Akil Ajmeri,
Owner & Developer
In 1992, when Akil told his family that he planned to come to the United States, his uncle told him he would back within a month and he would never make anything of himself, because he was too reliant on his father’s money.
Determined to prove his uncle wrong, he left India with only $1500, but before the end of the first month was down to $100 in his pocket. He was forced to work for the first time in his life. He began working in a convenience store, performing tasks that he once considered far beneath him, but quickly learned that if you want to live the American Dream, you must work hard and work long. And that’s exactly what he did!
Fast forward 25 years, and Mr. Ajmeri’s hard work shows in the form of his very own convenience stores, gas stations, Subway restaurants. He worked his way up the ladder at that first convenience store and proved to his boss (and his uncle!) that he was willing to do whatever it took to grow a successful business. Many hours of hard work, as well as taking great pride in his business and providing excellent customer service has proven to be the key to his success.
After his first daughter was born in 2003. He began opening additional stores and naming them after her. Ayra’s quickly became a well-known and well respected name in Racine, and Mr. Ajmeri began to see the joy in sharing such businesses with his community. Just as he enjoyed turning his own life 360 degrees, he also has a knack for taking old dilapidated buildings that once were, and turning them into beautiful modern locations for his businesses.
Before long, designing and creating new locations became more of a hobby than a job for him. He currently owns 3 Liquor stores, 2 Convenience stores/Gas Stations and a Subway restaurant in the Racine/Kenosha area, and he’s currently working on more.