From Safed in 1948 occupied Palestinian Territories, to Lebanon, to the World. The biography of the World’s Dean of Contractors, the Palestinian businessman Said Khoury, recounts a story of suffering and success.

Palestine Economy Portal | Khoury, originally born in Safed in 1923 for a Christian Palestinianfamily, had to emigrate with his familytowards Lebanon as a result of 1948 Nakba (Catastrophe) at the age of 25. There, he co-founded with his cousin Hasib Sabbagh theConsolidated  Contractors Company (CCC), which later becamethe number one construction company in the Arab world, and ranked the fourteen best construction company in the world.

In one of the televised interviews, Khoury talked about the reason behind the success of his company saying: “My father was a clan leader, known for his generosity and kindness, but when we were forced to leave to Lebanon we lost all of our property, and my father lost many of his clan qualities. I saw him weak and broken winged. Therefore, I decided to start the construction company project so that I can restore to my family their prestige and status.”

However, it never occurred to the World’s Dean of Contractorsthat (CCC) would become one of the greatest construction companies in the world. He considered that what made him and his company reach this success were his parents’ contentment of him, in addition to good luck, planning, and hardworking.

In his long journey, the Palestinian cause and the painful scenes of Nakba were always present in his mind and heart, and so he expressed these scenes to the world as well. Khoury also believed that one day, Palestinians will return to their homeland; he said: “All of Palestine will return.. despite what’s happening today Palestine is not lost, and the feeling of belonging will always accompany us”.

The Palestinian businessman passed away on October 16, 2014, at the age of 91 in the Greek capital Athena, and was buried in Lebanon. However, he will always be remembered through his accomplishments and achievements.The CCC empire, which employs around 80 thousand employees today, was established in the field of construction to compete on both Arab and international levels.

Khoury loved Lebanon,andthrough his company he contributed in the rebuilding of Beirut in the early fifties. He builtKleiat Airport, and worked on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Rafic Hariri International Airport. In 2007, his company also reformed the runways that were destroyed as a result of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, in addition to the rehabilitation of the fuel tanks.

But though he loved Beirut, he cherished his homeland Palestine.Khoury was a father to the Palestinian cause and its people, and a supporter to it in all fields.Through his company, he carried out several projects in Palestine including theElectricity Company in Gaza, Solomon’s Pools, and Bethlehem’s Conference Palace. Khoury also built schools and trained engineers on the art of construction contracting.In addition, and alongside with British Gas Corporation, CCC is also a partner developer in the gas field off the cost of Gaza.

Throughout his life, Khoury held several senior positions, including: Governor of the Arab Monetary Fund; Board Chairman of the Palestine Businessmen Association;Board Chairman of Palestine Electric Company in Gaza;Honorary member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Palestine Studies in Beirut;Member of the Board of Trustees of the Bethlehem Foundation in Washington D.C;Member of the Board of Trustees of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Western & Central Europe; and Honorary Member of the ESPN Institute for Middle East Strategic Studies in Washington. According to the 2012 classification of "Arabian Business" magazine, Said Khoury ranked ninth in the list of wealthy Arabs, with a fortune of about $ 7.2 billion.