Episode 357. Di Tran-Serial Entrepreneur, Computer Engineer, Mentor, and Vietnamese Immigrant
As an entrepreneur, business owner, professor, and active community member, his story is one of survival, determination, & service.
In other words, MOXIE!
You see, Tran’s family immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam in March 1995. Unfortunately, they came with very little, so he had to work hard. As a result, he did not know how to speak English when he arrived in 1995.
His personal goals have been to champion small business ownership and success by removing the obstacles that keep people from achieving the “American Dream,” which he was able to do despite all these challenges.
True to his commitment, he became a U.S. Citizen in 2000 and earned a 2006 B.S. and 2009 M.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Louisville and a Doctorate of Philosophy from Sullivan University in 2017.
All the while, Di has founded 10 businesses, all of which are still in operation. In addition to 18 years of experience as a computer programmer/engineer at a Fortune 50 company and serving as a faculty member at Sullivan University teaching Info. technology.
Di says many people helped him along the way, and he believes it is essential to pay it forward. So, true to his word, he has found ways to help others achieve their full potential. In addition to teaching at Sullivan, he founded the Louisville Beauty Academy in 2016, which to date has graduated & helped over 250 people obtain good-paying jobs without ANY government support, an accomplishment for which he was named a 2019 Kentucky Colonel.
He now owns multiple nail salons and is the owner & proprietor of the Louisville Beauty Academy (LBA). Through these businesses, Di has sponsored people from across the world to come to Louisville, find employment, & earn American citizenship. He also serves as a part-time computer science professor at Sullivan University.
In 2018, Tran launched a technical college called the Louisville Institute of Technology & is a 2020 Mosaic Honoree.
Through the years, Tran has also mentored 20 individuals to open their businesses & he continues to teach & mentor many more.
Tran currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisville Independent Business Association (LIBA) & the South Louisville LIBA Committee, is a Board member of BOTH the KY. Assoc. of Career Colleges – known as KACCS & the Vietnamese Comm. of Louisville, as well as Tri An-a $1.5Mil Vietnam War Monument Project. In addition, he is an active member of Greater Louisville Inc. and LHOME’s Community Advisory Committee representing the South End.
Di, and his lovely wife Vy, have 3 boys, and all reside in Louisville.