After graduating from V Zagreb Gymnasium as one of top students he wanted to study to become a film director at Zagreb Film Academy but his father nixed that “scenario” and told him to better become a medical doctor or an engineer. He got admitted at Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb and his generation of 1967 was the first generation that started their studies in the new building where faculty is today. In the first 2 years Boris was among top students of his generation excelling in theoretical studies such as mathematics held by Prof. Devide, mechanics held by Prof. Bazjanac, chemistry (Prof. Esih), physics (Prof. Lopasic) and metallurgy (Prof. Malesevic). He worked for several years as a “demonstrator” in the department of mathematics. After graduating in 1973 he received an offer from IBM Germany to work there as an engineer due to his knowledge of high mathematics but instead he opted to move to the United States.

While at the University, Boris Miksic was involved in Student Movement, a Croatian patriotic group formed in 1968 at the University of Zagreb to protest against government oppression. Political situation after that made it very hard for him to build a professional career and he had high aspirations in life. It became clear to him that his future will have to be abroad. In February of 1974 he went to the University of Zagreb to pick up his diploma, but did not return home, instead, he took a train to Austria, pretending he was going skiing. At that moment of leaving his homeland he knew he had chosen a new life for himself and his family and that he was heading to the unknown. His wife and he were to become parents. They haven’t told anyone; their parents were worried enough as it was. There was no time to think of what lay ahead. The future, as Albert Einstein put it so well, comes soon enough. Beginning in America was hard. Boris struggled working different jobs to be able to support his family, however he was persistent and hardworking which led him to become a research engineer with Northern Instruments. In 1977 he founded his own company, Cortec, in a small garage in St. Paul, MN.

This small company evolved to become Cortec Group, today’s multinational corporation and a world leader in corrosion protection industry with 9 plants in US, Canada and Croatia. Boris Miksic is the owner of 50 patents in US, EU, Canada and Japan as well as the author of 7 books and over 150 research papers in peer reviewed publications and Congresses. He is a Chairman of International Symposia and technical committees at NACE (National Association of Corrosion Engineers). From 1995 to 2005 he was Honorary General Consul of Croatia in the US. In 2005 and 2009 he was Independent Candidate for President of Croatia and Independent Representative in the City Council of Zagreb.

“When he arrived in the United States, Boris Miksic brought along energy, intelligence and determination. But also a dream. He was the Croatian gift to America. Today, as a successfull entrepreneur, he is the American gift to Croatia.”

Governor Rudy Perpich