Feature Friday – AML Limited
It is my pleasure, once a month, to feature a local business. A business that I’ve photographed for marketing purposes or maybe just the owner or employees for the “About” section of their website.
Today’s feature is AML Limited.
I met the owners, Kelley and Adrian at my church. It was a funny connection actually. Have you ever met someone who you just wanted to know more from the instant you saw them? Someone who you notice from across a room and hope to have a reason to meet and talk to? That’s how I felt about Kelley. I actually met her for the first time at an If: Gathering at our church over a year ago. I found my boldness to walk up to her and meet her. To my surprise she told me she felt the same way about me. That she wanted to meet me and talk to me as well. And that was that, we were friends.
I learned a bit about her business in the days and weeks that followed and learned that she was in need of some photography. She and her husband have a great spot for their business in Sausalito, out on Liberty Ship Way. It was a perfect location for portraits of Kelley and Adrian as well as their employees and their ever faithful and beautiful dog, Lobo. I’ve since taken some family photos as well out at beautiful Cavallo Point and plan on photographing some products and samples to be used on their site in the near future.
For this Feature Friday series I asked Kelley to answer a few questions so that I could introduce AML Limited to my readers. I hope this is a way for people to learn a little something about their business as they are wonderful people with giant hearts. They bring more than just knowledge and hard work to the table. They bring character, heart and compassion. I’m truly blessed to know them and can’t wait for you to meet them too!
Here is an introduction to Kelley Laekas and AML Limited…
How many years have you been in business and how did you get started in the industry?
My husband and I both worked many years for a large corporation selling commercial carpet. The development of AML Limited was actually pretty organic when we felt we could do something more dynamic and more fun on our own. We took a chance to build AML Limited together and have never looked back. That was 5 years ago.
When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an interior designer, just like my mom.
What do you love about your job/career?
I love solving problems for people. It brings me joy to help someone create their vision, especially when they don’t think it’s possible. And being part of a team that creates beautiful and useful buildings is a pleasure.
What services /products do you offer/provide?
AML Limited started as a company promoting under-represented interior finishes to the design industry. We now also provide local distribution for some finish materials and more recently we have managed many projects from inception to completion. This includes everything from finding the materials to be used to arranging labor and installation. We have also consulted to local municipalities to evaluate appropriate use of materials. AML started by filling a need that wasn’t being met and have since learned to grow and change based on the needs of our industry. What began as a small service has turned into a full-scale offering to our clients and we love every moment.
What is your favorite part of your job/career?
Solving problems for people and being a part of creating beautiful and useful buildings is a pleasure. I absolutely love working with my best friend and husband and honestly, we have a great team here at the office. We have chemistry together and that helps us work not only with each other but with other creatives to bring their visions to fruition with unique materials.
My background is interior design and although I’m not “designing” I have the chance to let the inner designer part of me come out by creatively solving a problem for my clients. The other part that’s really fun is being able to see the working, functioning, beautiful spaces that we contribute our skills toward. It’s wonderful to see the vision come to reality when walking through a space.
What sets your company apart from your competitors?
We rarely say “no”. We will work until we find a client what it is they need, whether it’s a product we represent or not. We like to think of ourselves as consultants. We’ve come to realize that we have a chance to help people find the right material, the right installer and if there’s something that would be best for the job and if we don’t carry or represent it, we’ll go find it. We’ve sourced materials from South Korea, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Poland, Spain, Canada and even Estonia which used to be part of Russia near the Baltic Sea. We strive to be the best at what we do with every opportunity.
I hope you’ve enjoyed getting a little peek into AML Limited and who they are behind the scenes! I find inspiration in that they not only love what they do but they love each other through it all. Happy people making people happy.
Look for another Feature Friday next month. And please comment below if you have other questions you would like to know the answers to or suggestions. I’m happy to hear them.
