Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 30, 1990 TAG: 9004300065
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHANTILLY LENGTH: Medium
In the decade since he left Iran and lost most of his fortune to the revolutionary forces, Batmanghelidj has rebuilt his success in the United States. He has become a visionary developer in fast-growing Northern Virginia and a good friend of the governor.
The projects Batmanghelidj left behind in Iran include the world's largest ski lift, roads, bridges, port facilities and whole towns.
"I was working on a much larger scale there, but the potential is here," Batmanghelidj said in an interview.
In this country, he has concentrated on business and housing developments in Northern Virginia and West Virginia and projects as novel as a private light rail system and a private prison in West Virginia for Washington D.C.'s inmates.
A courtly, Oxford-educated businessman who prefers to avoid the limelight, Batmanghelidj gained statewide prominence when he became a major financial backer of Democrat Douglas Wilder's victory for governor last year.
Batmanghelidj, who became a U.S. citizen three years ago, said he considers himself a Republican but he was impressed by Wilder's independence and determination.
He gave Wilder $146,000, second only to the $200,000 donated by billionaire John Kluge of Albemarle County.
Wilder and Batmanghelidj talk frequently but the developer said he has avoided lobbying the governor on development issues.
"I don't want even the perception, even the possibility of a perception of a conflict with the governor of Virginia being my very good friend," he said. He said he does plan to use his contacts in the Far East to help the governor attract more foreign companies to Virginia.
Wilder called Batmanghelidj a highly intelligent, motivated man who believes deeply in democracy.
"We get along very well," Wilder said. "It's intriguing that we have people who are not necessarily as familiar with our circumstances in some instances knowing more about our government and operations than those who take it for granted."
In Iran, Batmanghelidj built his family's construction business into one of the largest in the Middle East as he helped the Shah modernize the country.
"It's an important family name in Iran. It's a major and leading Iranian family," said James Bill, a College of William and Mary professor who specializes in Iran.
Batmanghelidj, 54, came to the United States for heart treatment a few months after forces led by the Ayatollah Khomeini deposed the Shah in 1979. The developer and his wife stayed in this country because of the worsening situation in their homeland. Two years later, the Iranian government seized 95 percent of Batmanghelidj's assets.
"They were going to kill him," said Marc Bettius, a Fairfax County zoning attorney who has worked with Batmanghelidj. "That he got out of that country alive is a tribute to his wit and his intellect."
With the money he had left, Batmanghelidj began investing in land near Washington-Dulles International Airport. He also bought a farm in Middleburg and a home in McLean where he lives with his wife and four children.
He said he was attracted to Virginia by his love of the founding fathers, particularly Thomas Jefferson.
"I like all his concepts, particularly his separation of church and state," Batmanghelidj said.
He speaks with equal enthusiasm about Dulles, a once little-used airport that has started expanding to handle its growing business.
"Dulles Airport, whether people like it or not, is going to be as big or bigger than Chicago O'Hare," he said.
Through his Batman Corp. based at the airport, Batmanghelidj is building a complex of offices, shops and homes in western Fairfax County.
by CNB