She is one of the largest employers in Irvinton, New Jersey.
“I came from so much tragedy back home. I know what it is like to not have very much, so I appreciate everything here. I don’t take anything for granted.” When it comes to one of life’s most inspirational stories, Real Estate Mogul, Adenah Bayoh’s surely makes the cut.
Determined right from the start, she put herself through Fairleigh Dickinson University where she earned a degree in Business Management.
With utmost drive, focus, self belief and enviable work ethic, Founder and CEO of Adenah Bayoh and Companies, the parent corporation for her real estate development projects and restaurants, although real rough at the beginning, she held on strongly and today she proudly stands as one of the bold faces defining the entreprenuerial ecosystem.
A 2019 Faces of Diversity winner, amongst several prestigious honours, at age 8, Adenah Bayoh together with her family fled the civil war in Liberia to a refugee camp, immigrated to the U.S at age 13, fast forward to age 29 today, with a multibillion dollar empire; owns 14 residential and commercial properties, she has established herself as one of New Jersey’s most successful entrepreneurs.
At age 27, after being denied loan by the bank over the years, brilliant business plan regardless, luck came shining one day after being overheard talking over the plan with someone, she was given the loan, she became the youngest African-American to own an IHOP franchise. It would later grow to become the fastest growing franchise in Northeast America and one of the top grossing in the region.
Her first taste of entreneurship was as teenager working at McDonald’s.
and later went on to enjoy a successful career as a banking executive. But after the acquisition of several homes, she fully embraced the real estate development world.
On lessons learnt while at the refugee camp, she says; “even in the toughest situations there were always options and resources I could tap if I was willing to work hard enough…”
Adenah owns and operates several individual IHOP franchises in Newark, Paterson, Irvington and New Jersey, owns a real estate development portfolio with several major residential and commercial urban redevelopment projects across northern New Jersey worth more than $250 million. Owing to the success of her flagship IHOP in Irvington, she grabs title of the second largest employer in the Township with lens on helping low-income families thrive.
Adenah Bayoh super passionate about empowering the less privileged, as a philanthropist channels her business to help grow and empower the community. She runs free breakfast programs and dinners for needy families on holidays, allows to hold charitable events in IHOP locations as well as provide jobs.
The Liberian-born real estate mogul has been featured on Forbes, Business Insider, Essence, one of Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 among others
In 2015, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York named Adenah to its Small Business and Agricultural Advisory Council.
Despite her numerous successes, her proudest achievement is being a mother to her two young children.
