As a Turkish-Kazakh businessman, Tevfik Arif is most well-known in the US for his business ventures in New York City real estate and his partnership with Donald Trump before the latter became president. When Trump won the US presidential election, his earlier business relationships and his deals came under increased interest and scrutiny. This, in turn, led to an increase in interest in Tevfik Arif.

Tevfik Arif's Early Life

Born in 1953, Tevfik Arif is also known as Tofik Arifov. His parents were Turkish and living in the former Soviet Union or the modern-day country of Kazakhstan. Arif was the second child of four boys. There is nothing much known about his early life because Arif preferred to keep his personal life private.

But it goes without saying that his character and entrepreneurial work ethic were influenced by his experiences including in these early years.

Education and public service

Arif earned a bachelor's degree at the Moscow Institute of Trade and Economics in international relations. Here he demonstrated an interest in business and global trade systems.
After graduation, Tevfik Arif started working in the public sector with a position as a government employee in the Soviet Union. He built a respected career, serving 17 years as a civil servant. During these years, Arif served as the deputy director and chief economist of the food and hospitality department of the Soviet's Union's Government Ministry of Trade.
His work in the government ministry and his studies in international relations helped Arif gain a wealth of knowledge and experience that would later be assets in the private sector.
Early business ventures

His former position in the government sector gave Arif the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with several business leaders and government officials. In fact, he was able to expand his business interests because of his valuable skills and well-developed connections.
Together with his brother, Arif acquired a chromium plant in Kazakhstan.

This was the beginning of a global business in the natural resources sector. Aside from having the chromium plant, he also founded a company that operated in the import and export raw materials and metals.

From there, Arif continued to work within the natural resources field in various management, investment and supervisorial roles. He served as a representative for Trans World Group - a commodities trading company which was at one time one of the largest of its kind in the world.
These are examples of Arif's accomplishments achieved during his early years in the business world. This success is the result of his ability to operate in a high-stake industry, partnerships with powerful business leaders, negotiating complex deals and building a global enterprise, enabling Arif to stand out among the rest.

Real estate and property industry

Success in other business sectors afforded Arif the ability to focus on his long-time interest in real estate and property development. Aside from his business in operations of raw materials and natural resources, he began to pursue real estate investment, especially in luxury residential property and hotel development.

Most of his early development and investment projects were located across the region of Central Asia including Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. The construction and development of the luxury Labada Hotel located in Antalya, Turkey is one of his earliest real estate ventures. Achieving early success in real estate investment, Arif decided to expand his interests to other lucrative global markets.

Bayrock Group

Tevfik Arif founded Bayrock Group, a real estate investment firm, in 2001 in New York. The competitive property market in the United States posed additional challenges for Arif. The development and expansion of the shopping center located in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn was the very first project that was completed by Arif's Bayrock Group.

At this point in Bayrock's development, Arif's first projects were small as he built a network of connections and developed a better understanding of the local market. Real estate in New York can be intimidating particularly to outsiders, but Arif was known to be a seasoned business entrepreneur and investor.

With growing success and confidence, Arif relocated Bayrock Group with new offices in Trump Tower right in the heart of Manhattan. This close proximity to the Trump Organization soon led to a working relationship between the firms who had shared interests in property development. Bayrock Group signed a licensing agreement with the Trump Organization to use their brand in the development and construction of a hotel-condominium complex in the trendy SoHo neighborhood in Lower Manhattan - Trump SoHo.

Tevfik Arif's passion and perseverance in the face of challenges allowed him to achieve feats that would have defeated lesser individuals. Arif worked hard, employing every strategy and skill he possessed to achieve his goals. Arif has proven to be a man with valuable skills and extraordinary character who continuously aims high and through his efforts he has enjoyed various successes.

Today, Arif has largely retired from his family's business, but he remains a constant source of experience and wisdom guiding the company's operations.

With the fall of the Soviet Union, Arif turned his interests into the business world. During this period of dramatic change, the privatization of properties and enterprises during the economic restructuring of the Soviet Republic was underway.