Latest / The Elevator Careers Podcast / Be Patient, Be Consistent, Be Disciplined: Interviewing Orlando Elevator's President | Chris Rivera

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Be Patient, Be Consistent, Be Disciplined: Interviewing Orlando Elevator's President | Chris Rivera · The Elevator Careers Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_03: Be patient, uh, be consistent, be disciplined, uh, persevere.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_03: Uh there's gonna be days, there's days where I I get up in the morning and and uh I feel a little anxious, I feel a little uh I feel worried, but um, but knowing that um you know I'm a patient person, I always say I'm I'm young and patient.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um it's gonna pay off eventually.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_02: Hello and welcome to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the Allred Group.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_02: I am your host, Matt Allred.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_02: 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.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_02: Today our guest is Chris Rivera, president of Orlando Elevator in Orlando, Florida.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_02: Chris started in the elevator industry in 1995 as a helper in Puerto Rico, and in 1997 he moved to New York City to continue his career.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_02: In January of 2000, Chris moved to Orlando, Florida, and in July 2022, he started Orlando Elevator.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_02: Chris loves the elevator industry and he is passionate about educating customers and providing exceptional customer service.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_02: Chris, welcome to the show.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks, Matt.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you for having me.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thank you.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_02: And I mean I'm excited.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_02: I know we uh talked first time years ago.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_02: I don't even remember how many years ago.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm excited to five.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'm excited to be able to talk to you more.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously, you're you're there with the Orlando elevator uh sign in the background.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm excited to talk about your your new business.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and let's let's just start at the beginning.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_02: When did you get into the industry?
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_03: I got into the industry February 6, 1995.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_03: And by way of my half-brother, Miguel Deia, uh, he's the son of one of the Deia Elevator founders in Puerto Rico.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, my uh my my two brothers, they started a company back then, I think it was in '93, '94, uh, called Metro Elevator.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_03: And um, I started um that I was actually living in New York.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_03: Rochester's my hometown, Rochester, New York.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and um, one day I just called him.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_03: It was middle of a blizzard in February, uh, probably January, and and I asked him, you know, you know, what are you guys doing?
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_03: And he said, Well, you know, come down to the Caribbean and uh we'll uh we'll set you up with the job.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_03: And I was like, All right, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_02: So you knew you knew nothing about the elevator industry, but you knew you didn't like snow.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_02: Is that what I hear?
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_03: Correct.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: I was tired of the snow.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and so it it sounded, you know, I was 20, 21 years old, I think it was.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_03: And um, it's on a, you know, you know, uh the Caribbean, uh paradise, the beaches, the weather, it's on a good to me, versus, you know, middle of a blizzard in January.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_03: I was like, hmm, yeah, I think I'll go to the Caribbean.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I was single, it had no ties, nothing to hold me back.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_03: So um, so I got I started with him first day on the job.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_03: They they uh gave uh they put me with uh one of their season mechanics, and um, you know, he he jumped on top of the elevator, and I was like, uh, I'm not gonna get on top of that.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_03: So um uh so he was showing me around, you know, the what's the pit, what's the card top, and how the elevator runs and the machine room.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_03: And it was really all new to me.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_03: I had no idea that uh, you know, and living in New York City, New York and Rochester, I had, you know, I lived in a 16-story building.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_03: I had no idea that's simple.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_02: You'd only been in the in the box, right?
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_03: In the box.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_03: You push the button and you walk out and and and and you forget about the rest.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so um it was all new to me, and I and I didn't really like it at first, especially uh uh when they would tell me to clean the pits.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_02: So so you were starting as a mechanic or as a helper or as an apprentice.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_03: Green helper.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_03: Okay as green, green, green as you can get, you know, new to the industry, knew nothing about nothing.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_03: I was in 19, 20, 21, didn't really know a whole lot about life, period.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um didn't really know what direction I wanted to go.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_03: I I I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a car mechanic or or something like that.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_03: But um so they had me in the beginning cleaning pits, sweeping machine rooms, you know, the typical things that helpers do with the cleaning aspect of it.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but little did I know that in the cleaning process, as you clean, you're actually learning about the mechanics of the elevator.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_03: What to touch, what not to touch, uh, what to clean, what not to clean.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_03: Some things are actually uh better off, just leave them as as is.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_03: Um and so uh especially with the old some some of the old relays, I learned uh old Westinghouse equipment, um uh Westinghouse um Otis equipment and Westinghouse uh ERLs and REL controllers.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_03: And it was pretty daunting and overwhelming watching all those relays chattering and clicking, and um, so it was interesting.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_03: It was interesting uh getting started.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_03: And then I got a job working for New York Elevator in Manhattan.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, uh so you left you left uh the Caribbean and the South to go back north, you're saying?
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_03: To go to go back north, yeah.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_03: Not not because of the coal, um, but um I missed New York and I missed the city.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_03: I have I still have family there.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_03: Uh in Queens and Brooklyn, and uh and so um and I heard the pay was better and benefits were better, so it kind of drew me to I figured about a year and a half being a helper, I knew what I was doing.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_03: So I thought uh sure New York really is working in New York City is just uh it's a different ball game.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_03: It's just uh it's beautiful, it's great.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_03: Working is you know, you know, high rises, it's uh it's it's wonderful.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_03: I really enjoyed my time there.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_02: Cool.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_02: How long are you in New York then?
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: I was there for about a year and a half.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_02: I was there for So a year and a half south, year and a half north.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_02: So coming up on three and a half years, then then where?
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_03: And then moved to Orlando and been here ever since.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: Now, did you come to Orlando still as a mechanic, or how did that how did your career go from there?
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_03: No, I I um so in New York City, there's two unions.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_03: There's the many people call the real union IUEC, and then you had the IBW, International Uh Brotherhood of Electric Workers.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_03: They had a division, elevated division that's local three, right?
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_03: And that's where I was working under.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um, when I come to Orlando, it's the IUEC, so it was really different.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_03: I learned my lesson, you know.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_03: I probably should have joined the IUEC instead of IBW.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_03: But um, either way, um, I didn't I didn't get a job immediately uh here locally with the IUBC.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_03: So uh General Elevator Sales and Service, uh they were a big company here um that got bought out by Tiss and Crupp.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um uh they offered me a uh a helper's position um in in modernization.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_03: So I just want to get back in the industry, so I took it uh and um I spent the next seven years with them, went from helper to service uh route technician, sure, route mechanic, and um and just learn learned to trade with them.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_03: So uh it was a great time with them as well.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_02: How how valuable as you look back on your career is that time that you spent as a mechanic in in your career, you know, in the overall scheme of what you know.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_03: Um, well, I I think it was a great time.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um uh beach.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_03: Even recently, I was I was working for uh Kone in the field, and um it's in the field is different than wearing, you know, a white shirt and we're you know, just working in the office.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it's really different.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um I still find myself being you know a small business owner, getting my hands dirty.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_03: And sure, believe it or not, um I sort of prefer that in a way, I guess, because that's what I sort of like grew up knowing, you know.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_03: Uh uh was being in the field, hands-on, turning wrenches, troubleshooting.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_03: That's my favorite thing, is troubleshooting.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um I I uh I'm not the best.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_03: I I I continue to learn, especially as technology changes.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, the office thing is great, it's necessary, it's a necessary evil, I say.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: Uh but um but I but I think my time as a mechanic really um you learn a lot of skills other than turning wrenches.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_03: And what I'm what I mean by that is you you learn even people skills.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_03: A lot of people, they they they sometimes a little bit rough around the edges, um, some mechanics, uh, but you you learn people skills, you learn how to how to deal with different uh kinds of people, you know, different kinds of customers.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so there's a lot of things in the field that you learn.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_03: Not and not just elevators.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: Well, and you seem to, from my perspective, you learn the the business from the ground up.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_02: And and then the reason I asked that question about how valuable is because I talked to so many people that you know, once they kind of get that experience, there's there's nowhere they can't go.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_02: It's just a matter of what do I want to do, right?
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_02: I can I can do this, I can get into management, I can go into consulting, I can start my own thing.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_02: I can, you know, it it seems to be a very from again from my perspective, a very valuable uh set of skills and and experience.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, yes.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_03: This industry, it's it's um it's just like a the tree of life.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, just keeps giving and giving and giving, and it has many branches, it has many niches.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_03: You can go into the parts uh department, any, any, any department, and and even industries within the industry, you know, uh, whether it's the uh parts, whether it's uh uh just any specialty, like you said, consulting, inspections, uh management.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_03: It's just it just keeps giving.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_03: And and and now, you know, this is 2023, and and we see how many changes have occurred from uh investment groups, acquiring and the the acquisitions and the mergers, and uh and and just different ways of of uh uh this industry growing and and almost like reinventing itself.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_03: It's pretty amazing times we're living right now, actually.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_03: Uh very different from when I started.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_03: You know, absolutely you know, 20 some years ago.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: Sure, sure.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: No, I'm sure I'm sure you, yeah, you I mean you talked about the the relays clicking around.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, uh I certainly you probably still see those on older machines, but obviously that's not the way that technology is going.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_02: So you're seeing a a variety of of technologies being deployed all at the same time, and then getting out there to yeah, try to work on one and then work on something else that's totally different.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's amazing how you go from job to job, from building to building, and you know, you're working on this old relay logic, and then your your brain has to shift to okay, now I'm dealing with more of a software issue.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_03: It's not mechanical, it's software, and uh it's it's pretty uh it's pretty interesting.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_02: So so from general elevator, what what was kind of your next step?
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_03: From general, um, I tinkered around, I opened up a little small uh business.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_03: That's when I really started to, I guess I'm an entrepreneur at heart.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_03: And um, and I I've always been from I think from when I was 12, I had I had my paper route.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_03: So kind of, you know, you call you call the shots when you're doing, you know, you got your own route, and you know, you get that money coming in, and like, hmm, this is good.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_03: I can make as much as I want or as you know, as little as I want, you know, it's and work whenever you want.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I started a little company, but it was mostly like residential elevators and wheelchair lifts.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, and and and and that I did, I did actually pretty well with that.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but then in 08, the economy, you know how it tanked and things got pretty hectic.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_03: So um I went back to work for for for uh for a company.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, gotcha.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_03: And then it kind of progressed from there to, you know, where where I'm at now.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_02: Very cool.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_02: Very cool.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_02: So at what point did you realize that you loved the elevator industry?
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, good question.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_02: What was it that kind of captured you and said, man, this is this is where I want to hang out for the next 20, 30, 40 years?
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_03: I think at the I think actually just before I left Puerto Rico and before moving to New York, um, I because because I I took it was Christmas holidays uh that year.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_03: I forget what year exactly what that was.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_03: Must have been about 99, I think it was.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um maybe 98.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I went for a few days, I went to New York City, and I back then there were public phones with yellow pages attached to the to a cable.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_02: I remember those days.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_03: And I pulled the yellow pages and I opened them up and I just started looking for elevator companies.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_03: And I called the few, and um, I tried to set up interviews, nobody was hiring.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_03: And so eventually I got to the ends with New York Elevator, and I was able to make an interview.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_03: Um and so I show up with the interview, I you know, I talk to the to the manager there, and he says, Yeah, sure, helper, yeah, sure.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_03: Just uh I explained to them my situation.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like, yeah, sure, just whenever you're ready, you know, to move to New York City and just come on in and we'll we'll get you started.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um and then with the whole experience of working in those high-rises, working in Midtown, working in Lower Manhattan, in the financial district on Wall Street, um, uh 14th wall, 101 wall, 100 wall, all of those, all of those buildings.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um then that's where I knew this is this is it.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_03: This is where I'm gonna be.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_03: This is this is uh my career of choice, you know, this is my calling.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_03: And kind of kind of like I said before the interview was, you know, then I felt like, you know, I didn't choose this career, even though I I'm I stuck with it, but it kind of found me.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_03: It chose me, right?
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_03: It's kind of just it, I you have that attachment.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: And what was it that it really attached you, would you say?
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_02: Was it was it I don't know people or the technology or what what what's the combination for you?
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's the uniqueness of the job.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_03: There's no other job like it, there's no other career like it.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm sure other people say but the same thing about their careers, but this is a niche market.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you pull up the yellow pages and you find a bunch of plumbers, a bunch of painters, a bunch of electricians, a bunch of air conditioning guys companies.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_03: And kudos to them.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_03: Those are very, you know, we use them, we need them, right?
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_03: Especially in Florida.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_03: If you live in the north, you need you need a heating company.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_03: But the listing for elevator companies, I mean, it's really short.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_03: You know, um, the industry is small.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you look at the conventions, you know, you've got 2,000 people, that's a lot of people.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_03: But is it really?
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_03: Not really.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_03: You know, uh, it's a small and and I think the uniqueness of it, um just about every friend of mine, everybody that I encounter, uh, they ask me, so what do you do for a living?
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_03: I said, Well, I'm in the elevator industry, you know, I repair elevators, I service them, you know, make them new.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, they're like, oh man, you're you're the only person that I know that that doesn't matter.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_03: You know, they know no one else.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_03: Or they or they maybe they know the father-in-law, the cousin, the brother know somebody that their neighbor or whatever, but it's it's very rare.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_03: It's very rare.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_02: Well, and and obviously the people you know within the industry, you've you've got that bond with them, and you know, you've probably built some some cool friendships over the years.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_02: Who who were some of your mentors early on that really helped you gain a vision for what this industry is about?
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, my brother, my my my uh oldest brother, um, you know, he started being being his father was one of the founders of Deia Elevator, which was founded in 1967, I believe.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: Cool.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_03: And they're still in business, they're the largest in the Caribbean.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, he showed me the ropes, he showed me a lot of do's and don'ts.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um uh so he's my biggest mentor.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um still still to this day, I call him and I ask him, you know, he he kind of um anytime I have a question or anything, I just call him.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_03: And so he's he's my and then through the industry itself, just other other folks that maybe they're not mentors in the sense that they're mentors, like what a mentor is, but um definitely I I call them.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_03: I I or I I I pick their brains and and um they too also give me very good advice.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_03: So um, but my biggest mentor is my brother, hands down.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_02: So so uh you brought us to to 08.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_02: You you sold your your small company, you went to work for a bigger company, and then uh fast forward a few years and you're you've kind of created your own.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_02: Tell tell me a little bit about Orlando Elevator.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_03: How long have you guys been in business and what's so we are a brand new startup?
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we'll celebrate our first anniversary in July, so we've got a few more months.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: Cool.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but time is flying.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I it I feel like I just started two months ago and it's been already what, six, seven months.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um and so we're we're I I chose the name Orlando because it's I I with my previous business, I was running all over the state of Florida.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_03: And state of Florida's a very large state.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I mean, from east to west, one of the longest.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's still three, four hours, you know, depending on traffic.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_03: But from north and south, I mean, yeah, it could take your days.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_02: Especially if you get up in the panhandle.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, that's that's very long.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_03: Correct, correct.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_03: So I didn't want to do that this time around.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you learn as you go, and you know, and and even managing for other companies.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I had a large territory with another company, and I I didn't want to do that.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um, my focus, because one of the main reasons my focus, I want to be able to, even if we had 18 technicians, I I want us to respond immediately, the same day.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_01: Cool.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_03: If the if if we if we preach a two-hour response, one hour response time, which is the typical of what everybody sells, but very few people actually come through.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_03: We want to come through with that.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_03: We want to be able to be responsive.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_03: And so I thought, well, let's stay regional, let's just stay, you know, the the the I call it the the the triangle between Daytona, Cocoa Beach, and Orlando, and kind of anything in between a little bit of the outskirts uh in Lake County and Poe County.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but um and I and I thought Orlando was just it wasn't taken.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it was available.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_03: And so I I I think I struck gold and I'm looking for the domain name Orlandoelevator.com.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_03: It was available, surprisingly.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's awesome.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_03: I I paid a I paid actually a premium for it, but I won't say how much, but it was quite a bit.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_02: But you got it, right?
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_02: That's the important thing.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_02: But I got it apparently, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_02: So are you doing uh residential commercial?
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_02: Are you doing a mix, or how's that work?
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_03: So we're doing strictly commercial.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_03: I I give up on the residentials and wheelchair lists, even though I get calls and I I I did quote one wheelchair lift because it was local right here with a minutes from the office.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but um strictly commercial.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um again, we I I wanted to pick a region and then a niche market, not so much niche because other folks do commercial as well, but stick to one thing within the industry.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um uh I know the website says different, but and I'm gonna I'm gonna be changing that.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um but we uh um I chose just commercial uh service modernization repairs.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um we're not delving into new installations uh uh just yet.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_03: Uh new installation is a it's also a different, it's a different animal, if you will, different just different uh B stuff.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_02: Sure, sure.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_02: Well, especially if you're not an OEM, right?
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_02: It's a little trickier to to uh Yeah.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_03: I mean you you can install being a non-OEM, but um it just entails a lot of effort working with the GC, the timelines, architects, and you know, it's it's it's it's wait, wait, hurry up, right?
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_03: They they they they have you wait, wait, wait, and then all of a sudden, hey, we need the elevator, you know, we need a CO for the building like tomorrow.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_03: So, um, and it takes you know, equipment and personnel and just a whole lot that um because I've been on that road as well, and just working with GCs, it's never pleasant.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_03: So um I'd rather not at this moment.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_02: No, it makes sense.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_02: Makes sense.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm sure there's plenty of service, plenty of uh repair and and mod to go around in in Orlando.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_03: Oh yes, correct.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, especially now with the door lock monitor and
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_03: It's a big deal right now.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_03: But even more, and I'm actually not even doing that much as I thought I would.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe as the deadline approaches, and of course, northern state of Florida, they'll probably give another three-year extension.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_03: So we'll never actually be done with that.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_03: But um, but just repairs of mods, people, you know, there are still a lot of old elevators uh in in central Florida.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_03: And of course, there's still some lingering hurricane damage.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_03: Uh that actually we're we're making some repairs as well.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, there's it's there's there's always something going on.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_02: So um what what are some of the I guess issues uh uh you know that that are facing the elevator industry these days as as you see them challenges maybe I don't know I'm not against all the merges and acquisitions.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_03: That's okay with me, especially at this point um that uh that I've started Orlando Elevator.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_03: Um I don't know, it just seems uh it seems customer service and customer support from some of the vendors, it takes longer to get an answer.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_03: I don't remember that being that way.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_03: I may be wrong with some particular, you know, suppliers.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but for instance, calling technical support to certain individuals, certain companies, um you're now placed on uh uh a hold list, and they may or may not call you the same day, or they may or may not call you the same week.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_03: They may forget about you, and you got to call back and say, hey, you know, I I've got this ticket number you gave me.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_03: You know, what's the status?
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_03: Where what number do I make in line?
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um that may have been always that way.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_03: I I just don't remember, I don't remember that being that way before.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_03: So I I I think some of these companies are just growing too big.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_03: And even and we're at their mercy, right?
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_03: As a as a as a company, I'm at the mercy of my own vendors.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_03: And if and if there's a delay with them, well, guess what?
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_03: There's a delay with my customer, my paying customer that needs the elevators to be running for their guest or their residence.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I wish that a little bit more priority would be given to us, the elevator companies, because um, again, and then the ver our vendors are limited, right?
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_03: It's not that we have a whole, I mean, it's we have more options.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_02: If you say priority, help help me understand that.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_02: Do you mean um, I guess what what do you mean more priority given?
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um so uh if we have a shutdown, we we if we're calling for either technical support or okay, right, or hey, we need this part, um a little bit more uh and and it may be that you know somebody these companies aren't hiring enough people to keep track of the orders.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know what it is, I don't work for them, I don't I don't know what what how they're doing business.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_02: So in other words, if you're servicing a particular brand of elevator and you call them for, hey, I need this part from you know from you because you make it.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um I understand that.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there's a delay, there's more delays than before.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_03: So if there's a delay on their end, or there's gonna be a delay on my end to get my customer's elevator up and running.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_03: Um that's just kind of what I'm seeing.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I don't want to I don't wanna complain too much because then they'll put me on the bottom of the list for complaining, but um, but I just wish, but some are very good.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: Some I actually order parts and I get them the next day.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_03: So it's not everybody, but but I think with the mergers and acquisitions, some of that customer's service is being lost somewhere down the line.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and if they can rectify that somewhat, um, and we can be more responsive to our customers and instead of saying, hey, I know there's a supply, the supply chain issue now.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I think we're kind of getting over that little by little.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_03: And everybody's expecting that things are gonna take a little longer.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_03: Sure, but let's still be a little, you know, work a little bit more efficient for that.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_03: So that's all.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_02: No, well, and I guess, you know, there's always it's always work to be done.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there's a lot, a lot to do.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_02: And I I, you know, obviously, if you're a doctor's office on the second floor, you know, you gotta have your elevators or you're kinda out of business.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, yeah, a critical industry.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_03: Correct.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_03: And I even service uh uh uh there's an animal hospital on the second floor of a building that I service.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_03: And so even you know, for the pets, you need the elevator for the pets because some of them are overweight, or they just need, you know, uh that's that's care.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_02: So maybe their leg is injured, right?
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_02: You gotta you gotta be able to go up and down for sure.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, correct.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_02: Well, um, I guess you know, we're we're kind of getting toward the end of our time, but I I want to end with a question about um what you know, what just ask you what kind of advice you would give to newcomers to the industry, maybe they're business owners or maybe they're you know starting their career.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, what are some things you learned and what would you share?
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_03: So to to uh one one for um a newcomer, a young uh uh guy or gal, I'd like to see more gals in the industry, honestly.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_03: Uh uh more female mechanics and uh uh business owners and and and of the sort.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_03: And there are actually see more than before.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_03: But for a newcomer into the bit into the into the trade, um you've chosen a great industry and be patient.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's gonna pay off.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_03: And save, save, save, like my father used to say, open up that 401k, put 10% if you can, um, and just save, save, save.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_03: Because it's a very rewarding industry.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_03: On top of it's it's rewarding emotionally or anything like that, you know, uh uh as a career, but it also pays well.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_03: But you have to manage your money uh right, you know, and and and invest.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_03: So definitely um uh come in.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_03: You've chosen the right career, uh right job, and um and save.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_03: And then for the um for a new business owner, um uh same thing I was told, be patient, uh be consistent, be disciplined, uh, persevere.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_03: Uh there's gonna be days, there's days where I I get up in the morning and and uh I feel a little anxious, I feel a little uh I feel worried, but um, but knowing that um you know I'm a patient person, I always say I'm I'm young and patient.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um it's gonna pay off eventually.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_03: I've seen it, I've lived it before.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and these are different times.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_03: So um, and so far I can't I can't complain.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_03: So uh, you know, God has blessed me.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_03: I give him the honor and glory.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_03: And uh we've got Ma's on the books, we've got repairs on the books, we've got service accounts.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um it's just it's just gone extremely well.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_03: We're truly blessed.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_03: So be patient.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_03: It's the biggest thing, is be patient, but be very disciplined.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_03: Don't get up in the morning and say, Well, I don't have any service account, I'm going back to bed.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_03: No, you got to go out there, knock on doors, make phone calls.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_03: Not everybody likes sales.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's it's sales is a whole different uh uh creature, if you will.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but if uh you know don't don't look at it as a sale, just just talk about your experience and your knowledge.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_03: And that in itself makes a good sales elevator pitch, if you will.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_02: Love it.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_02: Chris, any anything else you wanted to say before we close?
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um you got to make the interviews a little longer.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_03: Uh just kidding.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um, because you know, we're passionate about this, right?
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_03: Once you're in this industry and you're passionate about it, um, sometimes I you know, like I said earlier, I get up in the morning, I'm like, oh God, I gotta do this again.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_03: But but then as as the day goes on and I'm out there and I'm talking to customers, I'm going to meetings.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_03: I I I like the I like the hustle and bustle, if you will.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_03: I like negotiations, I like hang shaking hands, face-to-face interaction.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I just I just enjoy it.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_03: I just enjoy it.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_03: It's um, I don't see it as a job.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_03: I don't see it, I don't even see it as a career anymore.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_03: I've been doing this for so long.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_03: It's just second nature, it's part of me.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_03: Just love me going.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_03: You get me going talking about elevators, just like a good old elevator guy, and man, we'll be here for hours.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I mean, so you're saying you're saying you want these interviews to be a little longer when I'm when I'm talking to people, is that right?
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, I'm just kidding.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_03: I'm just kidding.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_03: It's because it was me, I like I like talking anyway.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_02: So well, I was gonna say if you've got a really good story you want to throw in here before we close, you know, you never know.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_03: I'm I'm sure you know a ton of stories, but there's so many, but I won't bore you guys.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_02: It's all good.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_02: Well, Chris, thank you so much.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_02: It's been a pleasure.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_02: Best wishes as you continue to build your business and and and have a blast doing it.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_03: Appreciate your time.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_03: You bet.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_03: Take care.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_03: Bye.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for listening to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the All Red Group, a leader in elevator industry recruiting.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_02: You can check us out online at elevatorcareers.net.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_02: Please subscribe, and until next time, stay safe.