President Elbegdorj  awards Order of the Polar Star to Jalsa Urubshurow,
Co-Founder and Former Chairman of the NAMBC

President Ts. Elbegdorj has awarded the Order of the Polar Star, Mongolia’s highest decoration, to Jalsa Urubshurow,  CEO of Nomadic Expeditions and one of the founders of the NAMBC in 1990. The medal was presented to Urubshurow  by Mongolian Ambassador Bulgaa Altangerel at the Mongolian Embassy in Washington, DC, on January 23, 2014.  The decoration recognizes Urubshurow’s leadership in promoting eco-tourism and environmental awareness, his advocacy of corporate philanthropy as well as his contributions to strengthening US-Mongolia relations for more than two decades. Urubshurow served as Chairman of the NAMBC 1999-2007.

A Kalmyk Mongolian, Urubshurow was born and raised in a Mongolian-American community in Howell Township, NJ. His parents immigrated to the US in 1952 after a long search for a safe haven from Stalinist persecution in Russia, which included surviving a displaced persons’ camp in Germany.  Urubshurow says that despite growing up poor and having to fight discrimination, he was raised to believe in determination and hard work. Thanks to his father, he grew up speaking Mongolian and listening to legends that developed in him a deep and abiding love and respect for the people, history and culture of his ancestral homeland.

As a young adult, Mr. Urubshurow worked alongside his uncle as a carpenter. In 1989 he founded his own framing business, All•tech Carpentry Contractors, which has grown into one of the leading framing contractors in the country with over 40,000 successfully built homes. Specializing in residential and commercial wood frame construction throughout the NY/NJ/PA tri-state area, All•tech was selected by the National Association of Homebuilders to aid in creating the national certification program for framing contractors. In 2003, All•tech received the highest honor given to any trade contractor—The National Housing Quality Award.

As Urubshurow was establishing his framing business, Mongolia transitioned to democracy in 1990 and opened up to Western travelers. Inspired by this change and his love for his ancient homeland, he co-founded the North America-Mongolia Business Council in 1990, together with Eugene Theroux, a partner in the Baker & McKenzie law firm,  with encouragement from both the Mongolian Government and  the US Department of State. It was first known as the US-Mongolia Business Council . Soon afterwards, he founded Nomadic Expeditions Inc., the first foreign adventure tourism company in Mongolia and a global leader and pioneer in sustainable environmentally sensitive tourism. For more information, visit http://www.nomadicexpeditions.com/