source Inc
Murat Guzel is a successful business owner living and working in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. A Turkish American, Guzel was excited by the opportunity to grow businesses that promote trade and investment between the U.S. and Turkey. In 2000 he founded and became CEO of Nimeks/Natural Food Source, a food and juice vertically integrated global company He started the company by importing and exporting juice concentrate, dry/frozen food, and nuts from Turkey and worldwide. Today his companies continue to supply major U.S. manufacturers. Following on the successful venture, in 2008, he started his own brand, Smart Juice, which is one of the few 100% premium organic juice lines on store shelve in major supermarkets across the United States.
In 2012 at the Charlotte Democratic National Convention, Guzel was the first Turkish American delegate to formally nominate a candidate for President of the United States. He supports strong U.S.-Turkish relations, and counsels U.S. policymakers for both major political parties. Guzel is a strong believer and promoter of improved Turkish-Israeli relations.
Guzel focuses his philanthropic efforts on expanding educational opportunities. He mentors and provides scholarships for several selected students each year to be the first in their families to attend college. He has personally witnessed how access to education can alleviate poverty and change communities. As someone who values American history, he understands that genuine work and principals established by our founding fathers need to be remembered in United States and the international community for better democracy. With that in mind, he has focused his efforts bettering education based on this philosophy. It is his belief that improving both education and poverty, improves an individual’s self-empowerment and opportunity to become happy and successful.
In 1986, Murat Guzel moved to the United States, to pursue his graduate studies at Washington State University and Lehigh University. After his graduate studies, he worked for 10 years as an electronic engineer in Corporate America before launching his own businesses. He and his wife of over 27 years have two lovely daughters.
Metehan Oguz
President and CEO, Oguz Consulting
Metehan Oguz is an international businessman and entrepreneur living and working in New York City. As someone who has done business in Turkey, Germany and the U.S., Oguz has successfully made a career out of strengthening private sector ties between the West, Turkey and the Middle East. From 1994 to 1999, Oguz worked for a Turkish-German mining and energy company in Turkey. The experience proved formative, inspiring Oguz to take on his own endeavors. In 2000 Oguz founded the Vision Trading Inc., a trading and consultancy services firm, which offered guidance to European companies seeking to launch businesses in the Middle East, particularly in the energy, mining, construction and agriculture industries. At Vision Trading, Oguz participated in one of Turkey’s most important financial reforms by working on the privatization of the country’s state-owned enterprises. He also worked on multi-million dollar tenders and managed several complex projects that spanned the Turkish construction, mining and energy sectors.
In 2004 Oguz broadened his focus from business relationships between Europe and the Middle East to private sector linkages between the U.S., Europe and Turkey when he founded and became CEO of Oguz Consulting. Drawing upon his rich, cross-cultural business background, Oguz has provided guidance to a number of multi-billion dollar U.S., European and Turkish companies, including PCC USA, MCA France, Horizon Group USA, BBN Group (Germany) and Ore Construction (Turkey). Since 2011 Oguz Consulting has primarily advised investors and startups in lifestyle innovations and the earliest stages of technology developments. In 2008 Oguz moved to the U.S. to be closer to his investments and business ventures in America. Oguz is also the CEO of Horizon Livestock-USA, a leading exporter of livestock between Turkey and the U.S.
Oguz’ professional accomplishments serve as a testament to his personal values. Oguz believes in free market principles and the power of the global economy to bring the business communities, and broader societies, of Turkey, the U.S. and Europe closer together. He has seen first-hand how successful investments and business deals go hand-in-hand with respect and understanding for different cultures. Oguz is fluent in Turkish, English and German and studied German language and arts at Gazi University in Ankara, Turkey. He and his wife of more than 17 years have a lovely daughter and son.
