By David MacDonald E ven before Huzefa’s graduation day at A&M in 2004, the Tinwala brothers had identified a viable segment of the U.S. market in which they had an extensive background: Railings, as in the noun, meaning “a barrier consisting of a rail and supports” (Merriam Webster). The very feel that comes with reading the scholarly defini- tion conjures up images of pre-war school dormitories with daunting staircases that could easily be punned-off as scarecases. You know the ones: Interconnected, over- painted iron baluster designs that seemed to serve an obstructive purpose aimed at blocking both opportuni- ties at socializing and sunlight. Viva Railings changes all of that with modern contemporary designs, weld-free modular design, limitless design options, in-fill choices ranging from glass to cable, and floating corners. “When Mark initially moved the business from India to Texas in 2001, he already had so much experience under his belt. During his formative years, Mark helped our dad run the door manufacturing business and would later take over the reins of the India operation. When we started in 2005,” Huzefa explains, “we recognized that there were a limited number of companies in the railing game. The limited competition meant, among other things, that there was room for ingenuity. I think for too long custom- ers were taken advantage of by extremely high-priced lines that offered more or less the same old, same old. That’s how we got our foot in the door.” The way Huzefa sees it, Viva Railings has been a competi- tor from day one for two reasons: architectural aesthetics and safety. “We take a minimalistic approach,” he says. The VIVA iRAIL perfectly exemplifies this marriage of form and function. “It is an illuminated product with LED [light- emitting diode] components within the rail. It takes the handrail or railing and turns it into a proper light fixture, thus eliminating the need for external sources. By com- bining two elements into one, the architect and building occupants now have a lighted path on the path of egress. That’s safety that creates an architectural element. And LED always means extremely long life, and low power consumption. We offer this product in varying intensities of light, white, yellow, cool, warm, pool light – we have all of these options. What’s more, this system can be used with any other railing systems.” These “other railing systems” are equally versatile. The SOLO system installed at the Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas, Texas, for instance, was a complete 180. “That’s how we learned about the subtle disciplines we’re in now.”
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS • SEPTEMBER 2016
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