Boris Miksic

The American Dream

When Boris Miksic arrived in the United States in 1974, he had 35 dollars in his pocket. Today, the chemical business he started from scratch in his garage has evolved into a 100-million dollar multinational enterprise. This is the story of a young man from Croatia who made the American dream his reality.

Boris Miksic grew up in humble circumstances in Zagreb, Croatia, in the country that was then known as Yugoslavia. Having excelled at school, he went on to obtain a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Zagreb. In 1972, just as he was about to graduate, Miksic's life changed forever. An active member of the student movement against the Communist regime that ruled Yugoslavia at the time, Miksic had been identified as an agitator and blacklisted by the government. In practice, this meant he would never be able to work in Yugoslavia. He made a decision then and there to emigrate to the United States. "I picked up my degree and fled the country, skiing across the border into Austria, before purchasing a one-way ticket to New York for me and my first wife, who was pregnant at the time," he recalls. He arrived in New York in February 1974, with $35 in his pocket. "I did what all immigrants do, tried to find work. After three months of cleaning floors at McDonald's, I landed a job as an engineer with a company in Minnesota."

Hard work in the cold

Miksic soon grew tired of working for the small construction company in St. Paul, Minnesota. He resigned, thinking he would find another opportunity. "Turns out I was wrong, I couldn't find another job," he admits. "In the end I started mixing chemicals in my garage. It was the winter of 1977, when temperatures reached -35 Celsius, and all I can say is that being that cold certainly makes you work harder." Fast-forward to 2017 and the business Miksic started in his garage has just celebrated its 40th anniversary. Cortec Corporation and its subsidiaries is the world's largest privately held corrosion protection enterprise. Today, it has an annual turnover of USD 120 million, 350 employees, nine plants, distribution in over 100 countries on all continents, and has amassed more than 60 patents. In addition to the basic metals and mining, Cortec serves the automotive, oil and gas, metalworking, construction, electronics, MRO (maintenance, repair and operation), military, water treatment, heavy industry and packaging segments. "I think you can succeed anywhere if you have the right mix of ambition and perseverance but, of course, being in the U.S. has its advantages," says Miksic. "Firstly, it's a pretty big pond, so, even if you're a little fish, you're doing ok. Another plus is that people here like it if you have something new and different to offer."

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