Grizzly Industrial

President and Founder of Grizzly Industrial, Shiraz Balolia, tells the story of transforming his childhood ambitions into the American Dream.
Shiraz Balolia, founder of Grizzly Industrial, grew up in Mombasa, Kenya, before moving to North America to pursue new opportunities. His journey into machinery began with a chance encounter at a shooting range, where he was introduced to a lathe. Fascinated, he began buying and reselling used machines, eventually expanding into new equipment.
Early on, he sold machines out of a small space behind a barber shop and delivered equipment personally in an old VW van. After being cut off by a supplier for underpricing, Shiraz began importing directly from Taiwanese factories — a move that helped him offer quality machines at lower prices by cutting out middlemen.
In 1983, he founded Grizzly Industrial and built the company from the ground up, wearing every hat from tech support to janitor. The business expanded rapidly, opening warehouses across the U.S. and launching a strong e-commerce presence through Grizzly.com.
Grizzly now serves over three million customers and is known for excellent customer service, technical support, and fast delivery. Shiraz credits the company’s success to hard work, a customer-first mindset, and strong global partnerships.