Ish Patel

A native of India, Ish earned his undergraduate degree in Dairy Science & Technology from Sardar Patel University, Anand, Gujarat, India in 1969. He then pursued his education in the States, earning his Master’s degree in Food Science & Technology from the University of California, Davis, where he also completed his post-graduate studies and research in Food Microbiology. In 1977, he accepted the role of Quality Assurance Manager for a major food company in Stockton, CA. While maintaining his QA position, Ish entered the hotel industry in 1978 with the lease-purchase of an independent motel. In 1980, he moved to Cleveland, TN in pursuit of a franchised property, which he owned and managed for over 24 years. Ish’s passion for hospitality led him to be the first developer a new-build hotel in East Tennessee as well as one of the first developers of a Days Inn in Tennessee in 1985. Guided by his favorite quote, “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give” –Winston Churchill, Ish became a founding member of the Mid-South Indemnity Association, which eventually led to the start of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association. He is also the founder and inaugural president of the Indian Cultural Association of East Tennessee (GSET). As Vision’s Chairman, Ish has been active in local civic community as a member of the Rotary Club of Cleveland, TN since his joining in 1985.