The billionaire co-founder of one of the Arab World’s largest building corporations, Hasib Sabbagh was born to a prominent Christian family in Tiberias, Palestine. Consolidated Contractors Company International (CCC) originally started in Haifa in 1943 but re-located to Lebanon after Israel’s 1948 creation. When civil war broke out in Lebanon, they settled in Greece.
A civil engineer with a 1941 degree from the American University of Beirut, he had a keen business sense. It’s been said that Sabbagh maintained relationships with key decision makers around the world. They thrived in dangerous regions and they also excelled in safe regions, including building a terminal extension at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport. With a net worth of $4.3 billion, CCC is ranked within the world’s top 20 of international contractors.
After Sabbagh’s wife, Diana, died in 1978, he established the Diana Tamari Sabbagh Foundation. The Foundation has given grants to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Harvard University, Georgetown University, and others. Most especially, the Foundation has helped Palestinian young adults afford college educations and he gave generously to Palestinian institutions throughout the land.
Prior to his death, a few words appeared on the late Hasib Sabbagh’s website: Hasib Sabbagh has dedicated his life to finding a solution to the dilemma of the Palestinian people. His most cherished hope is for the establishment of an independent state.
