Ismer Mjeku

The story of a charismatic attorneyturned- entrepreneur: Mjeku is at the helm of the largest Albanian marketing and promotion company in the United States. 

He has been described as “the Bronx entrepreneur producing the ethnic Albanian Yellow Pages,” by The New York Times, but Ismer Mjeku wasn’t always a marketing and advertising adept. The Kosova native graduated from the University of Prishtina with a law degree, and was immediately hired as counsel of law for one of his country’s biggest corporations, Kosova Electric Corporation. Mjeku had it all—a great job and a promising career— but then political turmoil erupted in Kosova when the Serbian government fired all Albanians in a politically motivated campaign in 1990. Mjeku had no choice but to leave his native country. Moving to the United States—the land of opportunity— motivated Mjeku to eagerly and energetically move ahead, and fast. In 1992, he was hired by Illyria, the Albanian American newspaper, to develop its advertising and marketing department. Given his extraverted personality, communications skills, and attention to detail, Mjeku transitioned into his new profession seamlessly, quickly establishing the advertising section and expanding the newspaper’s marketing venues. He remained the Director of Advertising for Illyria until 1997, when he decided to start his own advertising business.