Leadership
Ali Cheloei
President
Ali Cheloei serves as President & General Counsel of Abbey Commercial Flooring. He leads our business development & revenue and all legal matters. Ali believes there is always a creative solution to any given problem that leads to a win-win situation; whether it is short or long term - hopefully both. He is obsessed with the notion of “doing what you said when you said you are going to do it” as he feels that is the basis of construction given the nature of coordination amongst trades.
Ali grew up in and around the business as his parents started the flooring company in 1987. Ali attended Langley High School, then Florida State University and eventually graduated cum laude from George Mason University with a degree in Philosophy. He went to Villanova Law and graduated in 2011 and remained in private practice for 2 years before at the request of Shiva, CEO, he came aboard to run the commercial department. Ali grew the business from his arrival in 2013 from a small shop into one of the most dominant commercial flooring companies in the region by recruiting the people that have that right mindset and heart first and foremost.
When not on site or at the office during the week, you can more than likely find Ali on the golf course trying to break 80 (update: 3 times so far). He loves to cook dinner 4-5x per week and more than anything spend time with his two young children, Noor & Dean, and his wife Sahar. They reside in Mclean, VA.
Shiva Etessam - Founder
Shiva Etessam serves as Founder of Abbey Commercial Flooring and its sister company Abbey Design & Remodel. She founded the original company, before they were split, with her late husband, Ali Sr., in 1989. Shiva and Alia grew the company over the next several decades into a regional powerhouse both in retail and commercial sectors.
Shiva believes in customer centric approach given the history of the company starting out as a retail flooring shop. She cemented the cornerstone ethos of the company values that must always strive to be “good to each other”.
Shiva did not speak English when she landed at Dulles Airport in 1986, but since then she has won several awards, been recognized in the community and chambers of commerce for her outstanding work ethic and help to the local community with initiatives such as rewarding children with straight A’s with free carpet for their bedroom.
Born in Salmas, Iran and married in Tehran, Iran, she has had a long and wonderful journey. She now owns a working ranch in Great Falls that takes up much of her time, while the rest of her day is filled with her grandchildren. She remains committed to being a guide for the family business, but more importantly, the soul of the company she founded.
Amir Cheloei
Executive VP
Amir Cheloei serves as the Executive Vice President of Abbey Commercial Flooring. At Abbey, Amir assists in leading organizational efforts in relation to Operations, Business Development and Information Technology. Amir’s philosophy to business is simple - Be empathetic and act honorably. This maxim has served his family well in building this business and is something he has carried throughout his career.
After graduating summa cum laude from University of Maryland - Robert H. Smith School of Business, Amir began his career in Capital Markets Mortgage Back Securities. After some time he took an interest in Information Technology and became a Product Manager at Comcast/NBC Universal responsible for delivering nationwide technology rollouts. When the opportunity arose to work at Abbey and continue to build upon his family’s established legacy, Amir knew his unique experience in Finance and IT would bring fresh perspective to the company. Amir is obsessive about hiring the right people that fit the Abbey Culture and optimizing processes to deliver a qualify product and project experience. Amir has spent the last 10 years living in DC and in his spare time he loves to play golf, try new restaurants, song writing and spending time with his family and friends.
Nick Hetrick - Director of Operations
NIck Hetrick is the Director of Operations at Abbey Commercial Flooring. He leads day-to-day operations and teams, while overseeing each project to completion.
Nick believes in delivering a quality project, timely to his clients as he would expect if he was a client; keeping the communication channels open and clear, while building strong, lasting relationships with industry clients.
Nick joined Abbey Flooring in 1999 as a Warehouse Assistant and grew with the company into his current role. He has a proven track record of strategic planning, leadership, and innovation across multiple divisions and departments. With over 2 decades of experience with Residential and Commercial Projects, he stays actively involved throughout each project and uses his industry expertise to consistently deliver a qualify project. He maintains and continues to gain a wide range of various industry and manufacture certifications, continued OSHA Safety with CPT/First Aid and NAFCT certifications to name a few.
Nick Enjoys traveling to new places, experimenting in culinary arts, and spending time with his wife Chelsea and 2 kids.
NN
Fariba Hedges - CFO
Fariba Hedges is the Chief Financial Officer at Abbey Commercial Flooring. Fariba oversees developing financial strategies, managing budgets and cash flow, and supervising accounting and HR operations.
Fariba believes in performing your job to the best of your ability while striving to be loyal, dedicated and kind to yourself and others. This philosophy has served her well in the over 3 decades of her career.
Originally from Iran and growing up in a family of educators, Fariba left her country in pursuit of a better future in her 20s. She lived in Turkey for 3 years, studied at Uludag University in Bursa. In 1989 Fariba moved to the US to continue her education. After graduating summa cum laude in accounting and finance, she started her career in retail industry before spending 10 years in manufacturing. After gaining experience in both small and large sectors, she joined the Abbey team in 2009. Her operations background in several industries has improved her ability to translate operational performance into improved financial understanding and foresight.
Fariba resides in Virginia and loves biking on the weekend around town. She loves exploring new places, and helping around her sister’s farm, spending time with the animals. Her utmost joy is time with her family, especially her great niece and nephew, she loves being part of their world.