Rags to riches: The $6 million purchase of Pinellas’ newest manufacturing business

The owner of S.S. White Technologies Inc. could have a side hustle as a stand-up comedian.

Rahul Shukla, president and CEO of the manufacturing firm, had guests laughing Tuesday, when he and his employees welcomed elected officials, economic developers and news media to the company’s new headquarters in Seminole.

Shukla, a 71-year-old immigrant from India, shared the story of how he got a job as a low-level factory worker at the company — then located in Piscataway, New Jersey — in 1973 by “forgetting” to include his MS in industrial engineering on the job application. He rose through the ranks over the next 15 years, and in 1988 bought the company. Click play on the video above to hear his description of the purchase.

Read more about innovation at S.S. White here.