President and CEO of AtmosAir Solutions, Steve Levine, is on a mission to help the world see air differently by delivering tangible benefits to human health and productivity. With solutions that measure, validate, and display real-time indoor air quality data, Levine has mastered the science of providing cleaner indoor air for any space.
Headquartered in Fairfield, CT, AtmosAir’s multi-product portfolio of air purification and monitoring sensors includes technologies such as bi-polar ionization, real-time air quality monitoring sensors and reporting, ultraviolet-C (UVC), HEPA filtration and needlepoint ionization to provide clients with long-lasting healthier indoor air quality.
Levine is committed to transforming indoor air quality for both commercial and residential clients, implementing AtmosAir’s patented technology into restaurants, hotels, casinos, multi-purpose arenas, fitness centers and office spaces around the world, since its launch in 2004.
Levine has also expressed his passion for professional sports over the past 17 years as Chairman of the Pro Sports Challenge, a fundraising event that has raised over $1M for individuals with developmental disabilities at the Lower Fairfield Center in Norwalk, Connecticut.
A natural born entrepreneur, Levine brings over 40 years of experience in building companies, including serving as CEO of Protective Alarms, the largest independent security company in Connecticut. He actively supports the industries in which his companies operate, currently acting as an industry liaison in his Board position with the National Green Energy Council, involvement with ASHRAE and the US Green Building Council.
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company
Steve Levine: With over 40 years of experience in building companies, prior to AtmosAir I served as CEO of Protective Alarms, the largest independent security company in Connecticut.
From there we founded an air testing company and I wanted to solve the problem of cleaning the air when the air test came back poorly. My mission was to help the world see air differently by delivering technology to create a healthier indoor environment while providing tangible benefits to human health and productivity. With solutions that measure, validate, and display real-time indoor air quality data providing cleaner indoor air for any space ultimately allows us to positively impact any person within a building where AtmosAir’s technology is installed which is my goal, to make a positive impact in peoples’ lives around the world by providing cleaner, healthier air to breathe while selling innovative technology.
Our company, AtmosAir, is headquartered in Fairfield, CT. Our multi-product portfolio of air purification and monitoring sensors includes technologies such as bi-polar ionization, real-time air quality monitoring sensors and reporting, ultraviolet-C (UVC), HEPA filtration and needlepoint ionization to provide clients with long-lasting healthier indoor air quality.
If you were in an elevator with Warren Buffett, how would you describe your company, your services or products? What makes your company different from others? What is your company’s biggest strength?
Steve Levine: AtmosAir Solutions is a leader in solutions for healthier indoor air. The company provides a multi-product portfolio including bi-polar ionization air purification and monitoring technologies that actively, continuously work to bring the benefits of improved air quality to life in all types of built environments. Every day, AtmosAir is helping the world to see air differently, with solutions that measure, validate, and display real-time indoor air quality data, and deliver ongoing, tangible benefits to human health and productivity. AtmosAir technologies are installed in more than 10,000 buildings worldwide, including commercial offices, health care settings, hotels, cruise ships, universities, and sports facilities.
Our company provides innovative air purification technology where we can make an impact on the health and wellness of human lives each and every day.
Our biggest strength is our people, our team, and our innovative technology, with all of this coupled together we make a much stronger impact globally.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, is an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle to keep talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are you adapting to the current shift we see?
Steve Levine: It comes down to communication with our employees. If each employee understands the value of their contribution within the organization, we are more inclined to maintain a healthier culture in the company. With the trend of employees moving from company to company within the past 10 years or so, we have had to understand what employees expect out of current company working environments, which has been challenging. Our company has introduced new ways to engage outside of the office as well as during working hours. We hold one on one meetings with our team members as well as a monthly company meeting to ensure we gain feedback from employees while also recognizing employees who have gone above and beyond in their role. There is not a perfect recipe, however, taking an integrated approach to employee engagement is critical.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Steve Levine: Our company continues to invest in various digital marketing strategies targeted mostly for the B2B sector. We have committed to spending additional budget on SEO and SEM work to enhance our digital presence within the industry targeting key clients we want to continue to grow with and provide our solutions to. Now that we have more employees working remotely, we have effectively deployed the daily usage of online platforms for company-wide communication to connect our teams in the most streamlined way possible.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Steve Levine: The challenge I see is how we continue to close the education gap on how people perceive the importance of air quality. Since the pandemic, air quality has become more top of mind, however, globally, we have a long way to go to increase the prioritization of how air quality standards should be – similar to water – we breathe air into our bodies – if it is not clean – we are just negatively impacting our own health. We see the importance of clean air as a vital part of our existence and today’s government entities is starting to administer standards. This is a giant step forward.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
Steve Levine: Managing all of the dynamics of running a business and then working strategically on the business. Being able to dive into the weeds just enough and then pulling out to look at the company strategically from a high level is not always easy. The first nature is to always get involved if there is a mistake, however, everyone makes mistakes, being able to allow the team to learn from the mistake and autocorrect to get back on track is challenging, yet so important.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Steve Levine: My business superpower would be to grant every person across the world clean air forever. We continue to strive to provide the best solutions for healthier and cleaner indoor air quality, yet, we can always improve to make an even greater impact on human health, and reduce the global carbon footprint, that is what we are continually working towards.
What does “success” in 2024 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision
Steve Levine: From a work perspective our team is working hard to meet our growth goals. We have aggressive goals put in place and meeting our 2024 goals will be considered a success. Personally, I continue to appreciate and support the health of our family, friends, and our company team and their families. Life is short, so having the balance between success and a healthy family, friends, and company are all very important to me.