This interview feature of Michael Amin is part of Exeleon Magazine’s annual issue – The 100 Most Dynamic Leaders. Check out the Full Listing of Exeleon’s 100 Most Dynamic Leaders of 2025.
Adaptability, responsibility, and vision are qualities that define strong leadership. For Michael Amin, CEO of Primex World Inc., those traits were instilled early in life and continue to guide both his business and philanthropic work. From his entrepreneurial beginnings in Manhattan to overseeing a global portfolio of permanent crops, real estate, and private equities, Amin has built a career grounded in integrity and continuous learning.
Beyond business, he also founded the Maximum Difference Foundation (MDF), a nonprofit committed to creating the greatest possible impact through charitable work. In this interview with Exeleon Magazine, Michael Amin reflects on the lessons from his upbringing, his approach to leadership, and the legacy he hopes to leave behind.
What according to you makes one Dynamic? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?
Michael Amin: To me, being dynamic means having the ability to adapt. In today’s world, we are constantly asked to refine ourselves, to embrace new knowledge, new approaches to life, and scientific progress. A dynamic person is able to do this with openness and flexibility.
I learned this lesson most clearly from my father. He grew up in a small city before moving to Tehran, the capital of Iran, which was far more advanced, progressive, and open-minded, and he had to adapt. Towards the end of his life, he moved to the United States. That was a big transition, and it required an even greater level of open-mindedness because the cultural norms in the U.S. were very different from those he grew up with. Things once seen as unacceptable in his culture were completely normal in this new one. For many, such drastic shifts can be overwhelming, but not for my father. He showed me that true dynamism is the ability to adapt.
Dynamic people not only adapt to change but also challenge themselves to re-evaluate their beliefs, embrace personal growth, and develop new ways of thinking as their situation changes. While many people resist change because of long-held traditions or religious and moral principles, dynamic leaders can move beyond those limits. They stay open-minded, accept new realities, and focus on self-improvement. That mindset, which my father modeled for me, is what I try to bring into my own leadership.
Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as an entrepreneur / leader that you can remember?
Michael Amin: My first real entrepreneurial venture happened while I was living in Manhattan. I found a 100-year-old luxury house that I rented out on Friday nights. I organized dinners with live music for entertainment, handled the advertising myself, designed posters and posted them at local store windows with the store owners’ approval. I placed ads for the nightclub in an Iranian-American newspaper and did several other tasks needed to promote the nightclub. With only a small investment of two or three thousand dollars, I was able to create a business that made a profit. More importantly, it was an idea that I came up with completely on my own, and it showed me how rewarding it could be to turn my vision into reality.
As CEO of Primex World Inc., you oversee pistachio orchards and other investments. How do you balance managing a diverse portfolio of permanent crops, real estate, and private equities?
Michael Amin: Although I am the founder, owner, and CEO of Primex World Inc., I’m lucky to have an intelligent and capable team to help me run day-to-day operations and maintain all aspects of the business. They do a great job and give me immense help in balancing my many responsibilities and interests.
There’s also the business model I follow, which can be a big help in this respect. I structure my orchards, real estate, and equity holdings to run in a largely passive way, with trusted managers overseeing daily operations. I also arrange my recurring tasks and meetings for designated times throughout the week. This system makes it quite possible to manage my affairs without being stretched too thin.
In your view, what sets Primex apart in its approach to responsible and profitable business operations?
Michael Amin: One of the real measures of responsibility in the business world is managing to make a decent profit while still maintaining your morals, ethics, and sense of who you are as an organization. I’m proud that Primex has accomplished this difficult feat. I can say with first-hand knowledge that the company was started with certain principles in mind, and in its decades of existence, it has never deviated from them. This is a credit to everyone who works at Primex. After all, principles translate into deeds, and deeds are what we must all be judged on, as a company but also as executives and human beings.
On the profitability side, I believe most entrepreneurs already know what needs to be done to run a successful business. The difference at Primex is that we simply strive to do a better job and pay closer attention to the details that really matter. Everybody understands the basics, but we make it a point to execute them at a higher standard, and that’s what sets us apart. Our philosophy is to always be better than most, not in an arrogant way, but in a disciplined way. We also never stop learning. I’ve always encouraged people in the company to look at what our competitors do and to pick up on the good ideas. That mindset of continuous improvement keeps us sharp, and it guarantees we never become complacent.
What advice would you give to the next generation of entrepreneurs and philanthropists who want to create both financial success and meaningful impact?
Michael Amin: Be kind. Be honest. Try to do as much good in the world as you can. Learn as much as you can throughout all stages of your life. Be a positive force in your family. Raise your children to be happy and healthy, nothing is more important than that.
Always consider your business moves with the end in mind. Imagine yourself at the end of your life, looking back. What would you want to see? What accomplishments would truly make you proud? If you keep these thoughts in mind, many decisions tend to make themselves. It’s also worth remembering that success on its own does not bring happiness. Happiness comes from practicing gratitude, staying present, and learning to be content, no matter the circumstances. Achieving financial success is a wonderful goal, but it should never come at the cost of your integrity. Don’t let ego, greed, or ambition push you into being dishonest or taking advantage of people. True success is building something that lasts while doing good along the way.
Looking ahead, when you think about your legacy, what do you hope people will remember most about your work and impact?
Michael Amin: When I think about my legacy, it’s less about what others will say and more about whether I can look back on my life and feel proud of the choices I made. What matters most is knowing in my own heart that I’ve done the right things and made a positive difference. If I can be at peace with that, then the opinions of others don’t really matter.
That being said, in 2001, I realized a long-held goal and launched a nonprofit organization. I wanted to optimize the amount of good I could accomplish in my lifetime and even beyond, which is why, after much consideration, I decided to call it Maximum Difference Foundation, or MDF for short. The idea behind it was to apply the principle of return-on-investment, or ROI, that had worked so well for me in the private sector to the charitable sphere. In practice, what this means is making sure we do charitable work that for every dollar invested, produces the maximum positive good in order to make the maximum positive impact. The Foundation measures its progress in what I call “units of positive change,” which is just another way of expressing the reverberations caused by our actions.
We have many initiatives, but one I like to talk about is our campaign to motivate parents to learn about the art and science of good parenting by reading books, watching videos, attending seminars, and, if necessary, speaking to therapists. It is my belief that positively influencing the younger generations will provide the best ROI as time passes and ultimately make the maximum difference for good. The way I see it, happy and well-adjusted children grow into happy and well-adjusted adults, who will then make valuable contributions to society. I should note that MDF doesn’t provide any training or parenting classes ourselves but rather, through public relations and advertising, motivates parents to learn the art and science of parenting.
But that’s not all the Foundation does. We also partner with a wide variety of charities and nonprofit organizations such as The Innocence Project, Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, as well as a host of others in order to facilitate good work across the globe.
In the end, I think that starting MDF and guiding its work will be what, looking back, I will be most proud of. The startups I worked on early in my career, and later, Primex World Inc. are how I made my name in business, but I believe MDF will be my most positive impact on the world.
