ALB Connection lists more than 1,500 Albanian-owned businesses across 44 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. The online directory helps customers find businesses from Alaska to Florida, including in small towns far from major cities.
The idea came from a father and daughter whose family ran a restaurant in a small Iowa farming town. They saw other Albanian families build businesses in similar places and wanted to give those owners a way to reach more customers.
New York Leads the Directory With 576 Businesses
In November, Dardane Halimi said the directory listed 1,524 U.S. businesses. New York accounted for 576 of them, including 87 in the Bronx. The directory also lists businesses in Iowa, Montana, Wyoming and Hawaii.
About one in three businesses in the directory works in food. That includes restaurants, pizzerias, bakeries and coffee shops. Beyond food, the listings cover law firms, construction companies, medical practices and technology firms.
How ALB Connection Checks Its Listings
The team checks each listing for an Albanian connection through an owner or founder. To do that, it reviews public records, company websites and social media. It also conducts interviews and visits communities in person.
Alongside the directory, ALB Connection has published more than 50 interviews with entrepreneurs. The platform also lists businesses in Albania and Kosovo.
For example, Halimi said a U.S. restaurant could use the directory to find a supplier in Albania. An American company could also use it to look for a software team in Tirana or Prishtina.
