CL AS S OF 2017
ELIAS ABADI Owner and CEO, CoMo Premium Exteriors Years lived in Columbia: 19
AGE
33
When working on the exterior of someone’s home or business, customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance — a fact not lost on Elias Abadi, owner of CoMo Premium Exteriors. That’s why he tries to include his clients in every aspect of a project, including a follow up after the project is completed. “In our industry, you never really think about ‘great customer service,’” Abadi says, “but we strive to take care of our customers.” Abadi, born in Tehran, Iran, has lived in Columbia since 1997. He graduated from Hickman High School, where he played soccer and wrestled, and got his civil engineering degree from MU in 2003. His brothers Reza and Mousa have started successful businesses of their own, USA Mortgage and Southside Pizza. Elias co-owned Southside with Mousa for five years before starting CoMo Premium Exteriors in 2009. The business originally focused only on roofing. The company now handles nearly any kind of residential or commercial exterior work: roofing, siding, decking, windows, gutters, you name it. Abadi considers the smooth transition from doing only roofs to doing diverse exterior projects a professional milestone. Abadi is a people person. He says the best part of his job is meeting people, “especially when my customer then becomes a friend.” He has a wife and three sons — he’s looking forward to being more involved with his sons’ sports activities as they get older. Abadi is still a sportsman himself, spending his free time hunting and golfing. He’s also a board member for City of Refuge, a nonprofit that helps immigrants and refugees adapt to and succeed in life in mid-Missouri. His work in the community, and his experience in business, has taught him the value of resilience and honesty. “Nobody is perfect in life,” Abadi says. “Mistakes can happen. But how you react to them shows your true character.”
F UN FAC T: Elias loves to c ook ; h e wa s th e c o-owne r o f S o u thsi de Pi zza & Pu b fo r f i ve ye a r s. COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 53