PRESS AND AWARDS

AWARDS

“Supplier of the Year” from the NMSDC

“Outstanding Woman Business Enterprise” from the NMBC.

The National Minority Business Council, Inc. honored Catherine Leidersdorff in their 41st Anniversary Celebration.

“But as the owner of a company that has been certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and as a New York City and New York State certified woman-owned broker/dealer, I especially admire the accomplishments of this year’s Small Business Honoree, Catherine Leidersdorff, the founder of Architectural Flooring Resource, Inc. She is a Hispanic woman and 20-year entrepreneur providing jobs for more than 40 people. Her significant accomplishments have been recognized by the Clinton Foundation which tapped her to mentor other M/WBE small businesses.”

Paraphrasing a classic old New York City joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall, Robinson added that “no doubt that it was ‘practice, practice, practice’ that helped Catherine’s company win flooring contracts from Carnegie Hall, as well as from a host of other nationally-known organizations. JP Morgan Chase, AIG Insurance, Apple, The Museum of Modern Art, New York University, apparel manufacturers and retailers Jones New York and Nine West, and Interpublic Group advertising and marketing agencies are just some of her company’s clients.”

This is another infrastructure success story for none of us would be standing here today at NMBC’s 41st Anniversary Celebration without solid footing below our feet. Catherine is a serial entrepreneur,” noted Robinson. “While still attending Cornell University, she purchased and ran an exterior painting contractor franchise. By the time she graduated she had earned the down payment needed to purchase her first New York City apartment. That alone is an achievement that remains elusive to many New Yorkers.”

PRESS

We had a Wonderful time at Color Invasion this year!  Click here to see the highlights from The Wall Street Journal

Office Insight October 2014

10.13.14 | Since all construction projects require a finished floor, it helps interior designers and architects to be surrounded by resources in the flooring business that are focused on doing the job right the first time, as opposed to getting the job done quickly and poorly. Cathy Leidersdorff and her team at Architectural Flooring Resource (AFR) have earned their reputation in the New York Tri-State design community as a trustworthy confidant and influential leader in its market. This influence comes from a hearty mix of honesty, experience, and eyes trained on the future of every business relationship.

Click here for full article.

The Clinton Foundation

“The Clinton Foundations Entrepreneur Mentoring Program matched the Smiths with industry veteran Catherine Leidersdorff, president of Architectural Flooring Resource. Together they mapped a plan to increase sales and improve financial infrastructure and management by hiring new sales personnel and streamlining business operations. As a result, Smith Flooring increased 2010 revenue by 27 percent over 2009 and is poised for continued growth.”

The Franklin Report had this to say about AFR

“An architect’s dream resource for flooring,” is what people are saying about Architectural Flooring Resource. The firm supplies, installs, cleans and maintains wood, tile, cork, rubber, vinyl, laminates and wall-to-wall carpet. Although the majority of the firm’s work is commercial, Architectural Flooring also works on residential projects with architects, designers and contractors. Owner Cathy Leidersdorff and her team will also work directly with homeowners.

Check out the full review here.

NMSDC (National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.) stated in their 2012 Annual Report that

“Architectural Flooring Resource, a Hispanic-owned, New York City-based commercial flooring company, was selected as Interpublic’s preferred supplier for commercial carpeting and wood and vinyl flooring. One of the largest minority and women-owned commercial flooring contractors in the U.S., the firm worked with several Interpublic business units in New York for two years, and was chosen as a preferred supplier because of its competitive discounts offered from three leading manufactures – Bentley, Interface and Mohawk. In 2012, Interpublic contracted $1.9 million in business with the firm, which continues to grow in business.”

INC 5000

AFR was featured on inc.com as one of America’s fastest growing private companies in 2007
You can view AFRNY’s INC 500 Profile slide here.

Industry: construction
Founded 1993
Growth 140%
Employees: 13

“Why it’s growing: After serving Apple and Nine West stores nationwide, and completing eight floors at the United Nations building, networking is the primary factor driving the company’s growth.
What’s noteworthy: Since 2002 the company has adopted a policy of recycling all carpet, contributing to LEED certifications that have quickly gained popularity with the rising trend in green building design.”

AFR CEO Catherine Leidersdorff was profiled by the New York Real Estate Journal

You can read the full article here