Executive Suite: Christine Donaldson Boccia

As co-owner and executive manager of Donaldson Traditional Interiors, Christine Donaldson Boccia is a woman in what was traditionally a man's field -- construction. Her company does specialty ceilings, drywall and plastering for sites such as Carnegie Hall, Rikers Island and Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

She initially headed to work at her father's company in 2000 as a divorced single mother with twin daughters. After her father died suddenly in 2007, she took the reins, applied for woman-owned-business status and within four years has doubled revenue.

"You can't ever stop looking for the next contract," says Donaldson Boccia, 49, who networks constantly through trade organizations and by making sure potential customers know who she is. Her business takes tight planning, she says, especially because jobs can take five years to pay after they're done.

How did you double revenue after your father died?
We became certified as a woman-owned business, and I instituted major changes in-house -- fired some staff that wasn't doing the right thing, and hired some staff with new energy . . . We diversified our work. We landed Saks Fifth Avenue, and we've done medical offices, hospital work, and work that was different from what this company did prior.

Did becoming a woman-owned business help to get contracts?
It helps you get your foot in the door, but if you don't perform the work or you fall down on the job, you're not going to be invited back.

What's it like as a woman in a man's field?
Initially, I spent 99 percent of my time in the office doing administrative work, but the business needed me to get out there . . . You're definitely in the minority: Some men are not accepting of a woman in the business world, and so you have to earn that respect. When they realize you're going to stand your ground, they respect you even more.

What are the new trends in your industry?
The biggest one is BIM, building information modeling. Traditionally, an estimator would take a plan that was a huge roll of paper and you went plan by plan by plan to estimate any particular job. Now they're doing 3-D modeling, all done with computers. Also, in the New York City area, remodels in the city are going to be up-and-coming in the next couple of years. A lot of the buildings are 50-plus years old. . . . Things were wired with the old 120 volts; pipes were lead, now they're all PVC, and all the Internet connections are not in any of those buildings.

What tips do you have on surviving the recession?
You have to project ahead so you're not caught by things that come at you. Compromise, but one thing my grandfather and father taught me: You don't compromise your ethics or quality for anybody.

How do you unwind?
I love golf and love to sit on the beach.

CORPORATE SNAPSHOT
Name. Christine Donaldson Boccia, co-owner and executive manager of Donaldson Traditional Interiors of Huntington Station

What she does. "We're a subcontractor that works for a general contractor. We are 100 percent union labor performing rough framing, drywall, taping, acoustical, metal and specialty ceilings, lath, plaster and ornamental plaster."

Employees. Nine in the office and about 90 union workers in the field

Revenue. About $11 million