![](media/image1.png){width="1.979861111111111in"
height="1.0083333333333333in"} ***News Release***

New York District Office

Release Date: March 15, 2006 Contact: John J. Miller (212) 264-7770

Release Number: 06-16 e-mail: john.miller@sba.gov

***Entrepreneur Polishes Off the Competition***

**Mount Vernon, NY**--- With a business model designed to take advantage
of its competition's shortcomings, Metal Man Restoration of Mount Vernon
is poised for continued growth in the New York metal polishing and
plating services industry.

Local building managers and homeowners in need of façade and ornament
polishing services (think of those brass doors, doorknobs and railings)
had few choices in the past but to contract with New York City-based
companies. With lower pick-up and delivery costs as well as offering
quicker turnaround than those options, Metal Man is experiencing steady
growth. Other Metal Man advantages over its competition are lower labor
costs and in-house electroplating.

Due in part to those advantages, Metal Man has grown from a one-man, 200
square- foot basement operation, to a 5000 square-foot showroom and
factory which employs up to 13 people when things get busy.

Metal Man founder and owner, Anthony Guglielmo, holder of a master's
degree in computer sciences, quit his job in 2003 as application
developer at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to pursue his
entrepreneurial vision. He decided that his side job at the time,
polishing silver, lamps and doorknobs for local residents at night and
on weekends to earn a few extra bucks, could be grown into a full-time
business where he would be the boss.

Originally, Guglielmo went door-to-door in residential neighborhoods and
attended antiques trade shows to round up business. Since, and by
concentrating on the more lucrative commercial market, the business has
grown to three distinct operations\-\-- residential service, metal
maintenance and cleaning, and manufacturing/electroplating. The company
aims to provide start to finish restora-tion of virtually any indoor and
outdoor metal product.

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When he was ready to move to the storefront, Guglielmo took advantage of
the U.S. Small Business Administration's guaranty loan program to secure
a loan \$34,000 from JP Morgan Chase to renovate the new space. With new
orders coming in from the Bronx Zoo among others, and with projected
revenues of up to one million in two years, Metal Man is in the market
again for even larger quarters.

This successful business owner enjoys sharing tips and insights with
other entrepreneurs. "To grow a business you've got to love what you do.
I love every day I'm here," says Guglielmo. He now spends his evenings
studying his competitors and continuously fine-tuning his five-year
business plan. He offers, "If you have what you think is a good idea,
keep going with it despite what others may say. With a lot of hard work
and by staying focused on your business plan, which should stretch five
years out, you can be successful."

When he's not taking care of business, Guglielmo also takes the time to
do some gratis polishing work for the Archdiocese of New York. That
charitable work reflects Guglielmo's philosophy and additional advice
for aspiring entrepreneurs\-\--"Be nice to people, be nice to your
customers."

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All of the SBA's programs and services are provided to the public on a
non-discriminatory basis. For more information about the SBA please
visit [www.sba.gov/ny/ny](http://www.sba.gov/ny/ny).