view . fall 2011
9
In the spring of 1999, the seeds of giving found fertile soil in
Gary Kalaci.
That was when the impressionable, 16-year-old Albanian
witnessed first-hand 600,000 refugees flood into his tiny homeland
in their quest for safety during the Kosovo War.
“The need to help was very apparent
and I joined to contribute in any way
I could,” says Kalaci BSc ’05, LLB ’09,
MBA ’09. “You begin to understand how
your help can affect someone’s life.”
Using his gift for languages, Kalaci
offered to translate for foreign aid
workers as they struggled to feed
and provide medical services to the
thousands of hungry, frightened and
injured refugees.
Today, his talent for language and desire to volunteer still serve
as the building blocks of his professional and personal interests.
Kalaci is the CEO and co-founder of Alexa Translations, a
company that provides translation services in more than 100 languages
with offices in three countries. He is also a lawyer and a mediator and
despite the competing pressures of his two careers, his unwavering
commitment to community service is admirable for its sheer scope.
Just 28 years old, this University of Windsor graduate has
already drawn national attention for his community work. In 2009,
he was the first-ever recipient of the prestigious Thérèse Casgrain
Volunteer Award – Youth Category, given by the Government of
Canada Department of Human Resources and Skills Management.
The citation noted Kalaci’s enthusiastic fundraising for
community organizations such as the United Way, the AIDS
Committee of Windsor, and the Children’s Miracle Network:
“Despite his young age, Mr. Kalaci knows no bounds when it comes
to volunteerism and being active in his community,” the citation read.
What drives this personable, articulate young man?
“In terms of my not-for-profit contributions, it truly is something
that I am very passionate about and that I’ve always done. I don’t
feel comfortable not doing it. On the business end, I came here as
an immigrant for more opportunity. It only makes sense to take full
advantage of opportunities and make the most out of them.”
Kalaci moved to Windsor from Albania with his family when he
was 17. “I was very fortunate because I already spoke English which
made the transition easier, but there was still a lot to learn.”
When he applied to UWindsor’s Faculty of Science, he earned
the University’s most prestigious financial award, the $20,000
Ron W. Ianni Entrance Scholarship for having at least a 95% entrance
average, showing leadership, and school and community involvement.
Kalaci enrolled in the Chemistry & Biochemistry program, with
an eye on a career in the health sciences.
“I was considering a career in the health
field but I began to realize early on in my
undergraduate studies that I was very
business oriented.”
Certified as a translator in Albanian
and Italian with very passable French,
Greek, and Spanish, he used $8,000 of his
own money to start Kalaci Translations in
2002, while still in school. By 2003, Kalaci
had built a network of translators with the
ability to offer services in a wide range of languages.
In 2005, he had earned his general Bachelor of Science degree
and entered the MBA/LLB program that combines business and law.
Even during this demanding program, community work was
never far from Kalaci’s mind. In 2007, he successfully lobbied
UWindsor president Ross Paul and Dean of Business Allan Conway
for funds to travel to South Africa to investigate the viability of
an outreach project aimed at improving the lives of youth and
vulnerable communities.
Conway recalls that first meeting: “Gary set up his first meeting
with me one month after I arrived at the University in my new position.
In that meeting, and in every other one we have had over the years,
he exuded energy and enthusiasm for an important and far-reaching
idea. What is most important is that he has sustained that commitment
through all of the stages required to have his idea become reality. This
latter characteristic is the litmus test for true leadership.”
When Kalaci arrived in Cape Town, the level of poverty moved
him deeply:
“You rarely see adequate housing... mostly they are metal sheets
over wooden boards; anything to have shelter. These dwellings
would stretch for as far as you could see. It is an image that really
gets to you and its effect is long lasting.”
In response, Kalaci launched the Golden Future Project as
an outreach program between the University of Windsor and the
University of Cape Town. The first group of UWindsor business and
law students journeyed to Cape Town in May 2008. They worked
WHEN KALACI ARRIVED IN
CAPE TOWN, THE LEVEL OF
POVERTY MOVED HIM DEEPLY.
RENAISSANCE MAN
A modern-day
Left: Gary Kalaci returned to his alma mater to teach an MBA class this past summer.
BY JENNIFER BARONE
