Lina recently moderated a panel at the 2017 State of Women in Business event at Columbia University School of Business.
Read more about this event on ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com
Lina recently moderated a panel at the 2017 State of Women in Business event at Columbia University School of Business.
Read more about this event on ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com
Check out Lina Gottesman’s guest opinion piece in this month’s ConstructionDive. Read more about the history of Altus and the ins and outs of running a woman-owned business in a male-dominated industry.
February, a time of showing appreciation, is the perfect month to offer thanks to the people who make it all possible. We are well aware that no matter how grand a vision and noble the goals, if a company doesn’t have wonderful people behind it, it will not succeed.
The Altus team is a mix of individuals who have been with us for over 20 years and young apprentices who show great potential and are eager to learn. The members of our crews and staff have made us the successful, respected company we are today. Every time I walk through my office or go to one of the job sites where Altus’ skilled tradesmen are hard at work, I am filled with pride.
The work done by our restoration specialists in ornamental metal, natural stone and natural wood, demands great artistic talent and craftsmanship as well as painstaking care, dedication and patience. It requires individuals who don’t want just to acquire a skill, but to master the process. To all our crews, we offer our deep gratitude.
To the team who runs the office with great efficiency, and always manages to keep a cool head even at moments of stress, we extend our warmest thanks for your devoted service.
It’s clear to us – great things DO happen- if you care.
Lina & Bob Gottesman
Listen to Lina talk about how she became a small business owner on LI News Radio show Business Profits in the Real World. Host, Michael Kessler, CPA interviewed Lina to find out how she maintains balance in her life while growing two companies.
Altus Metal, Marble and Wood CEO Lina Gottesman (center left behind sign) was invited by BALI Executive Director Liz Abzug (short hair, left of Lina) to speak at the Millie King Entrepreneurship Program of the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI). Oriela Baliaj (kneeling, right of sign) is Program Associate; Ebony Wilkinson (kneeling, left of sign) is Program Coordinator. Photo credit: Bharvi Chavre.
“They won’t care about how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
When I heard those words from a motivational speaker over 20 years ago, they immediately hit home and an inward cry of ‘YES!’ shot through my head. It was as if he was talking directly to me: caring and concern for the customer has been the guiding principle of Altus Metal, Marble and Wood since its launch in 1989.
Altus is derived from the name of a Greek mythological bird that symbolizes excellence. I chose the name because I determined from the start that Altus would always be uncompromising in its standards, consistently demanding the highest quality workmanship on every project we undertake, no matter how small or how large. I, Bob, and our entire team have never wavered in our allegiance to that principle.
A couple weeks ago, I had the honor and privilege of being invited to speak to a group of approximately 30 young women trainees, mostly high school graduates entering college in the fall and college freshmen and sophomores, at the launch of the annual Millie King Entrepreneurship Program presented by the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI) at Hunter College in New York City. I was invited by none other than Bella’s daughter, Liz Abzug, executive director of BALI.
I noticed that when I told the group about the quote above – the one about putting commitment to the client above all – a murmur of recognition spread throughout the crowd. They were young and new to the world of business and entrepreneurship, but they got it. They understood instinctively the wisdom and truth of that statement.
Liz Abzug tells me that the talk I gave to the young women was successful, that they left feeling inspired and even empowered. Nothing could make me more proud. Their probing questions showed a wisdom beyond their years, and I was quick to tell her that I was extremely glad to hear that they gleaned something from me, because I surely learned a great deal from them.
According to the NY Post, New York Women are owning the business world.
“New York City’s women can lean in with the best of them when it comes to running a business.
With everything from small florists to high-tech hubs, the New York City metro area has an estimated 876,300 women-owned firms, employing 657,600 workers (excluding owners), with estimated sales this year of $140 billion.
Since 2002, sales at women-owned operations have grown by 48 percent, and the total number of firms by nearly 45 percent.”
Lina Gottesman was recently interviewed by the NY Post about her business, Altus Metal, Marble and Wood.
Read Lina’s interview here: http://nypost.com/2016/04/16/new-yorks-women-are-owning-the-business-world/
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”
This truism has become a challenge for any building coping with the unrelenting elements that Mother Nature has dealt us this winter. The transitional time we’re in now is producing warmer temps but, unfortunately, huge amounts of slush and grime.
One of the first things any visitor or tenant sees upon entering a lobby is the flooring. Shiny, lustrous marble or ceramic flooring immediately attracts the eye. Yet when shoes and boots trek in sand, salt and chemicals, floors become dirty, gritty and dull.
Building owners and managers are finding that the proper placement of runners and installed inset mats at entryways can prevent many exterior elements from damaging interior flooring. music down load sites . These absorb much of the debris from feet and preserve and protect floors with minimal maintenance.
Areas surrounding the carpeting and below it still need to be kept clean and dry to protect the flooring’s surface. Trapped moisture can cause significant damage.
Keeping all areas free of dirt and moisture and using mats and runners wisely will lower maintenance costs and help floors retain their beautiful, polished sheen year-round.
Placing inset mats and runners at building entryways helps preserve and protect flooring year-round.
The dedication of Grand Central Terminal’s main entry vestibule as the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Foyer is, in a sense, the crowning culmination of her tireless campaign to save this iconic landmark. The lawsuit launched by Mrs. Onassis and other influential New Yorkers in the 1970s, led to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to preserve such buildings. Following the historic step, many other landmark buildings have been saved from demolition in New York City.
The foyer now features a new plaque and two display vitrines with digital images honoring Mrs. Onassis’ life and accomplishments.
The vestibule’s marble walls and terrazzo flooring, including the bronze inscription and scroll emblazoned above the door leading passengers into Vanderbilt Hall were restored by Altus Metal, Marble, and Wood.
The restoration process of the inscription, which reads “TO ALL THOSE WHO WITH HEAD, HEART AND HAND TOILED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS MONUMENT TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE, THIS IS INSCRIBED” was complex. Altus’ expert crew of metal craftspeople used meticulous care to avoid damaging both the wall and the pins attached to the embedded letters. The bronze letters were removed individually, catalogued, labeled, and placed in order on special sheeting to avoid any misplacement. They were then stripped, re-oxidized to the accepted sample color, and coated with multiple coats of clear protective lacquer before being reattached to the original location.
Altus’ team of marble restoration specialists lightly sanded the marble walls in a process known as diamond grinding, then poulticed the area to remove stains, honed, and polished it. The terrazzo floors were mechanically polished.
Our team at Altus, is proud to have played a part in this remarkable effort to help preserve an iconic New York City landmark, started by Mrs. Onassis over four decades ago.
To bring life to the words that pay tribute to the construction industry was especially gratifying as Altus celebrates our 25th year in business.