AKDO, the tile and stone brand, has opened its first showroom to spotlight its global stone, tile and mosaic collections in a single place. Located at 22 West 21st Street in New York, the 10,000-square-foot, two-floor space is evidence of the 25-year-old company’s transition from product design, manufacturing and distribution to retail. The new showroom has two custom art mosaics on display, one adapted from a chinoiserie wallpaper and another a floral still life, both created from thousands of pieces of natural stone in dozens of colors. Hakkı Akbulak, AKDO president and co-founder, talked to TurkofAmerica.

Leading Turkish businessman Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ has been elected as the new head of the Turkish-American Business Council (TAİK). In a general assembly election of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) on Jan. 11, new presidents were elected to 66 of the 142 business councils. “The political, economic and trade ties between Turkey and the U.S. have run in different gears from time to time. As the representatives of the business world, our main aim is to minimize the differences in point of views and priorities,” Yalçındağ told Hürriyet Daily News, adding that TAİK would work to boost bilateral relations.

By Kerry A. Dolan and Luisa Kroll - Forbes - It was another record year for the wealthiest people in America, as the price of admission to the country’s most exclusive club jumped nearly 18%. The minimum net worth to make The Forbes 400 list of richest Americans is now a record $2 billion, up from $1.7 billion a year ago. The group’s total net worth climbed to $2.7 trillion, up from $2.4 trillion, and the average net worth rose to $6.7 billion, up from $6 billion. 

The United States and Turkey lifted all visa restrictions on Thursday after Washington said Ankara had kept to assurances no further U.S. mission staff would be targeted for performing official duties, following detention of two earlier this year. But Turkey swiftly denied having granted such assurances in the affair that has tested relations since the two local employees of the U.S. consulate in Istanbul were held on suspicion of ties to last year's failed coup against President Tayyip Erdogan. The United States suspended visa services at its missions in Turkey in October and Turkey reciprocated. In November, Washington said it was resuming limited services upon getting assurances on the safety of its local staff.