Panchkula, December 15 Chain Singh Sandhu, a successful NRI who set up the $400 million automobile giant -NYX Inc in the USA by sheer dint of hard work, is set to return to his roots to replicate his success story in India. "In fact, cashing in on the automobile boom in India, our company plans to set up a manufacturing base in Chandigarh's periphery. And Punjab was a deliberate choice as I wanted to contribute to wealth creation in my home state by providing employment avenues to the youth," Sandhu, who is also NYX CEO, told The Tribune here yesterday.

Growing up in a small village where education was not a priority and losing his father at the age of five, Sandhu went to complete an engineering degree against all odds. Though he had a cushy job as an assistant professor at Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh yet his passion for making it big in manufacturing sector saw him leave for the USA, the country of his dreams, in 1969. Doing odd jobs such as that of a janitor at General Motors, Sandhu's persistence paid off.

Through perseverance, he was able to climb the success ladder at General Motors by sheer determination. And this was at a time when the Americans were skeptical about the managerial skills of Indians, Sandhu remarked. Not satisfied at General Motors, Sandhu left it and bought a faltering company which eventually became the successful NYX. As CEO of NYX, Sandhu led the company from 50 employees to a total of 2,000 and revenues from two million to 400 million. His business continues to grow, servicing major companies such as GM, Ford, Chrysler and Honda. What is creditable is the fact that his organisation was recently awarded the GM "Supplier of the Year" for the fourth time in a row - the rarest of the rare distinction by any standards. Besides this, Sandhu's success as an entrepreneur won him the Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year" award in 2000. Meanwhile, at a function organised by TiE here tonight, Sandhu shared his success story with a select gathering.