Ron Balchandani ’16 B.S. (Econ) says he is grateful for the sacrifices his parents made and for the values they instilled in him—honesty, hard work, respect for others and always keeping your word.

They also taught him to work smart, not just hard. “My father would often remind me that an ‘eagle doesn’t hunt flies,’” he says. 

At 19, Balchandani made his first investment in a struggling printing franchise and made it profitable that same year—the success earned him a spotlight in Entrepreneur magazine.  Soon after, he left his home in Los Angeles and moved across the country to complete his undergraduate education at the Maxwell School—while also launching and managing a second business.

“Learning about economics, public policy and law gave me a well-rounded review of business and taught me how to think creatively about improving operations,” says Balchandani. “That led eventually to focusing on community values and putting people first in a business. Your relationships are everything. They are as important as technical skills I’ve learned, and I think Maxwell reinforced the value of that.”

Now the chairman and chief executive officer of the investment firm AV Equity Partners, Balchandani is one of 50 Syracuse University alumni who will be honored with a ’CUSE50 Alumni Entrepreneur Award at a celebration that will be held at the National Veterans Resource Center on Nov. 14. In its second year, the award celebrates the success of Orange business leaders across the globe by recognizing the fastest-growing businesses owned or led by Syracuse alumni.

“It's a great acknowledgement in that it reflects the strong relationship I’ve built with Syracuse University and the values it’s instilled in me,” he says. “It’s a reminder of the lasting connection between Syracuse and its alumni, and I’m proud to contribute to that legacy.”

Based in New York City, AV Equity Partners was founded in 2020 with three employees. It now boasts eight team members and maintains an investment portfolio that spans commercial real estate and operating companies; it also offers strategic counsel to help companies navigate special situations, including initial public offering transactions, bankruptcies, restructuring and liquidation.

At Maxwell, Balchandani studied monetary policy, bank behavior and real estate with economics professors Don Dutkowsky and Stuart Rosenthal, whom he describes as being “tough” but who “made it easier for me to understand financial systems” and “used real world examples to help me connect the dots.” He also studied political science with former Onondaga County prosecutor Rick Trunfio, whose lecture topics include an overview of the legal system, ethics and professional responsibility.

Balchandani also met influential architects of U.S. economic policy such as former Chair of the Federal Reserve Paul Volcker and Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller, as well as business luminaries from the Syracuse alumni community like Syracuse University Trustee Andrew Berlin ’83 B.A. (PSc), owner of the Chicago Cubs and chairman of Shield AI, and Gary Rappaport ’71, chief executive officer of the retail real estate company Rappaport.

Back at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, he reflects on the work ahead, which he says is focused on expanding AV Equity Partners and dedicated to adding value for his investors. This includes finding ways to use his business skills to improve communities, such as a recent investment in American Logistics, a company that helps municipalities reduce expenses and increase efficiency. He is also involved in efforts to raise awareness and funding to expand Kathiawar Nirashrit Balashram, an orphanage in West India which has saved thousands of children since 1907 and earned the recognition of India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi.

Reflecting on the Maxwell School’s 100th anniversary campaign inquiring how alumni around the world “Ever Strive” to make the world a better place, Balchandani says he is guided by “integrity, service and making a positive impact.”

“I hope to use my skills and resources to help my community…whether it’s my work in business, or involvement in the orphanage in West India, or even civic engagement at some point, I like to focus on honesty and responsibility.”

By Jessica Smith