History
Industry and commerce are the building blocks of a nation’s economic progress. It has always been a matter of great pride for our community to know that the seeds of trade and industry in India were sown in the early 1800s by Parsi Zarathushtis. Though minuscule in number, Zarathushti entrepreneurs were recognized as bold, enterprising, intelligent and, above all, honest and dependable. The industrial houses — Tata, Wadia, Godrej and the Shapoorji Pallonji group — all starting from humble beginnings, are remarkable examples of our community’s entrepreneurial spirit, perseverance and dedicated efforts at creating wealth with integrity. While creating wealth for their varied enterprises these stalwarts also generated huge employment opportunities and never hesitated in giving back to the community and society at large, sizeable portions of their wealth, through well-conceived philanthropic organizations. Big industrial houses apart, Zarathushtis have been successful in identifying opportunities in the small scale sector and in niche areas and converting them into successful business ventures. Small businesses and professional services are best suited for our community’s psyche. Since the 1950s however, a gradual shift has set in within the community, as the youth concentrating on higher education, began moving away from enterprise to more lucrative career options in the corporate world. Whether it was the security of a steady job or the attraction of higher immediate rewards and recognition or the lack of the right political environment, the community was gradually moving away from entrepreneurship, which was its hallmark till then, to the secure avenues of employment. It was with the idea of reversing this trend and rekindling the spirit of enterprise within the community, that World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC), the first of its kind, was conceived. The Chamber was incorporated in the State of Illinois, USA in December 2000, by a core group of Zarathushtis under the leadership of Rohinton Rivetna.

The World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC) was established by and for members of the community by Mr. Rohinton Rivetna (Global Founder/President of WZCC, who is now Global President Emeritus), to facilitate networking, increase trade, commerce and economic welfare.  He, with his foresight & along with his equally accomplished team, established this organization. He laid a very distinguished and firm foundation so as to keep the spirit of Entrepreneurship/ Professionalism active and achieving milestones as time goes by. The “Preamble” of WZCC quoted below gives an insight for all to understand the essence with which it was conceived.