Ali B. Muhammad is a co-founder of True Products and a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam. He has been building businesses since 1968.
After coming home from the war, Ali opened fast food restaurants, a bakery, and real estate ventures in Newark, New Jersey. By the early 1970s, those businesses were putting people from his community to work and bringing in several million dollars in sales.
In 1976, he invested in Success Motivation Institute (SMI), the personal development company Paul J. Meyer founded in Waco, Texas. Through weekly sessions he taught himself, Ali helped people and companies set goals and reach them using the law of attraction. In the early 1980s, he worked as a nutritional consultant for activist and philanthropist Dick Gregory's health food line.
Ali moved to Atlanta in 1986. On his own, he got Al-Fajr air freshener sprays and stick incense onto the shelves of Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, A&P, and other grocery and beauty stores across metro Atlanta. In the 1990s, he was brought in to help market boxing legend Muhammad Ali's new snack food line.
In 2004, Ali secured a million-dollar construction loan and won approval to develop Ellis Estate, a subdivision in DeKalb County. Over the years, he has owned and run seven fast food restaurants.
Today he helps lead True Products. He is also working on his biography, a film about his life, and books on the law of attraction.
Ali lives in Atlanta with his wife and partner of more than 40 years. Together they raised seven children, and he is a grandfather and great-grandfather.
Abdur-Rahim Shaheed is a co-founder of True Products and a U.S. Army veteran who served stateside during the Vietnam era. He grew up in Alabama, has called the Atlanta area home for decades, and has spent more than 40 years in sales and marketing.
After his service, Abdur-Rahim went into business for himself. He sold clothing wholesale and ran several Paradise Fish and Chicken restaurants, operating them profitably for years before selling them.
He later founded Midway International Trading Company to take his business global. Through Midway, he won government contracts to supply poultry and eggs to the U.S. Department of Defense and the State of Georgia. Closer to home, he rehabbed and managed a 100-unit apartment complex in Riverdale, Georgia.
At True Products, Abdur-Rahim works to get True on store shelves in more states.
With all of that behind him, he still says his proudest work has been in his community. Coaching little league baseball and basketball sits at the top of that list. He believes effort decides success or failure. His formula is proper preparation, discipline, and an unwavering sense of purpose.
Malik Saleem is a co-founder of True Products with more than 30 years in retail.
His father introduced him to business at an early age, and Malik started his first business while he was still in college. After graduating, he went to work as a street vendor. Sixteen years later, he bought the building across the street from the spot where he used to vend.
In 2003, Malik and a partner opened their first retail store. Two years later, he founded Salaam Group, an import and export distribution company. It started with goods from Korea and grew to include Bangladesh, India, and China, giving him deep knowledge and a wide network in international trade. He also launched his own underwear line, Champ Boxers.
At True Products, Malik puts his sourcing and distribution experience to work behind every pouch of True.
Quality Exceeds Value. Since 2012.
