Monte Ahuja, Interview, 04 August 2014

This interview was conducted as part of Cleveland State University's 50th Anniversary Comemmoration effort. Monte Ahuja, currently the CEO of Mura Holdings and founder of the Transtar automotive distribution company, was born in India and emigrated to the United States in 1968 after recieving a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering. He emigrated in order to pursue a masters degree in mechanical engineering at The Ohio State University. After he completed his degree at OSU he entered the PhD program there but the funding was pulled so he relocated to the Cleveland area for work. At this time he decided to earn an MBA and enrolled at CSU. During his time at CSU he developed a business plan as part of his coursework for a class that would eventually become the extremely successful automotive distribution company Transtar. In this interview Ahuja traces the trajectory of his life, detailing his time at OSU and CSU all while working full time. He describes the course that he took where he developed Transtars business plan, relating how the company was able to grow into the largest in its field in the country. Ahuja was also a member of CSU's board of trustees, serving as chairman for six years, and he relates what that experience was like for him. He also describes his philanthropic interest and how he became so heavily involved with University Hospitals and reengaged with CSU after a period of disconnection.