Restoring Purpose: Wentworth Grad Brings New Life to Old Spaces

Altavise Chinn isn’t afraid of a challenge.                                           

As the owner of a thriving building restoration business, she’s drawn to them.   

“Doing something that challenges you is always so hard at first,” she said. “But then you look back after and you really see the value.” 

The 2024 graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Construction Management program nurtured her business, L5resorationllc, while earning her second master’s degree at the university.                 

“I was able to get such an amazing education from Wentworth,” recalls 33-year-old Chinn. “I was the only person in my class program that already owned her own business. Most of my classmates worked for really big companies, but we all worked together to get through the classes. The courses were far from easy, but they really prepared me for everything I knew I would experience in the construction industry. My professors were truly amazing.”  

Hailing from Springfield, Mass., Chinn’s education allowed her to develop the skills necessary to support her business, which has been established for nearly five years and services the Springfield region.  

With her team, Chinn, on average, is working on four to five projects at a time. She’s hopeful that with continued expansion, L5resorationllc will gain notoriety across the state—and beyond. 

“I am the first Black woman owner of a restoration business in the state of Massachusetts,” Chinn said. “That means so much to me, and I’m looking to venture out into all the towns. I’m putting myself in the mind space that I can do it if I put my mind to it, and hopefully one day, I will have the ability to take my business global and go to other countries to help them restore their infrastructure.” 

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The idea for L5resorationllc came after Chinn had been working in the male-dominated construction industry. Feeling discouraged, she leaned into a gut feeling and saw an opportunity for women-owned businesses to enter the sphere.  

“I started out doing painting and little cleaning jobs. And then I did my first deck, and I was so happy about having that first deck under my business. And then I did my first siding project, and it just started going more and more into different things until I did my first full restoration of a unit for one of my property owners,” she said.  

Now, she’s able to take on many large-scale projects through L5resorationllc—including total building restorations—with a team of more than 20 specialized employees.   

Named in honor of Chinn’s late mother, Leticia Smith, and her four siblings, L5resorationllc is both a symbol of remembrance and rigor for Chinn. She fuels her heart into surpassing every goal—large and small—she sets for the business.  

“At the beginning of every project, I first go in and assess the structure and think about the team members I need to successfully do the project,” she said. “I look at my team and say, ‘OK, this person is really good at flooring. This person is really good at doing ceilings. This person is really good at painting.’ My team’s input is very important to me, so I have them go through the property, too, to tell me what they think, and how they think the project should go. It’s a really collaborative experience.”  

Part of the business’s success stems from Chinn’s keen visualization process and creative ability to transform a space.    

 “When I first go into a property, I ask permission to take pictures, and I just take pictures of everything,” she said. “And then when the project is done, I'll go back and try to take those same exact pictures in those same exact spots. It’s just so beautiful to see the amount of detail that has been changed, and the little accents of things.”  

Highly attuned to every detail, the “before and after” photos are one of Chinn’s favorite aspects of her business.  

“Every project is different, but they all give me a rush of a challenge,” she said. “Sometimes, I go into a place and not even the property owner can understand how it’s going to change, or get anywhere from where it’s at. But I can feel it and see it. And to the space, I’m like, ‘It’s OK. I’m going to bring beauty back into you and restore you.’” 

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For Chinn, the more challenging a project, the more meaningful.   

“I recently did a kitchen restoration for a very old church in Springfield. The kitchen was abandoned for, I believe, over 40 years. So, we went in there and did a full restoration. It used to have a lot of life to it,” she reflected. “And it brought a lot of meaning to the church members. During the restoration process, they would come in and tell me stories about how they used to cook in the kitchen and how it was once so alive.”  

“We did everything over—the cabinets, the walls, the ceiling. It doesn't look anything like it did when we started,” Chinn continued. “And now they’re actually using it for a food pantry for those experiencing homelessness once a month. That’s also a personal joy for me—to restore something that’s not being used to something that is able to be.” 

Planning on pursuing her third master’s degree in environmental engineering at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth in the fall, Chinn credits her Wentworth education with bolstering her blossoming career in building restoration.  

“Wentworth will always be a part of my heart. This school has shaped me in such an amazing way,” she said. “It’s truly helped me build my confidence and comfortability in this industry.” 

With new projects on the horizon, Chinn’s looking forward to all that’s coming next for L5resorationllc.  

 “I would love to be given a chance to have new projects and partner with other companies to see my business really push its mission statement, which is to restore the world one project at a time,” she said.