GCP Spotlight: Ariane Kirkpatrick, AKA Team Owner and President
Authored by Laura DeMarco and Michael Collier
GCP Spotlight: Ariane Kirkpatrick, AKA Team Owner and President The Cleveland Guardians have unveiled their “Progressive Field Reimagined” vision and timeline. The changes will put an emphasis on social spaces, including revamping the upper deck and Terrace Club and redoing the clubhouse. Construction is slated to begin following the conclusion of the 2023 season and be completed over phases in 2024 and 2025.
A prominent Cleveland construction firm, the AKA Team, was named Associate Construction Manager for the $202.5 million project, a joint public-private effort. Earlier this month, AKA Team Owner and President Ariane Kirkpatrick sat down with GCP to share her thoughts on the impact the contract will have on her firm, breaking barriers as a Black woman in the construction field, her company’s growth and her love of Cleveland sports – including, of course, The Guardians.
A lifelong groundbreaker and entrepreneur, Ariane founded AKA in 2009 in a small house on Miles Road. Today, her firm has more than 100 employees. In just a little more than a decade, her company has worked on projects for the Cleveland Clinic, Sherwin Williams, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Medical Mart Convention Center, Flats East Bank, CMHA Administration Building and many more. Helping to rebuild and reimagine the 11th oldest MLB ballpark is a challenge she can handle.
“I’ve always been one to take on a challenge,” said Kirkpatrick. “I make sure I am an example for others around me.”
“To be part of a team building the city, building the Land … wow, we hit a home run. We’re all in, we’re committed.”
