SmartCEO - September/October 2014

 

The following is an excerpt from this post, indicating Liz Elting was named a winner of the Smart CEO Brava! awards, honoring top female CEOs. 

Editor's Note: Companies represented on this list were selected based on criteria including their companies' growth and dedication to giving back to the community. Area businesses were invited to apply online. The descriptions and remarks that follow were culled from subsequent detailed questionnaires. Any remarks regarding quality of service, etc., should not be taken as the opinion(s) of SmartCEO.

 

An Overview of the Winners:

 

49,438 individuals are employed by the 2014 Brava! winners' companies

$1.2 billion - Annual collective revenue of the 2014 Brava! winners' companies

23 - Average years the 2014 Brava! companies have been in business

 

TransPerfect's Excerpt:

 

Liz Elting, President and CEO

TransPerfect

 

Location: New York, NY

Founded: 1992

Industry: Translation and language services

 

DIVERSIFICATION AND TECHNOLOGY: Under Liz Elting's leadership, TransPerfect excels through diversification and technology. The firm has grown from simply being a translation services company to a one-stop shop for its clients' business needs. The company builds and develops customized technology solutions in-house, which customers can use independently of its translation services. "We are constantly developing technology to streamline business processes for our clients." Elting says.

 

WEATHER THE STORM: The citywide blackout in the wake of Hurricane Sandy made it difficult for employees to get to the midtown office, impacting their ability to serve the firm's international clients. Employees carried generators up 39 flights of stairs to TransPerfect's headquarters to get power running, and others walked 50 blocks to attend work at the firm's secondary location. With the help of its international offices, TransPerfect was able to get back on its feet.

 

THE WORLD IS FLAT: Elting strives to make TransPerfect a flat organization. "We want to encourage employees of all levels to bring forth their ideas because they are all valuable," she says. The company promotes from within, so the majority of its top people have earned their seat through moving up the ranks, learning the business and its values from the inside out.

 

QUICK TIP: Temper your ambition with pragmatism.