Parvaneh Tavakol is the owner of ICS Restoration, a custom furniture and upholstery restoration contractor serving clients throughout the San Ramon Valley area. Based in Suisun, California, ICS Restoration offers a range of build and repair services including custom furniture fabrication, reupholstery, and antique furniture care and restoration. Since the company’s establishment in 2015, Ms. Tavakol has worked alongside clients and her team to help design and build custom sofas, chairs, and more, and carefully refurbish preloved and vintage pieces to their original condition. She is responsible for overseeing the company’s growth and financial success, including managing client records, marketing and all financial functions.
Ms. Tavakol was born and raised in Iran and developed her passion for antiques from her parents and grandparents, all avid collectors. As a child, she helped her father arrange his collection, and developed a keen sense of design and a deep knowledge of the hobby over time. Though she describes herself as a naturally hands-on person, she pursued a career in financial services before becoming an entrepreneur. In 1971, she graduated from the University of Tehran with a master’s degree in cost accounting and business management, and in 1979, she immigrated to the United States. Ms. Tavakol spent seven years as a financial analyst with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and worked with another company during a period of financial setback, increasing their annual revenues from $130,000 to more than $480,000 during her tenure.
Ms. Tavakol’s parents impressed upon her that she should find a career that allowed her to find success, as having to struggle was an indicator that something was not a good fit for her, and she credits them with helping her develop the confidence to take on traditionally masculine jobs. Her first foray into the construction industry was as a salesperson for home improvement products. Frustrated by the frequency with which her employers made promises to clients that they failed to deliver upon, Ms. Tavakol was inspired to branch out on her own to create a company that matched her values and sense of punctuality.
Saratoga Construction and Roofing was the result of her efforts, and Ms. Tavakol continued to run the company for more than two decades. She holds a general contractor license and a roofing contractor license, and began her business as a roofing specialist before becoming a generalist to overcome the seasonal nature of the roofing business. Early in her business, Ms. Tavakol and her business partner completed more than 250 full roofing projects in one season. After 20 years of success in general contracting, Ms. Tavakol started ICS Restoration as a way to combine her love of antiques with her experience in the contracting industry.
Ms. Tavakol considers her greatest accomplishment to be the broad range of careers that she has been able to find success in, overcoming the challenges of being a single mother and an immigrant. Throughout her career, she recalls being on the receiving end of numerous rejections and glass ceilings, and she coaches others to remain empathetic and patient with those that they encounter, emphasizing her motto “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In addition to her own success, Ms. Tavakol takes pride in her daughter, who is the chief customer officer at RingCentral and has been named one of the Top 50 Successful Women by a leading business publication.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to her field and to her success as a financier and entrepreneur, Ms. Tavakol has been the recipient of numerous awards including a citation from Hewlett Packard Enterprise for her work as a part of the company’s finance department. In her personal time, she enjoys hobbies including photography and other creative pursuits.
