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March 2017 • ELEVATOR WORLD 83

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Philadelphia skyline as seen from the South Street Bridge; photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau

Mid-Atlantic Strong

The Mid-Atlantic Region

Mid-Atlantic StrongThe region that includes the Northeast megalopolis is keeping vertical-transportation companies busy, and the outlook is bright.

by Kaija Wilkinson

market trends

www.elevatorworld.com


ew York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and Maryland: all are generating plenty of work these days for the big OEMs, independents, consultants and suppliers. Many describe 2016 as the best year they’ve seen since 2008, and the outlook for

the next five years is bright, including developments related to the administration of new U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

“2016 was a record year for all of our businesses, and orders finally surpassed 2008 numbers,” says Doug Witham of GAL Manufacturing Corp., whose businesses primarily operate in the modernization segment. He observes:

“Improvements came more quickly to the Northeast than they did to other parts of the country. The feedback from consultants about their backlog makes us believe that 2017 will be another record year. The industry’s contractors, especially those in the Northeast, should be running at full capacity.” The optimism extends

beyond the Northeast proper (which includes New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania)[1] to Delaware; the Washington, D.C. metro area; and Baltimore, where Consolidated Electrical Distributors (CED), an electrical and elevator parts supplier with deep roots in the U.S. West, is soon opening a Baltimore location. “It’s something that corporate researched for about a year, and they felt this was a very robust, promising location,” says Joe Lamendola, account manager of the new office, which will be focused on elevator parts.

What is driving work runs the gamut, as reflected by Otis’ observations. “We are seeing growth in all areas, especially projects near metro stations such as offices, residential buildings and hotels, says Joe Frask, regional vice president, Eastern Region, Otis Americas.” Otis has had a stake in the region for more than 100 years, with the company debuting the first elevator installation in New York City (NYC) in 1857.

Otis notes the NYC market remains just as vital today, with an array of significant projects in the pipeline, particularly in Midtown NYC, where residential supertalls in excess of 80 stories are going up. In NYC’s newest neighborhood, the New

West Side, the multiple-tower, mixed-use Hudson Yards represents the heart of an area that is positively crackling with activity. Whether it is related to new or modernized systems, Otis reports there is demand for high-tech features such as its CompassPlusTM destination-dispatch system.

Donald Zeni, Schindler’s area sales manager for greater NYC, agrees, stating that NYC, D.C. and Philadelphia are often the first to embrace new technology, including Schindler’s PORT destination-dispatch and machine-room-less (MRL) elevator technology, to uphold their reputations as world-class cities. “NYC has a slightly lower appetite for MRLs because many buildings exceed the height limit for their specifications,” he notes.

Launched in the U.S. in 2016, Schindler’s myPORT smartphone-based service takes PORT to the next, personal level and is being


Continued

View from the One World Observatory in Lower Manhattan; image courtesy of NYC & Co./Tagger Yancey IV

86 www.elevatorworld.com • March 2017

Aerial of the National Mall and Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.; image courtesy of Destination D.C.

Pittsburgh skyline; photo by J.P. Diroll for VisitPittsburgh



embraced in the major Mid-Atlantic cities, Zeni says. “The smartphone-based application provides a seamless four-step identity verification upon entry, ‘e-banking’-level security and allows users to move more efficiently through buildings just by keeping their smartphones handy,” he notes.

While MRL systems may not be an option in many parts of the Big Apple, they certainly are in D.C. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Communications Manager Jason Gabel observes that height restrictions in the D.C. area require any significant new development to be shorter than 40 m. But a lack of tall buildings hardly means there is nothing for elevator providers to do in D.C. Encompassing surrounding suburbs in Northern Virginia (such as Tyson Corner, Arlington and Fairfax) and Bethesda, Maryland, the D.C. metro is very active and competitive with both private and government projects. Players there are optimistic about what the Trump administration will mean for their businesses.

Delaware Elevator, Inc. has seen notable success in the D.C./northern Virginia area, having worked on projects that include government and military schools, hospitals and museums. CEO Pete Meeks says this market is likely to improve, stating:

“The economy is driven by large Army, Navy and Air Force presences, and I think the Trump administration is going to free up some money for additional military spending. On the private side, I think he is going to keep interest rates low and lending available. With the new administration, I think there will be greater tax incentives and more of a pro-business environment.” Delaware’s market is, “first and foremost,” NYC, then D.C./

northern Virginia, followed by Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, which Meeks describes as “all strong.” Across the board, he says, “we may have a dip here and there, but I don’t think we are going to see 2008 again. There will be strong, continued growth over the next four years, at least with this administration.”

Pennsylvania’s main cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, are thriving thanks to a continued trend toward urbanization and tech-savviness. While NYC may immediately spring to mind as one of the most high-tech cities in the world, these are not far behind, Otis notes. According to Frask:

“With several high-profile tech companies establishing themselves in Pittsburgh — including Google and Uber — there has been an increased interest in technology. We are seeing this across the board in the Mid-Atlantic region, and more and more buildings are embracing Otis’ CompassPlus destination-dispatch technology.”

A Good Problem to HaveNo matter which products and services they provide and

regardless of company size, the professionals your author spoke with for this piece are very busy. “It’s great to be busy, but a little stressful, too,” observes Doug Boydston of Handi-Lift, Inc., an independent based in Carlstadt, New Jersey, that specializes in custom accessibility lifts, mostly related to renovations. “We need more help, and that is hard to find,” he says.

Continued

“The feedback from consultants

about their backlog makes us believe that

2017 will be another record year.” — Doug Witham, GAL Manufacturing Corp.

Lerch Bates consulted on the elevator modernization at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning. Otis performed the onsite work; photo by Phil Scalia for VisitPittsburgh.


Handi-Lift’s current projects are a glass lift in the Tiffany Exhibit at the New York Historical Society Museum and Library and a custom lift in the Museum of the City of New York. It is also building custom lifts for the Philadelphia Art Museum and the American Enterprise Institute, a D.C. think tank, which gutted and renovated a historic building near Dupont Circle.

Handi-Lift’s core markets are NYC, the southern counties of New York state and the northern counties of New Jersey, but it does custom work all over the U.S. It has jobs now in Philadelphia and D.C., and, across the board, demand for custom work is up, Boydston says. “We went through a terrible downcycle from 2006-2010, and then a recovery from 2010-2014 to get back to where we were,” he says. “The past two years have seen steady growth, and we do not see any signs of a slowdown.” Looking specifically at NYC, Boydston says:

“NYC has been going strong for some time. However, while construction, including renovation, is still strong in NYC, there are some restrictions in our market as the NYC Building Code, when updated in 2014, left out regulations for vertical and inclined platform lifts in existing buildings, i.e., pre-code buildings.

“We also do a lot of replacements, so if alteration markets decline, there is still a lot of work to do replacing lifts that don’t work or can’t be repaired effectively, as the manufacturers are out of business. When ThyssenKrupp Access went down, they took out Cheney, Access Industries and National Wheel-O-Vator, so folks with old lifts by these companies were up a creek, so to speak. Our service department is growing steadily, as well, due to aging equipment.”

Hotspots and TrendsElevator companies are seeing spikes in activity related to the

revitalization of old neighborhoods and old buildings and a shift toward private versus public projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Boydston observes that although projects are happening throughout NYC’s five boroughs, downtown Brooklyn seems to be hottest right now.

Elaborating on that, Joe Neto, Lerch Bates Inc. president for the New York area, states:

“While Manhattan is booming with new construction and modernization work, Brooklyn and Queens are not far behind on new design work. There is a tremendous amount of new and mixed-use residential buildings going up throughout these three boroughs.”

These buildings are driving business for all types of elevator companies, from “one-stop-shop” outfits to suppliers of the most esoteric of components. For that reason, Archi-Tread, Inc. owner Scott Akin is optimistic about the future of his two-year-old Kinnelon, New Jersey-based company, which supplies elevator cab and hoistway sills. Recent projects include 4 Times Square (the former Condé Nast building) and 388 Greenwich Street in NYC, and the Dirksen Senate Building in D.C. Akin says

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are thriving thanks to a continued trend toward urbanization and tech savviness.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art, for which Handi-Lift provided a custom lift; photo by Nfutvol



business is an even mix between new construction and modernization. With the five boroughs of NYC particularly active, “the outlook is positive for the next five years,” he says.

Rick Kennedy, CEO of Kencor, Inc. Elevator Systems, observes that five- to six-story buildings in gentrifying parts of Philadelphia and the NYC suburbs are being reclaimed and converted into apartments. This extends to smaller New Jersey cities such as New Brunswick, Jersey City and Hoboken, he says. With the new administration, he says, lending will be “a little more expensive but more plentiful,” and areas outside of the main metropolises will have GDP growth two to three times that of the 2-3% projected for the U.S. for the next few years. In addition to apartment conversions, Kencor is seeing a lot of work related to medical and transportation projects in major metropolitan areas.

Neto notes Lerch Bates recently consulted on design for more than 100 elevators, escalators and moving walks for NYC’s

LaGuardia Airport. It also was involved in the modernization of more than 100 elevators in the 1980s-era Brookfield Place near the World Trade Center, part of an effort to keep the mixed-use building competitive with all the new class-A office space coming online.

The Dirksen Senate Building in Washington, D.C., recently underwent an elevator renovation for which Archi-Tread provided sills; image courtesy of Architect of the Capitol.

NYC, D.C. and Philadelphia are often the first to embrace new technology.

— Donald Zeni, Schindler’s area sales manager for greater NYC

Continued


Witham observes the Trump regime has the potential to positively impact new construction, which, in turn, would impact modernization. “Assuming there isn’t some sort of self-inflicted meltdown, we expect economic boom times and a substantial uptick in building construction,” Witham says. “If such a boom is sustainable, it will eventually increase the pace of modernization as the older buildings attempt to ‘keep up with the Joneses.’”

There was economic optimism in Pittsburgh recently, with PNC Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Stu Hoffman giving an upbeat forecast for 2017 and 2018 during an address to NAIOP Pittsburgh/Building Owners and Managers Association in January.[2] With Trump, he foresees tax cuts, stimulus spending and less regulation and corresponding gross domestic product growth as long as it isn’t blunted by factors such as trade sanctions. Hospital construction in Pittsburgh is strong, and the University of Pittsburgh is moving forward with renovations and new construction, such as a new 350,000-sq.-ft. building on the site of the former Syria Mosque.

Heath Hayes, Lerch Bates consultant in Pittsburgh, says the consultancy has projects related to suburban mid-rise and

downtown high-rise office buildings. With Otis, it was also involved in the recent modernization of the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning’s elevator system. “The majority of our projects have been in commercial real estate,” Hayes says. “There are a couple of hotels, housing authorities and parking garages we are working with, but our work has been primarily commercial/office related.”

A highly industrialized town, Pittsburgh took a little longer to recover from the recession than some other markets, but it appears building owners are ready to invest in properties, as there have been several notable building acquisitions in the past year, Hayes states.

On the other, eastern end of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia is thriving, with Schindler’s Zeni describing Center City as “a hotbed of activity, with projects along the Camden Waterfront picking up traction, as well.”

No one would argue that NYC is the perennial “juggernaut” in terms of tall-building construction, Gabel says, with 39 buildings under construction or topped out that are at or above 150 m tall. These include nine supertalls standing at least 300 m, the tallest of which is Central Park Tower at 472 m, scheduled for

FMC Tower in Philadelphia: Otis provided the elevator system for the tower, which has been described as Philadelphia’s first “vertical city”; image from Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and Brandywine Realty Trust.



completion in 2019. But Philadelphia has several major tall-building projects due for completion in 2017 and 2018 that warrant notice, Gabel says, elaborating:

“The Comcast Technology Center (342 m) will become the city’s tallest building when it completes in 2018, while the 223-m FMC Tower at Cira Centre South is due for completion in 2017. Among an additional handful of projects we expect to complete in the next few years, a number of proposals are in the air that could solidify and break ground in that timeframe.”

Schindler was awarded the contract for the Comcast building (ELEVATOR WORLD, June 2015), and Otis installed the elevators in FMC Tower, part of a two-story, mixed-use skyscraper development in the University City district, across the Schuylkill River from Center City (EW, June 2015). Otis was also awarded the contract to outfit the vertical transportation for a 52-story W hotel scheduled for completion this year in Center City. “High rises currently being constructed in Philadelphia, NYC and the NYC suburbs signal the continuation of growth in the area,” Frask observes. “This, coupled with development throughout the region, signal the expansion of urban residential demand.”

No matter where one looks in the region, the outlook is positive and sure to lead to major announcements from companies such as freight elevator door specialist The Peelle Co. John Gallagher, Peelle sales executive based in West Babylon, New York, has nothing but positive words. “Everyone basically agrees that it hasn’t been this busy since before the last economic crash in 2008,” Gallagher observes. “Our business for the next five years is immensely bright. We are highly optimistic based on the number of large projects we are getting the opportunity to bid on, both in the NYC metro area and beyond.”

References[1] Wikipedia, “Northeastern United States,” 2017.[2] Building Pittsburgh, “Confidence is High,” January 12, 2017.

New machines for the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh; Lerch Bates consulted, and Otis performed the onsite work; image courtesy of Lerch Bates.

Cities such as NYC, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are embracing the latest technology, such as the myPORT service for smartphones to uphold their “world-class” reputations; image courtesy of Schindler.


Champion of the Industry


For David Smarte, recipient of the William C. Sturgeon Distinguished Service Award 2016, education and safety go hand in hand.

by Kaija Wilkinson

(l-r) Jordan, Michael, Carter, David, Kathleen and Matthew Smarte

When he was growing up in Ocean City, Maryland, David Smarte, like many young boys, dreamed of becoming a firefighter. But, unlike the majority, he achieved that dream and then some: he built a solid career in the elevator industry, becoming a leader at both his place of employment, Delaware Elevator Co., and the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC). When the topics of education and safety come up, Smarte is often at the forefront, sharing ideas and leading discussions.

Smarte began his career in 1978 as an apprentice with Vic’s Elevator Co., then moved in 1979 to Armor Elevator. He now oversees safety, training and special projects for Delaware Elevator in Salisbury, Maryland. In addition to that, he is a volunteer firefighter with the Showell, Maryland, fire department and is an EMT-B, a paramedic designation he earned to better help his community and augment his firefighting skills.

He became a field service supervisor for Delaware in 1999 and was promoted to his current position in 2003. This role is a large one, involving ensuring OSHA compliance, conducting

in-house safety programs, providing code consulting and providing training for apprentices. He also handles special projects in the U.S. and internationally, having recently traveled to far-flung corners of Asia and Africa. Smarte bids on modernization projects, and develops and performs maintenance programs and annual inspections. He is a licensed third-party inspector, a member of the NAEC Education Board and chairman of its Educational and Technical Advisory Committee. He is also on its Safety Committee.

His boss, Delaware CEO Pete Meeks, says it is no surprise that Smarte received the William C. Sturgeon Distinguished Service Award, describing Smarte as “a professional volunteer who definitely loves what he does. He wants to help everybody and never says ‘no’ to a job that is going to better the industry.”

Smarte did not attend college, but he believes the education he received was far better, in that it was (and is) hands-on and focused. Smarte got his first taste of the industry right out of high school, when he went to work at Vic’s, a small union shop in Ocean City. He performed preventative maintenance, safety tests, troubleshooting and elevator/escalator repair. Each week,

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or even day, presented new challenges, and he found he was always learning. That is true today, he says, and that is why Smarte loves the industry.

Rather than the latest John Grisham novel, you will more likely find him kicking back with technical safety documents and OSHA publications. That makes him well prepared when complications arise. He observes he sometimes doesn’t know when that will happen. A current public-transit project in Philadelphia, for example, proved to be far more complex than almost any large overseas job, he says, due to overly complicated, confusing rules, regulations and obscure specifications.

Despite his busy schedule, Smarte is nearly always present at NAEC events and is particularly active on its education and safety committees. He has emerged as a leader in the industry who is well respected for his views, which are always backed by meticulous research and study. Smarte says his father and mother, the late Jim and Jeanne Smarte, inspired him most. The elder Smarte, a D.C./Ocean City-area mechanical contractor who started his own business, taught his son that hard work is an integral part of doing a job well.

It is a lesson that Smarte and his wife, Kathleen, imparted to their two sons. Their eldest, Michael, has worked for Delaware for 12 years now and, like his father, is receiving a thorough and focused elevator education through being involved in the

construction, modernization, repair and service departments. “I like to think he takes after me,” Smarte says. His younger son, Matthew, is closing in on earning his doctorate in Physical Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. Smarte says he is extremely proud of his sons.

In the industry, Smarte says he admires Meeks, Doug Witham of GAL Manufacturing Corp., Brett Abels of O’Keefe Elevator, Jim and Nancy Haines and Ricia Sturgeon-Hendrick. “They are great people who will give you the shirt off their backs,” Smarte says. “If you ask them a question, they will go out of their way to try to help you.”

Education is a particular focus of Smarte’s professional life, and there is a very good reason for that:

“If you provide the right education to allow people to do their jobs correctly, it reduces liability, but, more importantly, the person performing the job gets home safely. Personal safety is tightly interwoven with education. Always and especially here at Delaware, there is a two-and-a-half-day orientation for all new employees that covers safety procedures and liability risk, regardless of whether they are a mechanic, apprentice or salesperson.”With Meeks, Dan Newlin and Dayne Eisele, Smarte

determines which labs and hands-on training will best augment the four-year NAEC Certified Elevator Technician (CET®) program all new Delaware mechanics are required to complete. He and his team also schedule and coordinate training for others for continuing education and safety, which is required for state mechanic license renewal. These trainees utilize Delaware’s two-story, 7,600-sq.-ft. facility. Hundreds of trainees go through it each year.

When he is not focused on elevators, Smarte enjoys spending time with his family, which includes a new grandson, Carter. “They don’t live very far away,” he says. “I just dropped my grandson off at daycare this morning, and that was awesome.” 🌐

“If you provide the right education to allow people to do their jobs correctly, it reduces liability, but, more importantly, the person performing the job gets home safely.”

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the Ellis Alliance


Another look at the 2011 Statue of Liberty Life and Safety Upgrades

by TinaMarie Shea

Hurricane Sandy devastated the northeastern coast of the U.S. in October 2012. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported the hurricane cost the country US$65 billion in damages; the damage was so extensive that the New York Stock Exchange closed for two consecutive business days, which hasn’t happened since 1888. The New York tristate area suffered most of the damage, largely by the storm surge, which partially engulfed both Liberty and Ellis Island. The chaotic wind and water crippled the national-park sites, leaving the Statue of Liberty’s and Ellis Island’s elevators out of commission. In 2011, The Statue’s elevators were replaced by Liberty Elevator Corp. as part of the National Park Service’s (NPS) Life and Safety Upgrades (ELEVATOR WORLD, January 2014). This included the removal of the existing double-deck hydraulic passenger elevator, replacing it with a new machine-room-less (MRL) passenger elevator; the installation of a new Americans

with Disabilities Act-compliant handicapped lift; and the installation of a technologically advanced emergency rack-and-pinion elevator. While the statue was reopened to visitors, Ellis Island remained closed for the duration of the work.

The existing two hydraulic and two traction elevators at Ellis Island were severely damaged, with only one able to be repaired and returned to service. The storm obliterated the electrical components, leaving them inoperable. Upon being awarded the restoration contract, General Contractor Perini Management Services, Inc., selected Liberty Elevator Corp. to install four new MRL elevators within the existing hydraulic shafts. Liberty installed the original elevators in the statue in 1986 and three more as part of past Life and Safety Upgrades.

To comply with specifications for the new elevators, Liberty needed to accommodate the existing low-overhead conditions in two of the four hoistways. Its owners, Douglas J. and Darren

MRL elevator motor


Muttart, looked no further than Alliance Elevator Solutions of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, to assist with consulting, engineering and manufacturing of the four highly customized gearless MRL elevators. Decades ago, two of the four hoistways were originally designed to accommodate low-overhead hydraulic elevators. Although the newly specified gearless MRL equipment was appropriate for the condition (the majority of the equipment would be housed in the overhead, far from flood waters) MRL elevators traditionally require more overhead and wider hoistways to accommodate the permanent-magnet motor machines.

Liberty and Alliance worked closely with the NPS and Perini Management Services, Inc. to develop a custom nonproprietary MRL group designed specifically to accommodate the existing 13-ft., 2-in. overhead. After several afterhours brainstorming sessions, both onsite and in the office, the companies developed an arrangement that adhered to the specifications and fit within the existing hoistways.

Muttart stated:“Liberty is proud to once again partner with the NPS and

provide vertical transportation to the park’s visitors. Liberty is no stranger to challenging installations and is honored to have worked with Alliance Elevator Solutions to devise an elevator system that will allow guests to visit Ellis Island for years to come.” Travis Hall, general manager of Alliance, added: “Our team was absolutely honored to work with Liberty on this iconic project and become a part of this landmark’s rich history. Since our inception in 2011, Alliance’s mission has been to provide a nonproprietary elevator package that combines simplicity and advanced engineering concepts to deliver a trouble-free installation package. Though we offer proven hydraulic packages, we have recently harnessed the ingenuity of Torin Drive and are proud to now offer a complete gearless MRL solution.”

TinaMarie Shea is Marketing director at Liberty Elevator Corp.

(l-r) Liberty owners Douglas J. and Darren Muttart

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Industry City: buildings 3 and 26


Day Elevator & Lift provides accessibility in Brooklyn complex.

by Evan Petrower

Industry City is designed to be a creative hub. This network of 16 buildings lies on the banks of the East River, south of the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn, New York. What began in the late 1800s as an oil refinery was transformed in the 1900s into the Bush Terminal, the largest multi-tenant complex in the U.S., which employed more than 25,000 people. During the World Wars, the terminal was one of the largest war-related manufacturers in the country. It was rechristened in the mid 1980s with plans to bring back manufacturing with the arrival of Costco, Amazon and Time Inc. Using both office and warehouse space designed to fit each tenant’s need, this vast industrial hub also focuses on artists and small manufacturers. Revitalization is expected to bring in an excess of 20,000 jobs.

The complex is a microcosm of New York City (NYC) with one distinction: it is creating an innovative ecosystem that

embraces the disruption created by advancing technologies. Its economic spectrum spans verticals: from manufacturing to design, art to architecture, biotech to clean-tech, media to film production, and fashion to food.

Industry City collaborates with more than 400 companies in 6 million sq. ft. of classic industrial architecture, 21st-century amenities and natural light to soak it all in. Encompassing more than 5 acres of open space and cultivated common courtyards, the buildings hold beautiful views and provide fresh air for fresh perspectives. Amenities include 24-hr. security, a food court, tenant events, and onsite parking and management. The units feature high ceilings that make work areas feel open and spacious, and commuters have easy access to rail stations. It’s a short walk to Gowanus Bay and the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, and Prospect Park lies a few blocks away.

Design Within Reach Warehouse



Day Elevator & Lift installed Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant wheelchair lifts to provide handicap accessibility to the tenants and guests of Industry City. The model V-1504 manufactured by Savaria demonstrates how barrier-free access can be beautiful without compromising design. The units feature quiet and reliable hydraulic drives that provide smooth start, stop and overall ride quality. No

machine room is required due to its enclosed drive system, making the installation process easier. It features an ADA-compliant platform, continuous-pressure button operation, modular rail construction, a handrail and an automatic battery recharging system. The safety features include an emergency-stop button on car, a non-skid platform, a manual lowering device, side panels, keyed car buttons and call stations, a safety brake, door locks and a platform gate.

Featured here are two units installed in Buildings 3 and 26. Multiple contractors hired Day Elevator & Lift as their company of choice to provide handicap accessibility in these

buildings. While all buildings are not being managed by the same property-management company, Day Elevator & Lift continues to be their top choice for maintenance and annual inspections.

Building 3 The Omara Organization of NYC contracted Day Elevator

& Lift to design and install a wheelchair lift in the Design Within Reach Warehouse, a high-end boutique furniture store. Presenting a new experience with each visit, you never know what treasures you may find there. The wheelchair-lift variant is a V-1504 Prestige frameless unit, enabling access from street level to the main showroom floor. The Prestige can be configured for up to 72 in. of travel with two stops and features 0.5-in.-thick structural tempered glass with no visible frame. A full-sized glass door is included for the lower landing with a half-sized glass gate at the top.

Building 26 The high-speed, full-sized passenger elevators in Building

26 needed a 4-ft. pit, but, due to zoning restrictions, excavation below street level was not possible. So, MNC + Sons Contractors of Brooklyn contracted Day Elevator & Lift to design and install a wheelchair lift in the main lobby to create an accessible route to the elevator bank. The wheelchair variant, V-1504 TL-Enclosure, was installed with checkered-plate, stainless-steel sheet metal to match the décor of the staircase. It also complements the corrugated-metal walls designed to give it a retro-industrial look.


V-1504 Prestige frameless wheelchair lift in Building 3

V-1504 Prestige frameless wheelchair lift in Building 3

V-1504 TL-Enclosure wheelchair lift in Building 26

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SPECIFICATIONS ♦ Capacity: 750 lb. ♦ Travel distance: 72 in. ♦ Platform size: 36 in. X 54 in. ♦ Nominal speed: 20 fpm ♦ Power supply: 110 V, 15 amp, 60 Hz, single phase ♦ Drive system: 2:1 roller chain, hydraulic ♦ Motor pump: 1 hp, geared ♦ Controller: Relay logic



References[1] Manufacturer Consumer Website. Wheelchair Lifts Products Page. “V-1504

Vertical Platform Lift.” (www.savaria.com/products/wheelchair-lifts/v-1504-lift), accessed August 24, 2016.

[2] Spellen, Suzanne. “Industry City’s Rise, Fall and Rebirth, From Wartime Manufacturing to Artisanal Mecca,” November 30, 2015 (www.brownstoner.com/history/industry-city-brooklyn-bush-terminal-sunset-park-history), accessed August 24, 2016.

[3] Spellen, Suzanne. “How Bananas Built Industry City – the Story of Sunset Park’s Bush Terminal,” November 16, 2015 (www.brownstoner.com/history/industry-city-brooklyn-bush-terminal-history), accessed August 24, 2016.

[4] Industry City Homepage. (industrycity.com), accessed August 24, 2016.[5] Retail Store Located in Building 3. Design Within Reach. About Us. (www.

dwr.com), accessed August 24, 2016.[6] Day Elevator & Lift. About Us. (www.dayelevator.com), accessed August 24,

2016.

Evan Petrower is project manager and owner at Day Elevator & Lift in Long Island, New York.

EW

To learn what our team can do for you, please contact us by calling 1-800-522-4551or visit our website at www.libertyelevator.com

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Manhattan House


United Cabs modernizes the car interiors of an NYC classic.

by Christopher Rosario

Manhattan House was designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 1950 and stands as one of the premier landmark buildings in New York City’s (NYC) Upper East Side. Several notable residents have called this residential tower home: actress Grace Kelly, clarinetist Benny Goodman and former governor Hugh Carey. Manhattan House is considered one of the first apartment buildings in the city to achieve an “indoor-outdoor synthesis” by incorporating large windows and far-extruding balconies — a popular design feature in new construction all over the world today. Renowned Cuban-born interior designer Vicente Wolf was tasked with redesigning this landmark’s luxury penthouses, along with its 20-year-old elevator system and the interiors of all 10 passenger cars.

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an ever-growing industry. From long and detailed meetings with building executives to various design meetings with Wolf ’s team, nothing about this project was ever placed on the back burner. From a logistical and manufacturing standpoint, the team ensured every panel, wall, ceiling and floor was created, handled and delivered with care and craftsmanship.

Manhattan House switched from an SER Drive DC machine to a TW permanent-magnet gearless machine, which lowered energy consumption and gave the building a higher efficiency rating. For the cab interiors, United Cabs utilized a melody of materials, including “grey oak” veneer by

Tree Frog, stainless steel and “black absolute” granite.

The project presented a series of difficulties. Wolf ’s design team had designed the cab so that the crossgrain on the veneer laminates (featured on the upper panels) would all point toward the center; however, there were limitations to the laminate’s dimensions. United Cabs’ craftsmen had done such a thorough job with the seam joint that, when a sample was submitted for board approval, the board called to verify where or even if there was a seam at all.

Both contractor Centennial Elevator and United Cabs were working on an accelerated schedule. There were major

Continued

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individuals looking to constantly be at the forefront of the elevator industry.

Christopher Rosario is Marketing Director of United Cabs. He began in 2012 as an intern after graduating from Baruch College. His primary objectives are to present the company as both an elevator interior fabricator and a resource for the elevator industry.


SPECIFICATIONS ♦ Top Ceiling: 12-ga. cold-rolled steel (CRS)

painted black and one new two-speed exhaust fan

♦ Drop Ceiling: Wood-core drop ceiling faced with stainless-steel #4 satin finish

♦ Lighting: Six light fixtures, Man-D-Tec solar-beam lighting system with square bezel

♦ Shell Walls: 16-ga. CRS shell walls with two coats of sound-deadening rubberized material

♦ Upper Panels: Three wood-core raised removable panels, panels self-edged faced with specialty Tree Frog “grey oak” veneer; panels have 3/16-in. stainless-steel brushed inlays in an “X” pattern. The veneer grain all converges toward the center. The panels are hung with aluminum Z clips.

♦ Bottom Panels: Three granite “black absolute” granite stone panels backed with an aluminum honeycomb substrate, framed with 1/8-in.-thick X 1-in. X 1-in. stainless-steel #4 satin-finish angles. The panels are hung with aluminum Z clips.

♦ Fronts: New transom, strike post and return, all faced in 14-ga. stainless-steel #4 finish

♦ Doors: One new 16-ga. single-speed CRS core door faced in 20-ga. stainless-steel #4 satin finish

♦ Floors: “Black Absolute” granite ♦ Miscellaneous: A corner mirror, certificate

frame, nickel silver single-speed sill and hardware package, and four steady plates

renovations and construction going on in the building simultaneously, so the modernization was expedited into phases to minimally affect residents and other construction crews.

Manhattan House’s sophistication, modern and minimalistic design is one United Cabs believes match the building’s once-innovative architectural design. All 10 elevators are the result of a dedicated team of highly talented

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Tall Stories in the Big Apple


Elevator entrances reach new heights in 3 WTC, and 10 and 35 Hudson Yards.

by Ralph M. Newman

Twenty-foot-high elevator entrances? At first blush, this sounds like the stuff of imagination or a

futuristic movie set. However, this is the current reality at Tower 3 of New York City’s (NYC) World Trade Center (WTC) complex, where a major OEM is in the process of installing 27 such oversized entrances designed and supplied by its strategic supplier, Columbia Elevator Products Co. Inc. Among the world’s most iconic sites, 3 WTC is located at 175 Greenwich Street at the southern tip of Manhattan (ELEVATOR WORLD, July and September 2016, and February 2017). Standing 80 stories and nearly 1,100 ft., this building, with its soaring lobby, is scheduled for completion next year.

The design of 3 WTC was brought to life by noted architect Richard Rogers of Rogers, Stirk Harbour & Partners. The plans called not only for these previously unseen entrance heights, but for a revolutionary approach to elevator entrances and lighting applications as a certifiable part of their structure. Such bold vision has been trending of late, with architects increasingly stretching the limits of design and code compliance to meet the demands of today’s dynamically evolving, highly competitive real-estate environment. In the elevator industry, market demand drives innovation, and, in 2017, the elevator entrance has shown unending innovation since its rudimentary beginnings over a century ago. Even in more recent times,

entrance heights of 20 ft., or even half that, were unfathomable, not as much because of aesthetic issues as matters of safety.

Louis “L.J.” Blaiotta, Jr., Columbia’s CEO, said:

“Elevator entrances play much more of a critical role in safety than many people pause to consider. Most look at elevator entrances and today’s sliding doors as purely an architectural feature — to ‘pretty up’ the property – without giving much thought to their two most fundamental safety functions: first, to protect the opening and keep people from accidentally falling into the shaft when the car is not there, and, second, to prevent fire from moving floor to floor in an open shaft, which, in effect, acts like a giant chimney. Fire safety remains a critical and, sometimes, restrictive factor in the design and functionality of today’s aesthetic adventurism. The design challenge for oversized entrances is to overcome some of the legacy restrictions, while maintaining safety and support of continually advancing architectural trends.” Before drywall was used in the construction of multistory

buildings, elevator entrances were designed and built for the then-prevailing masonry construction of openings, which required that only the doors, and not the frames, have a fire-safety label. In a masonry application, it is allowable to construct a fire-rated opening with just fire-rated doors and no frame at all,

Columbia CEO Louis “L.J.” Blaiotta, Jr. at 3 WTC inspecting one of 27 20-ft.-high entrances currently under construction.



as long as the code-required door-to-wall gap and overlaps around the doors are maintained. However, frames nonetheless have often been used in masonry environments because of the precision they contribute to the fit of components. When openings are cut into a preexisting masonry wall, it is very difficult — if not impossible — to achieve perfect alignment between elevator-car and hatch-side components. This alignment situation is ameliorated by the use of steel frames,

which are installed prior to the wall construction and act to ensure elevator-equipment alignment. In such masonry circumstances, only the doors require UL labeling, while masonry “alignment” frames do not.

A subsequent step forward in fireproof construction came with the invention of drywall, which became highly popular due to its lower cost and weight, faster installation speed, and allowable design flexibility. In a fire-rated shaft, drywall construction is composed of a 1-in.-thick shaft-wall liner on the shaft side and two thinner sheets of 5/8-in.-thick drywall on the corridor side with an air space between. The fact that fire could work its way into that so-called “interstitial” space required capping the ends between the shaft-wall liner and the corridor liners whenever penetrations are cut into a drywall system to gain access to the shaft.

With frames already in use in masonry environments, elevator-entrance designs drifted to using the same frames as interstitial endcaps for drywall openings. This, however, led to a new set of challenges: upon installing a steel frame together with a fire-rated door and subjecting this combination to a fire test, it was found that, without masonry behind to hold the frame in place, it would suffer severe distortion. The first drywall fire tests failed, because the twisting of the frame allowed the gap between the drywall sheets to open and permitted fire to spread from floor to floor. It was determined that, to render these frames workable in a drywall application, modifications needed to be made to the design of the frame, including hooks on the back of the doors and other accommodations. Consequently, to properly regulate fire safety in drywall applications, it became necessary to obtain UL labels for the frames, as well as the doors in drywall, contrary to the doors-only requirement that is still acceptable by code for masonry.

Demand continued to develop for taller openings, more in the range of 9-10 ft., not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to create bigger service cars able to move both people and large objects within a building. If such large entrances had not been previously tested, they would not qualify for a UL label. For a time, the only UL-labeled alternative to such oversized entrances was masonry. It was inevitable that a way needed to be found to create door/entrance combinations for drywall that met UL standards.

Continued Blaiotta: “The first successful fire tests for drywall door and frame

combinations were for very small openings because of the design difficulties these presented. As 7- and 8-ft. entrances became standard, architects began striving for taller entrances to achieve the bold new looks they were imagining and needing to create to remain competitive. The bigger the openings became, the more difficult the ability to conduct fire testing. To accommodate this industry need, we sought ways to create progressively larger and larger fire-rated door and frame


(l-r) Flush and projected transom profiles

A 17-ft.-high entrance at 10 Hudson Yards: to satisfy the architect’s specification for a top-to-bottom center-opening look, 9-ft.-high fire-rated non-operable door panels were positioned above the 8-ft.-high doors in place of a conventional transom to achieve the 17-ft. floor-to-ceiling center-opening illusion.

A super-high, super-wide, one-panel single-speed door, 4 ft. wide X 9 ft. high, at 35 Hudson Yards: Columbia had previously successfully tested a 4- X 10-ft. door, allowing this installation to receive a full UL label without requirement for an oversize certificate.

Continued


combinations that would pass the required fire test in all types of wall systems.

“At first, door manufacturers in the elevator industry tested designs for masonry openings and then for drywall. After testing several permutations and combinations, we developed and manufactured revolutionary oversized solutions for both environments. The developments allowing for the 20-ft.-high entrance look at 3 WTC represent a major leap forward. While UL continued to build progressively larger testing chambers, they maxed out at 10 ft., allowing for, at most, 10-ft. opening tests. But, the larger chambers also made it possible to now introduce transoms into the fire test, permitting the use of oversized transoms. These, used in certain combinations with doors, created the opportunity to achieve dramatic new looks.” Because the WTC is part of the Port Authority of New York

and New Jersey, as opposed to the NYC Department of Buildings (which can issue design variances), it must follow ASME A17.1, requiring UL certification. But without an existing lab chamber capable of testing entrances and transoms taller than 10 ft., Columbia pursued a way to earn and receive UL oversize certificates for the 20-ft. openings. Products larger than the test chambers can only receive UL certification by following several engineering calculations and analyses to create the final procedures that must be followed for UL to grant an oversize certificate for such heights (anything more than 10 ft.). With enough supporting data from previous test results, this “engineering evaluation” is deemed to be the theoretical equivalent of testing the physical product in an actual 20-ft. chamber. Columbia, after 50 years of testing numerous door, frame and transom combinations and permutations, ultimately received permission for a 10-ft.-tall single door panel (4 ft. wide to be paired with a 10-ft. transom) and, as a result, was able to

build 20-ft. openings in 3 WTC with genuine oversize certificates.

The look of the 3 WTC entrances was developed with more than a slight nod to history. The profiles of the 20-ft.-tall LED entrance insets were envisioned as an homage to the iconic profiles of the original WTC Twin Towers, a touch the designers were seeking to achieve in at least one of the buildings in the new WTC complex. While these entrances bear some resemblance to those from the original towers, there are significant differences. The original 1973 entrances had unrated faux transoms, strictly for appearance, glued to a fire-rated wall. The entrances now going into the new WTC building feature true, fire-rated transoms, despite their additional height.

Blaiotta explained: “There are two types of transoms: projected, where the doors

go behind the transom, and flush, where the transom and doors are in the same plane. Projected transoms are the more common choice, since they are much easier to build. But, for 3 WTC, the architect wanted a flush transom, where the doors themselves appear to be 20 ft. tall. This ruled out the transom treatment used in the original WTC, since that would not allow for the desired look. Columbia’s solution was to cut a 20-ft. hole in the wall, refill it with fire-rated doors at the bottom and place a flush, fire-rated transom at the top.” While Columbia had certification for 10-ft. doors, the cabs

could not be that tall, since all floors above the lobby had only 8-ft. openings. To achieve the outsized flush look in the lobby, Columbia’s solution was to overlap a 10-ft. door behind a 12-ft. transom. With two extra feet of transom extending down over the door, the desired appearance of a 12-ft. transom and an 8-ft. door is achieved. As in all-flush transom arrangements, the bottom part of the door was made thicker than the top, allowing the top of the door to “overlap” the transom, with the bottom of the door extending out enough to be flush with the face of the transom.

Another revolution in the design of these new entrances, with dramatic effect, was to equip them with top-to-bottom LED light fixtures, within the depth or “throat” of the jamb, that glow as the car arrives at the lobby. The challenge was that the architect did not want to see any of the elevator jamb. In modern masonry applications, it is common to have marble or steel plates extending directly up to the edge of the doors without any of the entrance frame in sight, but in this situation — because the architect wanted a full 48-in. opening, and the maximum allowable opening width of the door frame was 48 in. — placing two 2-in. lighting units in the left and right throats of the openings would make the opening 4 in. smaller.

Blaiotta added: “Our solution was to design an unusual jamb profile, with a

pocket in the entrance jambs to allow the insertion of the lights in a way that didn’t physically attach to our entrances at all,

One of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum twin reflecting pools at the rebuilt WTC complex. They are situated in the exact footprints of the original twin towers. Water flows from the outside walls to the center plunge pool located at the original core of the building that contained the elevator shafts.

Continued


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Buildings, Columbia engaged a professionally licensed engineer to conduct an analysis of design and construction as the basis for a variance. This resulted in the desired look, featuring 8-ft. doors and 9-ft. transoms with vertical and horizontal seams between.

Over the years, Columbia also tested and received a certificate for 48-in.-wide single-speed doors, a very unusual alternative to the two-panel center-opening doors commonly used for this width opening. At 35 Hudson Yards, for a job ordered by another major OEM that will be installed later this year, the requirement is for a one-panel single-speed door in an opening 4 ft. wide X 9 ft. high. Since Columbia had previously successfully tested a 4-ft.-wide X 10-ft.-high opening, the doors ordered for this job will not require an oversize certificate. Instead, they will simply receive a true, full UL label. In this case, the opening needed to be not only “super tall,” but also “super wide” to produce a service car using a single-speed door that, for several specific reasons, was being sought in this application.

Blaiotta concluded: “Columbia has become a sought-after resource in the elevator

industry whenever there’s a need to find solutions for innovative entrance designs. We are invited into the process early and sit with architects and bidding elevator companies, even before the job is sold. This collaborative approach allows us to explore what’s possible, to support the design of something that works in an elevator environment and can be fire rated, while still fulfilling the architect’s far-reaching aesthetic dreams. For the WTC job, we met with the architects years in advance in the conference rooms at 7 WTC. At that time, with their offices overlooking that huge hole in the earth known as ‘Ground Zero,’ we contemplated not only what could be possible, but also what would be a suitable tribute to and recognition of the past, even though the new WTC complex buildings were going to look like nothing ever before seen or built.

“I feel extremely proud of the work every teammate at Columbia is contributing toward the 3 WTC job. Plus, we all feel a bit patriotic, because the work we’re doing is contributing to the rebuild of the Ground Zero area. We want to build something moving and meaning ful, so we don’t ever forget.”

Ralph M. Newman has written for ELEVATOR WORLD over the years and is a freelance writer with extensive experience in the elevator industry. Newman is a partner in Dott Communications, an internet development company and advertising agency with several clients in the field.


because, if we made a mechanical connection to our frame, it would have violated the UL label. Instead, the frame was pocketed to allow installation of light fixtures in front of, but not touching, our frame. The trim of our jamb was made of the same material as the light fixture itself, creating the illusion that you’re looking at the frame of the light fixture, when, in reality, a piece of the light-fixture trim is actually the elevator entrance jamb — a very skinny profile — and the rest is the light fixture itself. They’re so close together and perfectly aligned that the brain interprets it all as one big light fixture. This allowed us to create a masonry entrance with a 48-in.-wide opening, even though the light fixtures actually required 52 in. of width.”Another example of Columbia’s approach to architectural

challenges can be found in a drywall environment just 30 blocks north of the WTC at the in-progress Hudson Yards development. Here, Columbia received an OEM order for 10 Hudson Yards, where the architect wanted the appearance of floor-to-ceiling openings in the 17-ft.-tall lobby with a center-opening look as if the doors opened all the way to the top. A transom is usually one large panel above the doors that open below, but in this case, the appearance is of a 17-ft. center-opening door from bottom to top. According to code, fixed/non-operable fire-rated door panels can be used in place of a transom panel to create the illusion of a floor-to-ceiling door system. Actually, there is one set of lower doors that opens and another set of doors above that do not open. In this situation, to satisfy requirements of the NYC Department of

“The design challenge for oversized entrances is to overcome some of the legacy restrictions, while maintaining safety and support of continually advancing architectural trends.”

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A Family Repair Affair


EMR keeps the Mid Atlantic’s motors running.

by Lee Freeland

Tony Virgilio, winder, rewinding an armature An armature and sheave of another hoist machine

A Family Repair Affair




amily-owned and -operated companies are big business in the U.S. It has been estimated that by 2017, 40% of family business owners expect to retire, creating a significant transition of ownership in the U.S., according to the Mass Mutual American Family

Business Survey.[1] Electric Motor Repair Co. (EMR) impacts more than 4,000 businesses in the Mid-Atlantic region, including leading grocery-store and fast-food chains, hospitals and educational institutions. Between its commercial and industrial customers, EMR completed approximately 41,000 jobs last year. It delivers service, repair, installation and sales to the elevator, commercial kitchen, refrigeration, industrial motor and marine industries.

The company that made a strategic shift in its business model two decades ago — from a focus on servicing small household appliances to commercial kitchen equipment and industrial motor

repairs — will be making another strategic shift next year. Current president and second-generation owner Roger Kauffman is passing the proverbial baton to his daughter, Caroline Kauffman-Kirschnick. Caroline will be the company’s first female president in its 85-year history.

Even though nearly 70% of family businesses would like to pass their business on to the next generation, only 30% will be successful at transitioning to the next generation.[2] The family is proud of its heritage in running a third-generation business based in Baltimore that employs nearly 200 people across the Mid Atlantic in Maryland; Washington, D.C.; Virginia; Pennsylvania; New Jersey; and Delaware. EMR and its executives have been recognized by Baltimore-area media for strong leadership and technical knowhow, including appearing on the Washington Business Journal’s Top Mechanical Contractors List, The Daily Record’s 2016 VIP List (with Kauffman-Kirschnick earning the Successful by 40 Award). Kauffman-Kirschnick, now 38 years old, also won The Baltimore Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award.

Humble BeginningsRoger Kauffman’s father, Harry Kauffman, first joined EMR

in 1946. His son was introduced to EMR when a freshman in junior high school. Roger began his career at the company in 1964 when he was hired to fix household appliances, including electric razors and window fans. When Harry retired in 1985,

Roger, then 37 years old, began his 32-year leadership of the company.

Though it was never an expectation that the Kauffman children join the family business, four out of five of them are currently involved in it. These include Sarah Kauffman, billing clerk (age 20), Colin Kauffman, technician (age 25), Jake Kauffman, sales (age 35) and Caroline Kauffman-Kirschnick, general manager.

Elevator WorkEMR’s industrial division offers comprehensive repair

services for elevators’ electric motors, pumps, gearboxes and associated equipment, as well as electronic and electrical controls. With a full-service machine shop, EMR is capable of in-shop and in-field machine work and dynamic balancing. Elevator-motor rewinding and repair services are performed for elevator manufacturers and repair companies, and the services the division offers are continuously being expanded to meet the changing needs of the industry.

In addition to making mechanical, rewinding and machine-shop repairs to AC and DC equipment, EMR maintains a large inventory of used hoist motors, motor-generator sets and hydraulic-pump motors. Its onsite services include gearless armature rewinding, commutator machining, sheave regrooving, shaft repairs, alignment and electrical testing.

Recent and Future TrendsA recent shift in the maintenance and service of electronic

elevator drives saw several customers removing DC motors and replacing them with AC motors. This saved them money, as AC motors have fewer windings and are more efficient. Additionally, EMR has seen an uptick in the number of elevator motors that need rewinding, likely due to the age of the


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To assist in elevator modernization, EMR offers new variable-voltage, variable-frequency AC motors, flexible couplers and adapter flanges.

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elevator motors currently in operation. For motors that have faulty shafts or windings, the repair must be completed onsite. While these are often the most difficult projects, EMR states they are also the most rewarding for its technicians, who, the company says, “receive extensive training and support from the company on these jobs.”

Kauffman-Kirschnick sees growth in the company’s industrial business as EMR continues to invest resources in expanding its footprint throughout the East Coast. As more industrial motors

continue to age, EMR plans to have trained and knowledgeable technicians at the ready to service the often-complicated machines.

References[1] MassMutual Financial Group, Kennesaw State University & Family Firm

Institute. “American Family Business Survey” (www.massmutual.com/mmfg/pdf/afbs.pdf ) (2007).

[2] PeakFamilyBusiness.com. “For Your Business Health and Family Wealth” (peakfamilybusiness.com) (accessed January 17, 201

The EMR industrial division: (l-r) Barry Ford, John Gawens, Arthur Ashe, Jerry Miller, Joe Baldi, Kyle Virgilio, Tony Virgilio, Jim Constantine, Ron Williams, Jung Seo, Vaughn Deveau and Jimmy Fordyce.

An Otis Type 84 gearless hoist machine on which EMR rewound the armature on the jobsite. The machine is in service and operational.

The Kauffman family: (l-r) Jake Kauffman, Sarah Kauffman, Roger Kauffman, Caroline Kauffman-Kirschnick and Colin Kauffman


www.electrodyn.com


A recent Kencor project at Riddle Hospital in Media, Pennsylvania

Core ValuesCore ValuesThe Mid-Atlantic Region

Kencor is growing its business throughout the region and beyond with a well-thought-out formula for success.

by Kaija Wilkinson



encor, Inc. Elevator Systems has enjoyed double-digit growth each year for the past seven, representing its most fruitful era since the company was founded in 1981 by Kencor CEO Rick Kennedy with only six employees. With corporate headquarters in West

Chester, Pennsylvania, the company now has close to 100 employees serving customers across eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland out of four locations — West Chester; Glen Rock, New Jersey; Middletown, Delaware; and Allentown, Pennsylvania (which opened in early 2017 to better serve seven counties surrounding Philadelphia and New Jersey).

Kennedy is a well-known and respected member of the industry, having received the William C. Sturgeon Distinguished Service Award in 2014. He proudly notes Kencor is the only elevator contractor in the nation that has ever been awarded the Accredited Quality Contractor designation by Associated Buildings & Contractors, Inc. Its Delaware and Eastern Pennsylvania divisions were the most recent to receive the designation in 2016. Of the Eastern Pennsylvania (Allentown) location, he says:

“We do a lot of medical business there and see a resurgence of the coal and steel industries. Last year, we established a presence there by purchasing a small company. Since then, that office has grown significantly. We are up to two repair/construction crews and two maintenance crews already.” Kencor’s headquarters doubled in size in

November 2016 and now includes three contiguous warehouses totaling approximately 30,000 sq. ft. One of the largest independents in the region, the company’s portfolio is balanced, with the maintenance, repair, new-construction and modernization divisions each generating 25% of revenue. “We don’t like to think of ourselves as offering one specific product or service,” Kennedy says. “We are comfortable in our space in the industry. If we fit a customer’s needs, we fit; if we don’t, we don’t, and that seems to work for us.”

Many customers have found Kencor to be a perfect fit. The company prides itself on customized solutions, fast and thorough responses and working exclusively with nonproprietary equipment, which means customers can choose their own maintenance providers at any time. Kencor has a 98% customer-retention rate, and some of its customer relationships

date back close to 30 years. In elaborating on its scheduled and on-call services, the company states:

“Supervised by industry veterans with 175-plus years of combined experience, our in-house Certified Elevator Technicians (CET®) also draw on an extensive parts warehouse, machine shop, wiring-diagram library and vehicle inventory to successfully maintain more than 2,400 units of all makes and models. We service elevators manufactured by Otis, thyssenkrupp, Schindler, KONE, Cemco, Montgomery, Payne, General Elevator, GAL, SmartRise, Virginia Controls and many more.” Whether it is new construction, modernization, repair or

maintenance, Kennedy says being consistent is mandatory. “Always partner with the customer to make sure their vertical-transportation system is the best it can be,” Kennedy says. New-construction projects must be delivered correctly and on time. Maintenance customers should know that Kencor employees will be present, whether it is at scheduled times or in


Kenn

edy

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(l-r) John Dodds, Karen Kennedy and Ed Sullivan


the event of a service interruption. “When you tell someone you’re going to do something, do it,” Kennedy says. “Stick to estimates, don’t change orders, and, on modernization projects, deliver first-class, quality products every time, ones where you can stand back and say, ‘That is a good-looking area.’”

Kencor built its business upon the core foundation of solid, straightforward customer service and sticks to that concept today. Three key changes, however, helped propel the company forward much more efficiently, Kennedy shares.

The first change, which directly preceded the current period of growth, was to reorganize the leadership and management structure of the company from what Kennedy describes as “entrepreneurial to a more professional platform.” Kencor went from having just him at the top managing and overseeing every aspect of the company to putting a carefully selected team in place. “I went from being entrepreneur to CEO, where the main attributes of my job are the vision, assembling the teams to achieve that vision and being the ambassador to achieve that vision.”

The team consists of Executive Vice President Karen Kennedy (Rick’s daughter), Chief Financial Officer Ed Sullivan and Chief Operating Officer John Dodds. Each week, Rick Kennedy gets a report from each of them based on reports from the managers and supervisors they oversee. “[Kencor] is run by extremely dependable people, and I leave the day-to-day operations up to them,” Kennedy says. “That works very well and has allowed us to grow exponentially, rather than do whatever we can to keep our head above water.”

The second was a decision made approximately five years ago to partner with the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC) on its CET program and schools that implement that training to bring on apprentices. That relieves the headache of scrambling for skilled workers when the order book is full, as it is now. Kennedy states:

“When we made the decision to partner with NAEC and local trade schools on education, it was in an effort to stop worrying about our workforce. We have three or four apprentices a year during the summers, and we have hired 100% of them. Approximately 80% of our labor force now is organic, with the other 20% brought on through acquisitions.”

The third key change at Kencor was “jumping into social media in a big way” and creating a detailed yet user-friendly website. The company tracks data through its website, and this allows it to identify customer preferences and trends. “We’re getting a tremendous amount of business” through social media and the website, Kennedy says. “I realized you have to stay current with technology, even though we’re a very mature industry.”

Boasting four generations of combined experience, Kencor is well positioned to handle whatever the economy throws its way. Right now, that is as good of a return as it has seen in at least 16 years, Kennedy says. Kennedy and Kencor’s management team plan to stay focused on what they do, rather than what others are doing. Kennedy states:

“Competition has the tendency to denigrate pricing practices, and I’m not much for that. You know what the value of your products and services are, and you can’t miss anything you never had. So, we don’t worry about the competition or chasing our prices down into a hole.” 🌐

The Kencor fleet stands ready to serve.


www.ColumbiaElevator.com

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