A dream 20 years in the making, the Ariel International Center (AIC) opened July 12 in Cleveland’s Asia Town neighborhood to a packed house of the city’s top tastemakers. An international business incubator, development and events center, the AIC already is making waves in the surrounding area and hopes to be a sounding board for increased development in the region.

“Within a 500-mile radius, we have access to 60 percent of North American Fortune 500 companies, 60 percent of [the] U.S. Population, and within a two-hour radius, we are really connected,” says Radhika Reddy, the mastermind behind the AIC. Reddy came to the U.S. From India over 20 years ago on a student visa and $20 to her name, at the encouragement of a relative and a one-year Rotary International scholarship. From this humble beginning, she earned a masters in business administration from Case Western Reserve University and followed this with a masters in accounting and taxation from Cleveland State University. American nuances, she says, she learned from friends and current business partners Lynn Selzer and Irene Zawadiwsky.

Taking Care of Business

The Ariel International Center building in Cleveland’s Asia Town near Lake Erie.

The AIC looks to be the “one-stop shop” for international businesses set to expand in the United States and beyond. The Center, headed by the partners at Ariel Ventures, LLC, Reddy’s consulting and real estate business she operates along with Selzer and Zawadiwsky. As part of this development project, Reddy’s team also operates a business incubator within the AIC to help young companies reach their global potential. Reddy’s first company through the incubator, Zula Medical, which recently patented a tooth implant dental product, expects to be valued at some $46 million within five years.

“There’s another company who’s importing from China. It’s an American disabled veteran company, and they are importing from China and exporting to multiple countries,” Reddy explains. “But they’re a startup. So they need startup finance; they need advice; they need accounting. So those are the kind of things we can help them grow safely.”

That company, headed by two veterans who met during Operation Iraqi Freedom, is Earth Anatomy, which hopes to do what wood paneling has done for the luxury fixtures market using wafer-thin stone. Currently based out of Willoughby, Ohio, Earth Anatomy is run by co-founders RJ Thacker and Josh Morgan. Both attended the AIC’s opening and suggest they might eventually be looking to move to the building, if things pan out. One of their customers includes aerospace interior design developer Goodrich Interiors.

“If there’s cutting-edge, transformative technologies,” Reddy says, “then they’ll be at the cutting-edge of exports. But if it’s a very standard product, then it’ll be hard for U.S. to compete with India and China. So you’ve got to see what type of products and what is niche in U.S.; what is niche in India; what’s niche in China, and accordingly do the best global strategy.”

Only the Beginning

Radhika Reddy, center, prepares to cut the ribbon to the Center, along with Mayor Frank Jackson and a bevvy of officials and friends.

The AIC’s opening offered arresting views of the Cleveland skyline and Lake Erie, a hub that represents international trade as much as the AIC itself. Of Reddy’s estimated 400 people in attendance, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson was perhaps the featured guest. During his speech before the ribbon cutting, Jackson congratulated Reddy on her tenacity and for recognizing “what Cleveland has to do to be a competitor” and how Cleveland can be a place for businesses “from around the world to come and invest.”

Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman extolled Reddy’s efforts, calling her “an example of Cleveland’s greatness,” with the long queue to reach Reddy exemplifying. At roughly five-feet tall, Reddy’s unassuming stature gives way to a keen business savvy she hopes will be an example for other Asians.

“I want to heighten the Asian heritage [by] expanding and doing business with India and China,” she says. “And I think it’s motivation for other Asians. You know, you see someone go mainstream and succeed, it motivates others.”

“Believe it or not, Cleveland is one of the most diverse cities in the United States,” says Johnny Wu, principal strategist at Cleveland-based brand strategy firm Sampson Carnegie and owner of Media Design Imaging, a film company. “… Cleveland has a lot of different ethnic groups, a lot of different races, and everyone works together, as you can see in this room. So if you’re Chinese or Asian and you want to come to Cleveland, it’s better for your family, for future generations, to live in an environment where everyone can work together.” Wu is also co-founder of the Cleveland Asian Festival and is excited to see how this new development helps shape the future of Asia Town.

“Because I myself am a [woman] entrepreneur, plus an immigrant entrepreneur and also a minority,” Reddy says. “So some of the difficulties I faced, as a woman, as an immigrant, I feel that I want to help other immigrants and other women own business through the incubator process – to provide them help and guidance to expand – because I know the issues we face.”

While the ribbon may be cut, the building itself is still a work in progress. Of the four floors we toured, only the top floor the event took place at was finished. The other floors, and a proposed international gift shop and restaurant, are still potentially years away. “I’m still doing step-by-step,” Reddy says. “I close a project and build one section.” But the group is optimistic about the potential such an endeavor could play in reshaping Northeast Ohio’s landscape, even if time frames aren’t yet set.

“The Asian community has been phenomenally supportive,” Reddy says. “Everyone seems to love the idea. Everyone’s coming together. … It’s great. Thank you.”

Photos: Ariel International Center building from AIC website; all others Justin McCraw

Editor’s Note: Updated July 16, 2012, to clarify Radhika Reddy’s degree timeline and Lynn Selzer’s misspelled name.

Tags: Ariel International Center, Cleveland, Earth Anatomy, Frank Jackson, Goodrich Interiors, Irene Zawadiwsky, Joe Cimperman, Johnny Wu, Josh Morgan, Lynn Selzer, Radhika Reddy, RJ Thacker