Latest / The Elevator Careers Podcast / Live Interviews from the National Association of Elevator Contractors Expo 2025

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Live Interviews from the National Association of Elevator Contractors Expo 2025 · The Elevator Careers Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_04: It's the friendships and the relationships that that keep bringing me back over and over again.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Every year that I come, you think you've seen everything and then you see something more.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Learning the new stuff.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Keep it a pulse on what's going on.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_02: It's exciting to see what everybody brings.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_05: We have so many great partners here, so we come here to see them.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_05: Uh you know, connect with friends and connect with people.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_03: Most of what I do is done via phone or via Zoom.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_03: There's something more powerful about when you are able to meet face-to-face again.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_06: Hello and welcome to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the Allred Group.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_06: I am your host, Matt Allred.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_06: In this podcast, we talk to the people whose lives and careers are dedicated to the vertical transportation industry to inform and share lessons learned, building upon the foundation of those who have gone before to inspire the next generation of elevator careers.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_06: Hey everyone, thank you for listening.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_06: This is Matt with a brief message from our sponsor.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_06: The Allred Group has been recruiting elevator industry talent for over 14 years.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_06: If you are looking to grow your business and hire great people, contact the Allred Group at allredgroup.com.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_06: That's A-L-L-R-E-D, G-R-O-U-P.com, and talk with Matt and his team about how they can assist you.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_06: And now, back to the show.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_06: In this episode, I sat down with Jonathan Latham, Don Gelastino, Carol Fever, Norm Nelson, Lindy Tennyson, and Stuart Smith for live interviews at the NAEC Expo 2025.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_06: We talked about their experience with the conference, the messages they want to share with the elevator community, the biggest challenges facing their sector of the industry today, and the lessons they've learned along the way.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_06: These were just a few of the many great conversations I had at this year's event.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_06: Can you give me your name, title, coming?
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_04: Sure.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_04: My name is Jonathan Latham, National Account Manager with PTL Equipment.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_04: Nice.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_06: Jonathan, how how long have you been coming to these NAEC Expos and what keeps you coming back?
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_04: I started coming to these expos around 2002, perhaps.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_04: And outside of the business side of things, which is of course why we're all here.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_04: Sure.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_04: Right?
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_04: It it's the friendships and the relationships that that keep bringing me back over and over again.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_06: Nice.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_06: Nice.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_06: A little bit of a like a family reunion in a sense.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_06: Absolutely.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_06: Absolutely.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_06: Big family.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_06: Nice.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, that's great.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_06: What is the biggest message that you want everyone at the show and anyone who watches this video to know?
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_04: So probably twofold, right?
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_04: One would be fixtures made easy.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_04: That's that's one of the mottos at PTL equipment.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_04: And the second one would be US made, US steel.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_04: Nice.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_04: No tariffs.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_06: Nice.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_06: Okay.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_06: Okay.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_06: So tell me what is what's one of the biggest issues facing your segment of the industry right now?
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_04: I I think the biggest issue facing our segment of the industry right now, even though it's not really affecting PTL directly, uh it came up at the supplier meeting this morning.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_04: Sure.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_04: Would be tariffs.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_04: And how unsettling it is to try to figure out exactly how we handle that for companies that are dealing with it.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_04: And it's not just when you ship it or when the project's due.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_04: Or when it's quoted for that matter.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_04: Or when it's quoted, it's when it lands.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_04: What's the landing date?
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_04: And it's almost like, you know, we're not in Reno this year.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_04: But it is almost like spinning a roulette wheel.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_04: You know, what what's it going to be like?
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_06: How far off might you be?
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_06: I I and I don't know.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_06: I'm not dealing with tariffs, but you quote it in in August and then next year in April.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_06: How far off could you be if that's, you know, with the tariffs?
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_04: So I'm I'm not an expert on tariffs.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_04: I don't claim to be an expert on tariffs.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_04: I want to say it's almost volatile.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_04: Sure.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_04: Because it could be, you know, 100% sounds like uh the end of it, right?
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_04: It's gonna be a hundred percent of a tariff.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_04: Right?
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_04: But that's not the case.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_04: So it it could be 110%, it could be 125%.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_04: Wow.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_04: And so you could quote it and a year from now you can ship it and it lands at the job site, and you have no idea what it's gonna be that day.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_04: Wow.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_04: So it's it's a real big unknown for everyone.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_04: Almost a little scary.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_06: I was gonna say, yeah, yeah.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_06: How how can you quote in good faith and not know what what it's gonna be when it lands?
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_06: Well, if there's one thing you could improve or change about the industry, what would it be?
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_04: So I think in line with the family reunion theme and the friendships and the relationships, it is that just like in a family, not everybody always gets along.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_04: For sure.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_04: I hope that I've learned life's too short to not get along.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_04: And it's never too late, never too late to mend that fence.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_04: Beautiful.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_04: And fix that relationship.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_04: So that's that's what I would say.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, love that.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_06: What is one of the biggest lessons you have learned or the best advice you've received being in this industry?
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_04: So I started working in the industry in '94.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_04: The gentleman that owned the company, Dan Gilbert, was a civil engineer, and he he was a great teacher and a mentor to me.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_04: Uh stayed in touch with him until last four or five years, and I just can't track him down anymore.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_04: Wow.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_04: But he was a very patient man.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_04: And he would just, you know, give me a box of cable and a phone and say, an elevator phone, and say, here, go drive to Raleigh, North Carolina and install this in the courthouse.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_04: Wow.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_04: And I'd look at him and I'd go, Dan, I don't I've never pulled cable.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_04: I've never installed an elevator phone.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_04: I barely know what one is.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_04: And he'd say, Oh, you can do it, Jonathan.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_04: Just go, and if you have a problem, give me a call.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_04: So I think that there's a lot to be said for having faith in people and expecting the best out of them.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_05: Right.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_04: And I don't think you can go wrong with that.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_04: Beautiful.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_06: Beautiful.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_06: I appreciate you being with me today.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_04: I appreciate it.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_06: Very much.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_06: Can you give me your name, title, company?
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, hi.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Don Jelestino with Champion Elevator in New York.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_06: How many years have you been coming to the NAEC Expo?
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I joined NAEC in 1996 and I probably missed about four expos since.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_06: What what keeps you coming back?
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the innovativeness of all of the vendors, they they put their best products forward and they're always enhancing their products, making them better.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: So every year that I come, you think you've seen everything and then you see something more.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, you just have to take that information and adapt it to your company.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_06: What's the main message that you want to get out to this audience and and anybody that listens to this?
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: I think that the main message would be you have to be part of NAEC.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great opportunity to uh network, to come and see new products, to learn more information.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: The educational seminars are terrific.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: If you have the opportunity to serve on a board or serve as a committee member, it's a a game changer for your life.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: You meet a lot of great people personally.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I just think that it's all about the NAC.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: Sure, sure.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_06: Really um a must-have.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_06: If you want to if you want to play in this space, you gotta be here.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's definitely a must-do, not a want-to-do.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_06: Right, right.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: You gotta do it.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_06: What are some of the biggest issues facing your sector of the industry right now?
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: So the biggest issues are 90% of the time, everything I've seen over 30 years, 40 years, manpower and insurance.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the flavor of the day is uh tariffs for now, but we're gonna get that we're gonna get all through that together and it'll be behind us one day.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: But uh manpower and insurance are the big ones.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_06: So what is the one of the biggest lessons or the best advice you've received while working in this industry?
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: So the best advice and the biggest lesson I've definitely learned was knowing your overhead, uh having that in your all your job pricing.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Very important because you may be landing a lot of jobs thinking you're doing something good and you could just be losing money faster because you don't have the right overhead number.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: So that's always been a key thing, and I always want to pass that information along to anyone I can because it could be a game changer.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_06: For sure.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_06: Don, anything else you'd like to share?
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: I would just say that you should be very thankful uh in general if you're part of the NAEC.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: If you have any extra time to join a committee, if you have a little more time, join a board, and um, it'll make your elevator experience a lot better.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_06: Appreciate it.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_06: All right.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_06: Well, welcome.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_06: Can you give me your your name, title, and in your company?
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: My name is Carrie La Febre.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_02: I'm the sales and marketing coordinator for CBIS Symmetry.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_06: Um, so how many years have you been coming to the NAC Expo and what keeps you coming back?
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, this is my second year.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's exciting to see what everybody brings as new innovations and seeing what our dealer partners are bringing to the table as well in their sales.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_06: What's the main message that you want everyone at this show to know?
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's a hard one.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um I guess that we offer a lot of accessibility innovations.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_02: So a lot of things that can help people move around in their home and kind of age in place a little better.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_06: Nice.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_06: Nice.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_06: Quality of living.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_06: Yes.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_06: Sounds like great.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_06: What is one of the biggest issues facing your sector of the industry right now?
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_02: So we deal with a lot of older homes.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_02: So with us, we have to be a little more cognizant of ceiling heights and having room to make things accessible.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_02: So those through the floor lifts are kind of and stair lifts are kind of our bread and butter, as it were.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_06: Okay.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_06: Gotcha.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_06: Um if there is one thing that you can improve or change about the industry, what would it be?
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um, just bringing more knowledge and making more people aware that it's an option rather than moving into like a ranch style home or downsizing when they can stay in the home they've loved for over 30 years.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_06: Give give grandma and grandpa some options that they maybe didn't know they had.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_06: Exactly.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_06: Okay.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_06: What's the biggest lesson you've learned or best advice you've received while working in the vertical transportation industry?
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think for me, I came from the hospitality industry.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_02: So that teamwork really translated really well.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, just getting to know your team, getting to know how to work together as a whole is huge.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you, Carrie.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_06: You're welcome.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_06: Appreciate you being with me today.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_06: Thanks.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_06: Have a good one.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, you too.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_06: Hey everyone, thank you for listening.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_06: This is Matt with a brief message from our sponsor.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_06: The Allred Group has been recruiting elevator industry talent for over 14 years.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_06: If you are looking to grow your business and hire great people, contact the Allred Group at allredgroup.com.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_06: That's A-L-L-R-E-D, G-R-O-U-P.com and talk with Matt and his team about how they can assist you.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_06: And now, back to the show.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_06: Can you give me your name, title, company?
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, I'm Norm Nelson, uh CEO of Kings Three.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_06: Norm, thank you.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_06: How long have you been coming to the uh NACX?
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, this is my fourth year.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_06: What is it that keeps you coming back?
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, we have so many great partners here, the elevator companies that we work with on the emergency communications side, the elevator system.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_05: So we come here to see them, uh, you know, connect with friends and connect with people.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_05: Awesome.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_05: What's the biggest message that you like to get out to everybody that's here at the show?
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I two things probably.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_05: One, we really want to help on the emergency communication side.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_05: That's often a challenge for a lot of elevator contractors.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_05: It's our area of expertise.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_05: So we want to be able to help with that.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, and also add to that, like we just want to help the industry.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_05: We want to be part of it and contribute by being good people, good partners, and uh yeah, just help everybody grow.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_05: Awesome.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_06: What would you say is one of the biggest issues facing your sector of the industry today?
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_05: Uh definitely in our case, it's the the changing code around the emergency communications system, adding video.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_05: Uh that's a big challenge for everybody.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_05: Getting video out of a moving cab is not technologically simple.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_05: Right.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and there's a lot of steps in the process from the fixture companies to the companies that make the video management systems to companies like us that can help install it, monitor it, and dispatch.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_05: Uh a lot of moving parts, and it's a new part of the code.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_05: So it's it's a learning process for everybody.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_06: I can only imagine.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_06: I mean, you've got you get new stuff, but you got retrofits and you got old elevators like, how do you do that?
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_05: So yeah, doing all that and trying to keep the focus on the people that are riding in the elevator.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_05: Like that's who we want to take care of when there's uh when there's an issue.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_05: Uh but everybody's great to work with.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_05: We we love how far we've come in the past couple years in that area, and we've got more work to do, but we're doing it together.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_06: So, last question.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_06: Uh, what what's some of the best advice or you know, one of the biggest lessons you've learned that you like to pass on?
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_05: Hmm.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_05: I feel like there's so many that others have tough.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_05: Um that it's not about you.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_05: That's probably be the one.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_05: It's like we all work for a company and we're all trying to do the right thing for our our company, our owners, our shareholders.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_05: Uh but if we try and just be the only ones that win, it's usually not the best outcome.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_05: So it's not about you.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_05: It's about the group.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_05: You know, we're always I don't think anybody here does what they do completely in a vacuum.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_05: We all have suppliers, partners, vendors, customers that we work with.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_05: So putting them first is usually the way to long-term success.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_06: Absolutely.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_06: I I love that.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_06: And it it win-win is is something I truly see here in this space, right?
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_06: That you cannot succeed alone.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_06: And and the more people you help succeed, the more likely you are to succeed yourself.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_06: Perfect.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_06: Anything else you'd like to share?
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_06: Oh, thanks for having us.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_06: This is super cool.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_06: This is fun.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_06: I appreciate it.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_06: Thanks, right?
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_06: So um, can you give me your name, title, and company?
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm Lindy Tennyson.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I am the inside sales manager for Phoenix Modular Elevator.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_06: Lindy, how long have you been coming to the NAEC Expo?
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I would say off and on since I joined um PME in 2016.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_03: So this is probably my fourth or fifth at NAEC.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_06: And what keeps you coming back?
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_03: For me, it is getting to meet my installers and our contractors in person.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um, most of what I do or how I build relationships is done via phone or via Zoom.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_03: And yes, that can be great.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_03: That was wonderful during COVID, but there's something more powerful about when you are able to meet face to face.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_03: I think it solidifies things.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_03: And I just like to get to know people on a better level.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_06: What's the main message that you would like everyone at this conference to know and and anyone that listens to this recording?
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think the number one thing I would like them to know is that modular construction is not new.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_03: Modular elevators are not new.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_03: I know they might be new to some people listening to this, or you know, it it can be scary, change is scary.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but modular elevators have been around since 1995.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_03: They were actually invented in Mount Vernon, Illinois, which is where we still do business.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, the original name of was Infinite Access.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_03: And in 2009, um, our current owner, Allison, bought those assets and started the company up again.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_03: We even still have original employees that were infinite access.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so we're not new.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_03: We, you know, we are building higher.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_03: We are experiencing a lot of growth.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um and and we're solving very real problems within the elevator industry.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_03: We there's a niche for us and it's it's an exciting time to be part of the elevator world.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_06: Absolutely.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_06: Absolutely.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_06: What is one of the biggest issues facing your sector of the industry today?
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_03: I would say one of the biggest issues is just the connotation of the word modular.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_03: It's when you think of modular, you think of the 1960s trailers.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_03: And yes, those were cheap and they served a purpose, but they, you know, they weren't exactly quality.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_03: And so our use of the word modular, then that automatically equates to cheap and effective in other people's minds.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_03: So I would rather call it just off-site construction, not modular construction.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that off-site construction actually provides so many benefits because you have so much better quality control.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_03: We are using the exact same industry standard, non-proprietary parts that any other elevator contractor does and can um maintain.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_03: You're not sacrificing safety or quality.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um, our elevators are built to very high standards.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_03: We welcome third-party inspections if needed.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um we we build to seismic and hurricane zones.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_03: So it it doesn't have to mean cheap.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_03: It just means offsite.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_06: What's the biggest lesson that you've learned or some of the best advice you've received working in the vertical transportation industry?
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_03: So I think the biggest lesson I've learned is that elevators are not easy.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um when I came on to Phoenix in 2016, that was our motto.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_03: We make elevators easy.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_03: And within about two years, I quickly realized that we can't deliver on that promise.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_03: You can't have a motto or a tagline that you can't deliver for your customers.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm not saying that we don't simplify it, we make elevators easier.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_06: Sure, easier.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_03: But that's not a great motto.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_03: We make elevators easier.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so we switched that around.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_03: But I I want to highlight how we do make it easier.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we have a very extensive project management um system where we try to highlight and we try to meet with the subs, with the contractor, with anybody involved, anybody who wants to sit in a meeting with us, where we explain exactly what we're doing every step of the way.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_03: We explain exactly what is going to happen on site.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_03: We tell you exactly when we're gonna be there, and we try to hold to our timelines so that the elevator is not the thing delaying your project because elevators get a bad name and they don't have to.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_06: Beautiful.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_06: Can you give me your name?
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, my name is Stuart Smith.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, my job is business development at Fairway Elevator in Atlanta, Georgia.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: Been in the elevator trade gosh, coming up on 25 years.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Right now.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: So started right at uh right out of graduation 2000.
• 19:13
  unknown: Right.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: Coney Elevator Company.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_06: Cool.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_06: How long have you been coming to these expos?
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: Off and on since 2005.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: Uh here the last five years, I've been doing pretty pretty regular educational conference and the NAC show, but off and on for since 2020.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_06: What keeps you coming back?
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think it's important to keep a pulse on what's going on, what the latest and greatest stuff is, uh, what's new on the market.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, right now, if you're not starting to get, you know, learn about AI, you're gonna get left behind.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: That's the next best thing.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_01: So learning the new stuff.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_01: Right keep it a pulse on what's going on.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_06: What's the biggest message that you have to share with everybody who's who's here at the expo?
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so figure out who to talk to, for one thing.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: Two, figure out where you can get non-proprietary equipment.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's the biggest thing right now.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think the whole industry is completely upside down right now, right?
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: Stuck with the majors because of the proprietary thing.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: Owners are absolutely handcuffed, they can't go anywhere, they're super frustrated, they're paying five times market price because it's not proprietary.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_06: Gotcha.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: And the industry doesn't understand that.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: So we got to figure out as all that are subcontractors, how do we help aid that?
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: How do we help our owners, our customers, get non-proprietary stuff because they don't even know what I'm talking about?
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: I have to educate them.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: That's what it's all about.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_06: What's one of the biggest issues facing your segment of the industry right now?
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: So we do quite a few new commercial installations to the tune of about four to five a month, I would say.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I would say the biggest challenge I have is you've got these multinationals out there that are able to just absolutely drop the bottom out of their price and come in at like ridiculously low prices.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's very hard to compete with.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: And then kind of what I touched on earlier, Matt, is trying to educate our customers on the importance of proprietary versus not proprietary and getting them to understand why that's so important, why that matters to them, and why that might be worth a 5% premium over what the multinationals charge for the new install.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: So too many customers focus too much on what that sticker price is on a new elevator install.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: Without consideration for how much they're going to pay over the lifetime of that elevator.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: That might be 40, 50 years, as you know, right?
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: How much your repair is going to cost us.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: Uh what happens if they have to replace this board that they can only source from one supplier.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_01: So trying to get them to understand that and why that might be worth a couple thousand dollars more for a two-stop hydro than than uh saving, you know, two thousand dollars on this price, and it might turn into fifteen thousand dollars over the course of twenty years.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_06: A little bit like investing in the future.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_06: Maybe you pay a little bit more for your vehicle, whatever it is, but it's gonna last you longer or or or whatever the case may be, right?
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: And if you buy it from this dealership or that dealership, this guy may or may not give you better service, right?
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_01: What if they never pick up the phone?
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_01: What if they're never available?
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: What if they don't honor that warranty that they promised you from day one?
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: So the whole value change is what I try to educate my customers on.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, thank you.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_06: And that's beautiful.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_06: What uh what would you say is is one of the best pieces of advice or one of the biggest lessons you've learned that you'd like to share?
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's a great question, Matt.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: So when I first started in the trade when I was a kid, I wanted to be a mechanic, and that's all I wanted to be.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I loved working with my hands.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: And when they started talking to me about going into sales or operations management or maybe finance or marketing or all these other endeavors, I was I was very uh myopic in my view.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to stay a mechanic.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to be a mechanic.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: And then when I finally said, you know what, what's the harm?
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: Let me give it a try.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I learned how to do all these different things, it made me so much better, well-rounded.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: And now today I can look back over my career 25 years ago, hey, I know a little bit about finance.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: I know about marketing, I know, I know how to install an elevator, I can speak to that service, the whole gambit.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I would encourage any young person that wants to be in the elevator trade just to get well-rounded.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: Allow themselves to go into an um an area of the business that they might not be passionate about, yeah, just to learn it.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't mean that you're gonna be handcuffed to that role for the rest of your career, right?
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, you're if you're good at what you do, you're only gonna stay there for a short period of time as you know, because you're gonna move up, you're gonna get opportunities, you're gonna get chances to work in this this side of the business or or otherwise.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, there's um there's some folks that I know that have never done anything other than accounting or neither never done anything other than sales, and they're just they're handcuffed.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they're stuck.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_06: Well, and and obviously you're in this role because you do understand all the other aspects, right?
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: That uh I would say that after a certain point in time, I said, Hey, look, I can do this too.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: Why, why, why do I have to work for someone else?
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: I've learned how to do these things, right?
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_01: So our my team and I were said, okay, we we can do this without having to work for this company or that company or this company, right?
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_06: So just build it.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_01: It just opens up the horizons, man.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_06: Anything else you'd like to share?
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, love the NAC show, love what the NAC show is about.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: Uh education.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, you can never stop learning.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_01: Don't ever stop learning.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: Don't ever get complacent, don't ever sit back on your heels.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_06: Appreciate you, man.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you for listening to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the All Red Group, a leader in elevator industry recruiting.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_06: Please visit our YouTube channel at Elevator Careers or check us out online at elevatorcareers.net.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_06: Please like and subscribe.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_06: And until next time, stay safe.