Putnam Rolling Ladder Keeps Customers Steps Above
Author: Jeanine Ramirez
Source: NY1 News

Putnam Rolling Ladder Company receives thousands of orders every year. Customers like Yoko Ono and Diane von Furstenberg, even a sitting President all own the custom made rolling ladder. It's a niche business that's been operating in the city for 100 years.

"We have fixtures that allow the ladder to push in straight up and down when it's not being used and to be pulled out. And it also rolls left and right," says Gregg Monsees. "We also have a fixture that allows you to pull the ladder off the track and hook it to another."

The ladders are made of a wide variety of wood, including birch, mahogany, white oak and red oak, among others, which are all housed in their Bushwick warehouse.

Workers take the wood chosen by the customer and first, make the steps. Holes are drilled on the sides and the edges are rounded. Next, the grooves are made in the frame. First they're marked and then they're cut. The measurement is stamped in.

Then all the wood is put through a machine to be sanded. And then it's stained. Some customers send in samples of the stain they wish to match, some want it unfinished. While the specifics differ, the ordering process remains the same.

"It's a very simple matter. We only need 2 measurements. One is the length of the shelving and the other one is the height where you want to mount the ladder," says Warren Monsees.

Warren Monsees is the president of the company, which he bought from the original owner back in 1946. Now his son, Gregg, helps run the business and says their ladders have been shipped all over the world.

They say the safety features on the ladders are part of their success. Rubber is glued on the steps, rods are placed under the steps and the wheels have a spring loaded locking system.

"It's weight controlled. It has a locking, so when you step on it the ladder goes down the floor and doesn't move," says Gregg.

The wheels are put together in their Manhattan headquarters on Howard Street. So is the other hardware like the brackets and hooks. And the track, all of which comes in any finish.

While the rolling ladder is the signature item, the company also has other products like the step stool, a pulpit ladder that is used mostly for archiving files, a curved top ladder for loft style living, utility ladders that are mostly used by telephone companies and a novelty slim folding ladder.

A machine helps mass produce ladders for one of the company's biggest customers, Foot Locker. Owners say while they offer a wide selection, their specialty remains the custom made rolling ladder, a classic that hasn't changed in a century.

MAY 24, 2006