ATLANTA, Georgia — Surya forecasts a $300-$400 million home furnishings business in the next ten years built around its prolific hand knotted and machine made rug line of 25,000 items according to Satya Tiwari, second generation leader of this growing  family business now in the $75 million sales range.

Surya is looking to other products including lighting, table accessories as well as  pillows and wall decor including hand painted giclee for further business. Satya has recently appointed Jay Dash International to represent his lines in the hotel industry and now is looking for overseas distributors in Brazil, China and Russia. Satya Surya

Satya’s dad, Surya Tiwari started business in 1976 in the Varanasi district in the northern  section of India where it remains today. Surya continues to run the manufacturing end of the business based in India while his son, Satya works out of the 500,000 square foot Atlanta office and warehouse. Everything is stocked for quick shipment in the USA and Canada and Mexico as opposed to custom made product which takes up to five months for delivery, Satya explains. “There is so much opportunity in America  but it is very competitive,” Satya says. “The barrier to entry in the US rugs business is very low,” he adds.

 In addition to Indian  hand knotted rugs, Surya is also producing machine made rugs in Egypt and Turkey. Price points start at $200 for a polypropylene rug and travel upwards to an all New Zealand wool hand knotted rug  and  further upwards to $10,000 for an all silk hand knotted rug. A catalog the size of a phonebook is given to each of the 5,000 U.S accounts now doing business with Surya and everything is off the shelf--not custom.  There is also an on-line version of the catalog.

“We sell direct to the retailer, especially to furniture retailers which along with designer showrooms,  is a growth segment of our business,” Satya explains. Lighting and fabric stores are also carrying Surya products. The other segments of the Surya distribution include ecommerce sales and hospitality/designer sales. “We have grown our business in the last eight years 25 times,” he says.

Surya relies on a 100 man rep force in the USA and Canada but is now looking to further expand sales beyond North America into foreign markets. Surya is doing some China to China business  but export beyond the USA is only five percent of the business currently. He feels this will change.

Aside from the business itself, Satya spends a great deal of time and money supporting Indian and US  based charities like Food for Education.org where he feeds hot lunches  to 113 million children and East meets West in San Francisco. Surya earmarks 10 percent of its profits to nonprofit institutions; charities like these and also is involved in opening schools in rural areas of India, Satya says.