Faces of Bay Ridge: John Abi-Habib, a mover and a shaker

January 22, 2024 Wayne Daren Schneiderman

John Abi-Habib founded a number of civic organizations in Bay Ridge.
Photos: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle

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BAY RIDGE – John Abi-Habib is all about foresight and being on the cutting edge of whatever it is that he is involved in — be it technology or his seemingly never-ending resume dedicated to community service.

“I’ve always tried to be the first – to see things before they become mainstream,” Abi-Habib told the Brooklyn Eagle.

Hailing from the mountains outside of Beirut, Lebanon, Abi-Habib, who has lived in Bay Ridge for more than 40 years, came to the United States in the early 1980s to become an electrical engineer at a time when computers were in their relative infancy.

“It [computers] started to become a thing — and I jumped on it,” Abi-Habib said. “So instead of electrical engineering, I tried my hand at computer engineering. Mind you, this was before the computer movement had really happened.

“I was no longer doing mainframe work. Instead, I started doing banking and account-based applications — billing systems for companies on computers. And I just developed my craft from there.”

Currently, Abi-Habib is an IT professional, running two businesses — MSI Net, Inc., which provides Internet support to schools and businesses, and mCloudServ — both located at 7333 Sixth Ave. in Bay Ridge.

But in addition to his technological prowess, Abi-Habib remains extremely active within the community and serves on a number of organizations, including the Salaam Club of New York, one of Brooklyn’s oldest Middle Eastern civic groups, where he is a past president emeritus. He also serves as secretary on the Salaam Club Foundation board.

John Abi-Habib prides himself on his community service.

He also founded a number of civic organizations in Bay Ridge such as the Festival of Middle Eastern Churches; the Arab-American Association of New York, whose mission is to support and empower the Arab immigrant and Arab American communities; a branch of the World Lebanese Cultural Union, which strives to bring Lebanese people across the globe together, to preserve and spread Lebanese heritage and to strengthen the Lebanese diaspora; and the New York City Unity Task Force, an interdenominational group formed in 2000, composed of religious and civic leaders poised to take on anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Abi-Habib has also been very active and involved in the Fifth Avenue and 86th Street business improvement districts (BIDs) and has served on several community boards. He has been chair of CB10’s Communications Committee in Bay Ridge; Economic Development chair of CB6 in Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill-Red Hook during the Bloomberg administration; and Executive Board member of CB7 in Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace.

When asked how he manages to have the time to spearhead two companies and be so community-minded at the same time, Abi-Habib pointed out that it’s about time management, and the love for what you do.

“Sure, you will work a lot, but it becomes a part of you. Ultimately, of course, you have to enjoy it,” he said. “And I do enjoy working here and empowering the community in any way I can.

“Bay Ridge is a very unique place,” Abi-Habib continued. “Once you come in, you don’t want to leave. The multicultural aspect makes it very special. Everyone blends in and lives together as a community, and it’s a great place to raise a family.”

Incidentally, Abi-Habib, 58, has been married for more than 30 years to his wife, Sonia, and has two children — Michael, 25, who is currently in law school, and 19-year-old Jenna, who is studying architecture.