By LEAH WEATHERSBY

Itıs hard to talk to German-born Ravenna resident Udo J. Reich without thinking ³American success story.²

Reich is owner of Ambiente Tile, which opened in Ravenna in 1994 and has just opened a second store in the Green Lake neighborhood at 227 NE 65th St.

Reich is not only the buildingıs newest tenant. He is also the developer who oversaw its construction.

As the managing member of Panescu Properties, the company which built Ambienteıs new Green Lake digs, Reich is making his mark not just in the tile world but on landscape of Seattle. The new five-story building includes two retail spaces, 15 residential units and parking.

A similar building is planned further north, at N. 103rd and Greenwood Avenue N., which is slated to begin construction this coming spring.

Reich began his career in the construction industry in 1986 after two years at the Technical University in Munich, Germany. He did not complete his studies, realizing that he was more of a ³practical guy.² He worked as a project manager in Munich, restoring old apartment buildings.

In 1990, Reich and his wife Carla decided to move to Seattle after having traveled extensively in the United States. Both the natural beauty and the opportunity for builders in this area appealed to the Reichs, whose future at that time was still uncertain. Because his experience as a builder was only in Europe, Udo Reich encountered skepticism from local tradesmen when he applied for jobs.

³I canıt refer you to any of my members,² Reich recalls one union official saying, ³you probably donıt even know what inches are.²

³We didnıt know if we would stay six days, six weeks or six years,² said Reich. Initially, he found work here as a tile setter. He found the job appealing partly because it offered relatively high pay and benefits.

Then, in November 1991, he founded the Udo J. Reich remodeling company, starting with a fixer-upper in Ravenna.

By the time the company incorporated in 1993, Reich had six employees. Now the company, which owns Ambiente Tile, employs four times as many people. According to Reich, and his general manager, Scott Bridger, who joined the company in 1995, good employee relations has always been a high priority for Udo J. Reich Inc.

³If you have an idea, (Udo) will listen,² said Bridger, who originally came to the company as a tile setter and cited Reichıs good reputation among past employees as one of the reasons he chose to work there.

³We want to have as much fun as you can have working,² Reich says.

In 1994, Reich and his wife, Carla, opened Ambiente Tile store in the Ravenna neighborhood, with Carla as the manager.

Though Carla, whose previous job was working as a German-English translator, sometimes struggled to learn the technical aspects of the tile business, according to Reich, he says the store has been a success.

The Reichs buy directly from tile artists, cutting out the middle man, but customers should not expect bargain basement products if they visit Ambiente Tileıs Green Lake store. Unlike the Ravenna store, which sells everything from lower-priced leftover tiles from past projects to brand new high-end tiles, the Green Lake store specializes in top-quality tiles that must be special ordered and come complete with an artistic sales staff ready to help customers sort through their many choices and put together a design.

³Weıre not a grocery store,² Reich says.

Though Reich says he tried at first to find a second business tenant for his new Green Lake building he says he had probably subconsciously had the new space in mind for Ambiente Tile.

Reich, and showroom manager Dana Servheen, both think the new storeıs easy access to the freeway will be a boon to customers, many of whom are not local.

Not only have the Reichsı businesses grown in recent years, but Panescu Properties, whose partners include Richard Panescu, Carlaıs father, appears to be flourishing as well. The new Green Lake building represents the completion of Panescu Properties first project in Seattle. It was started in 1994 and took five years to complete. According to Reich, most of the condominiums sold quickly (Panescu retains ownership over three units), with a two-bedroom penthouse fetching over $400,000.

Reich says had he stayed in Germany, he might never have become a developer. German builders are required to either spend years in school (often at an age when many people already have a family to support) to become a Master Builder or to hire a Master themselves before they can start a business.

While Germany tends to rely on the knowledge of a few highly-trained Masters to make sure buildings are constructed safely and correctly, America relies more on a strict permitting process, opening up the field to entrepreneurs such as Reich.

With his businesses both hitting their stride, Reich hopes to spend less time in the office and more time with his family, on the squash court and sailing. Of his own success over the past decade, Udo Reich simply says ³Thatıs America.²