Latest / The Elevator Careers Podcast / How an Artist’s Mindset Transformed a Small Elevator Business | Anya Codack

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How an Artist’s Mindset Transformed a Small Elevator Business | Anya Codack · The Elevator Careers Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: need to be flexible and and pivot and and those are those are lessons I I I learned over time.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_02: Uh um also having my the background in the creative industry, I think allows me to see things maybe in a little bit of a different way.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_02: Uh have more maybe more creative or three-dimensional solutions in my business strategy.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think I learned a lot of those things.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_02: The other thing I learned along the way that I've been able to apply is um really bringing the team along in our strategic decision making.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_02: Like I love having the whole having everybody give input to you know what what's working, what isn't working, where are we going, what's our where's what's our future and how are we going to get there?
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_02: And what's your piece of that going to look like?
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_02: And just you know making making everybody a part of that.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_02: I think all the previous years I've had and all the struggles I've had with businesses in other sectors have really taught me a lot.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to the Elevator Careers Podcast brought to you by the Allred Group.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host Matt Allred when talent is mission critical call the Allred Group.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: With industry expertise top talent and exceptional customer service you need the Allred group on your side your priority is our priority.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Call now 404-890-0445.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: In this conversation I sat down with Anya Kodak to discuss her unique journey from aspiring artists through software development consulting to taking up her family's elevator supplier business, Delco Elevator Product.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Anya shares the challenges and lessons she learned in entrepreneurship, the importance of customer experience and the value of building a strong company culture.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Anya also discusses the supportive community she found within the elevator industry that has been especially supportive to her and many other women.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: Anya welcome to the show thanks so much Matt I appreciate it.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks so much for inviting me.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah I appreciate you being here I'm really looking forward to to continuing our conversations I've always enjoyed talking with you and and you've got a very interesting story.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: You know obviously your your family kind of as you told me started in the elevator industry.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: How how did you end up getting pulled in and what was a little bit of the the family history there yeah it is it is kind of a funny story.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: I actually come from a very entrepreneurial family but more in the construction sector and when my um my dad passed away when I was quite young and my mother's um new partner was an elevator mechanic.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: Cool.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_02: And so we ended up um he ended up convincing her to purchase a small elevator company in uh located in Vancouver called Delco elevator parts and and after she purchased that company he had all kinds of crazy ideas for how to expand the company and so they went and they traveled all over the world to source products to bring into North America they were went all over Europe and all over China and looked at all kinds of things and experimented and brought all kinds of products in and started manufacturing and building entire elevators and bringing controllers in from Europe and they really they really went like all out uh expanding this company and um I was at the time I was in my teens and I spent a summer uh helping with a catalog that was I don't know uh 5,000 or 1000 SKUs what did you think about this whole elevator adventure and what were the impressions going through your mind?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: Well you know what for me at the time it it was all that my family was focused on so every conversation around every meal was about the elevator business.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: Talking shop no I think I think we're guilty right I mean elevator people talk shop.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_02: I I I do it now too yeah but but at the time I resented it.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure but yeah you you have a life right and you're going to school and it's like can't we talk about something else?
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly yeah and I always wanted to be an artist and so I um I got the heck out of there um as soon as I finished high school I was like I'm moving across the country I'm going to art school I'm not doing any of this elevator stuff.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_02: And I left them to it.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_02: Mm-hmm.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_02: And I followed my own career and and went into marketing and design and um founded a company in that field and I did provide some support over the years.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_02: I helped with websites and some marketing materials and things like that.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: From a distance right don't don't don't get me into it right I will I will stay across the country.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly and I don't want to know about any of the drama there's no drama not in this industry.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_02: But at the same time I met them at a lot of SECA and NAEC conferences and I would uh see my family and I would uh walk the booths and um and so you never really get away from it when it's a family business.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah I was gonna say especially if they're heavily involved it's like oh hey if you want to see us if you want to have a family reunion we're at the conference.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_02: Come meet me in Montreal.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: So uh yeah never really fully escaping so how long did you pursue the the artist?
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: I know you did some software tell me a little bit more about that journey.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah so I spent about 20 years learning how to run a business basically and making a lot of very costly mistakes.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_02: That we all yeah um did the entrepreneur journey the hard way um learned a lot and yes it was in marketing and it was in software I learned a lot about sales about customer relationships I learned a lot about leading teams um developing operational practices and processes optimizing things um I learned a lot about running businesses basically and um and then when I had an opportunity to sell that business I I took the opportunity and uh that was right around the same time that my mother was getting a little tired of running her company and so that was about the time when I when I um ended up stepping in and and offering to purchase the business from her.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: So was there was there any uh you know cognitive dissonance like I I swore I would never and here I am I mean what what was that like?
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah for sure absolutely no I I um like I said I spent a lot of years learning a lot of things and after I sold my other business I had a better idea of what kind of company I wanted to run in the future and I actually actively started looking for a business to purchase.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_02: Cool and so I was looking at all sorts of businesses and I was looking at things that actually had inventory and products and so Delco ended up being perfectly positioned for me to to take over and at the time there were a lot of I I could see a lot of things that where I could add value to the company and help the company to focus and to grow and so we were able to over the last it's been it's almost seven years now since I took over the company and we've made so many changes.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_02: We've um done a lot of work on branding and positioning um but everything everything we do is um about our customers all our decisions are made around making sure our customer experience is is the greatest experience we want to be the easiest supplier to work with yeah yeah and that means you know making sure logistics is easy and communication is good people answer the phone um that it's easy to work with us that the products arrive where they arrive when they're supposed to arrive and that it's the right thing that arrives.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's one thing to say hey we're gonna do this but obviously you've got to have cooperative employees you got to have good training you you've got a lot of work to to kind of get everybody on the same page what are some things you do to kind of drive the right culture and and select the right employees and train them properly and I mean that's just it's a lot.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah that's that's a really good question.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah this is kind of an industry that really I think really rewards great people that are curious and reliable and that's what we look for right we look for people that right right from and we have a really stringent hiring process.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: Cool.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_02: It's all based on the top grading methodology and we look at you know making sure that the people that we hire really fit our values so we want people that really care about customers.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_02: We want people that really care about process about improving process about simplifying process.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_02: We want people that are really passionate and that are work really well as a team and that help support and motivate each other.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_02: We want people with drive and accountability right so so those are our company values and when we look for people that's what we look for and I've been so fortunate right we have amazing salespeople we have great people that work in our logistics department and operational people um we we have warehouse people we have customer service people marketing people and all and all of those careers and all of those career choices um all great opportunities in the elevator industry because they're all provide for growth and for sure and development as a leader having the opportunity be to be a leader I'm very grateful that I can influence how we can shape um people's careers and to me it's always um about growth and about helping people grow for all of us growth is so important and learning new things is important having being put into opportunities where we're allowed to fail is important.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_02: Being able to make mistakes and put things back together again and and moving on is is so important to our personal growth.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's important and it's scary, right?
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Because as an employee I mean I remember when I was in corporate America right and I was like oh my gosh right I I I can't screw this up and yet what I hear you saying is no we need to provide opportunities so people can make mistakes so they can learn from them so they can reinforce you know the right way or or you know just develop better judgment based on maybe poor choices in the first time.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah and I mean everybody makes mistakes and there's they're they're always painful right for for all of us but it does provide an opportunity for for us to say okay what went wrong how do we how do we do this better and what did you learn?
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_02: And and having as long as there's a learning outcome it it's okay.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_02: So that's my philosophy right yeah as long as there's a learning outcome you got something out of this and we all learned something how do we make sure it doesn't happen again um and and provides opportunities for growth.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: Oh absolutely and and yeah you're you're right that sometimes that's the most valuable growth and and sometimes the the yeah it can be very humbling right because maybe it involves an apology that so and so needs to give to a customer or supplier hey we I screwed this up I mean that's so hard to say right it's so hard to take ownership for that.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah for sure.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah awesome awesome obviously talked about your your uh your story and and kind of you know going away and coming back is there anything you would have done different in hindsight knowing what you know now yeah with my career path you know what I I I gained so much experience along the way I don't think I'd trade any of it.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah in my previous company it was it was a very difficult sector and I had to reinvent our business model so many times um I think the mo probably the most important thing I learned is running a company you always need to be ready to pivot and you always need to be able to adjust and that is one of the philosophies I've definitely taken forward it's they're just hard lessons right and the hard lessons that you learn along the way um there's there was a situation where we're we were very reliant on a supplier and we had you know built a lot a lot of our relationships and our customer products and the reliance on us on this particular supplier and then if that if something goes south and either that supplier you know closes shop or they or they may have a change then you're then we we you know we were in a situation where we we were kind of going holy crap now what do we do?
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think running a company you need to be able to find your plan B and make it your plan A.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah yeah and you need to you need to be flexible and and pivot and and those are those are lessons I I I learned over time.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_02: Uh um also having my the background in a creative industry I think allows me to see things maybe in a little bit of a different way and have more maybe more creative or three dimensional solutions in my business strategy.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah I think I learned a lot of those things.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_02: Nice having like I love having the whole having everybody give input to you know what what's working what isn't working where are we going what's our where's what's our future and how are we going to get there and what's your piece of that going to look like right and just you know making making everybody a part of that so just that that team leadership and or that that um I I think all the previous years I've had and all the struggles I've had with um businesses in other sectors have really taught me a lot.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: Sure sure and like you said you know a lot of them may be very difficult lessons right maybe maybe you didn't want to be flexible and it's like no I'm gonna be broken in half if I don't get flexible quick right exactly yeah yeah exactly.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: That's well um tell me a little bit about Delco you mentioned manufacturing right and and as I understand it you don't manufacture now so there's been some some evolution over time some changes tell me about Delco today.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_02: Sure yeah um so Delco today we have three main product lines we have modernization machines and packages and we have complete elevator packages and we have components that we stock in uh warehouse in both the US and in Canada as well and like I said that really our goal is to be the easiest supplier partner to work with we want to be the most reliable and easiest supply chain um for contractors and OEMs across North America.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah so you know what we're doing to do that is we're just keep on focusing on the basics improve customer experience make it easy to work with us improve our systems and make sure that the we have the the right products reliable products and I always say that um we want to have the right products in the right place at the right time.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: Sure sure good old good old marketing slogan there right I mean I am curious though I mean to to be the easiest to work with I I miss I assume you can't possibly have one of everything right and maybe there's certain partnerships and so if somebody calls and they're like hey I need XYZ you know this might may not be the right example but you know you know I'll have a Coke oh is a Pepsi okay or something like that.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I'm sure you get all that all the time that hey we have this that's comparable but we don't have that particular brand or something like that.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah we have um we have pretty much everything that somebody needs but of course we don't carry every brand and and that's okay there's a lot of room in this industry for all for everybody else to sell their products and a lot of it is preference and it and if you want to if you if you want a Pepsi and we have a Coke well you know that's okay.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_02: Go get your Pepsi and you know what if if your current supplier doesn't have a Pepsi maybe we can find a way to get you that Pepsi Right right so we're just looking at ways how how do we make sure that our customers get what they need uh in in the best way and if we can help get it for them great and if and if they need it faster than we can get it for that particular item then we encourage them to get it from a competitor.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: Sure sure what are some things that that Delco does that you feel like gives you maybe a leg up on on making it easier?
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_02: What are what are some of the I don't know the tools some of the processes that you've implemented that that really allow you to do that I think we have um we we come into it with a mindset of that we care about that we really care about the customer relationship and um that we really want to help our customers find the solutions the right solutions that they need.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_02: So we we were really careful um um about being being there and being responsive so answering the phone we have live people that can probably take you from A to Z in the phone in the phone call if you if you're calling we're gonna answer.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_02: Emails get responded to promptly website inquiries are responded to daily we're we're really on top of our logistics so um we're we're always looking for best price best service um communicating about logistics if there's a logistics problem we're on top of that and communicating it sometimes twice a day or more just so our customer our contractors know when their parts are going to be there, right?
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_02: So because I know we've got mechanics are so expensive.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_02: The whole industry right there's so much price pressure and competitive pressure for for our for the contractors and uh so so we're really looking at how do we how do how can we help you by being the most reliable supply chain partner and how can we help you deal with all of the challenges that you have to deal with with with your customers and your price pressures and your deadlines and and the consultants and all of the other challenges that that they need to work with.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah I can envision you know just getting getting the tools there the parts there the pieces there so that when they show up they're not waiting they're not delayed because like you say it you know the hourly cost is extremely expensive.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so if everything's there then boom we can go to work we can knock it out we can get we can get paid and everybody wins.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly that's the goal yeah yeah yeah um having kind of avoided the industry having come back into it what do you love most about the elevator industry you know what I think I think this is an industry that has such a great community the people are just fantastic at whether whether I'm at a naec event or at a seca event or um you know some of the um naec has put has put together and very the women in motion um committees and teams and that's been a really successful initiative I I've I've really seen a change in how well women are supporting each other now in this industry.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_02: I I yeah I think I love the people um I love how it's such a secret of such a secret little industry like um you know uh it happens to me all the time when I talk to friends and they say oh what what industry are you working for?
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_02: And it's like yeah I'm in the elevator industry and they're like what?
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_01: What is that right?
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_02: People do that um yeah I I think it's a great industry and and personally what I've really appreciated is that I think it's an industry that allows growth and success if you are um if if you bring curiosity and reliability and um and and want to help people I think it rewards that and so so I think it's a fantastic industry whether you're a young person looking for a career in this industry has so many options um or whether you're in you already had a career like I did and chose to either come back to it or found this industry or accidentally fell into it I think with the right attitude there are unlimited opportunities in this industry.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah that's a great point you you mentioned earlier you know just just being curious And being, you know, willing to engage and dig in.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: And it really does seem to reward those who do exactly that, right?
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: If you're willing to learn and willing to apply yourself, there's all kinds of opportunities.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes it's starting a new business or inventing new products or inventing a new way of doing something, or or obviously within traditional lines as well, there's just a lot of opportunity for sure.
• 22:22
  unknown: Yeah.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_02: I agree with you.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: You you mentioned uh women in motion and you know women supporting each other.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: And well, tell me a little bit more about how you feel like you've personally benefited from that that program.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um I guess it's I guess it's two sides to all that.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_02: A little bit of my personality is that I'm a a lifelong volunteer.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_02: And so whenever I'm involved in associations or other other groups and such as NAEC, I'm always looking at ways to give back.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I think from the the I I like to look at women in motion from two sides.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_02: I like to see, I like to look at it from the side of what can I give back?
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_02: And how can I help support other women?
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um and what are other women, how are other women potentially struggling?
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, some people need more support than others.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_02: And um I've been in primarily male-dominated industries most of my life and found my way.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_02: Other other stories I've heard haven't been so easy for some other ladies.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_02: And so I'm always looking at how how can I help somebody to find their way, be successful, give them the tools they need.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then on the other side, of course, I hear the stories and I learn a lot, right?
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_02: I hear about other people's stories and how what where they came from and their journey and some of the challenges they've had and some of the decisions they've had to make.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_02: And it's can be very inspiring.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: Very cool.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's awesome.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: What um what advice would you give to someone who's maybe they're brand new to the industry or they're thinking about getting involved?
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say?
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_02: You know what?
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_02: I I think this industry rewards people that are dependable, they're curious, they're good to work with.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_02: And if you bring that, you'll do well.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: And and probably, yeah, open up all kinds of opportunities that maybe they didn't they weren't even aware of, right?
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: There's opportunities will come.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_02: I like I was saying before, right?
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, there are so many career directions in this industry.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_02: Delco is a small business, but even here we have everything from marketing to operations to sales to administration, finance.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um so there are so many, so many different career paths.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: Very cool.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: So, Anya, last question for you.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: As you look ahead, what do you think the future holds for the industry for for Delco?
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um You know what?
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_02: I I I think I think this indust it's it's never easy.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_02: And I think there's a lot of uh stuff going on all the time.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_02: And I from what I'm seeing is there's a lot of price pressures and competitive pressures on our contractors.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_02: There's a there's lead time risk, there's challenges presented sometimes by consultant specifications, uh, government restrictions, um, and all of all of the there's there's a so many different challenges.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_02: And a lot of the challenges that our contractors face are are labor related as well, um, growth related.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_02: There's so much change in the industry with mergers and acquisitions.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_02: It's hard to keep track of who owns who.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I I think that in through all that, the important thing is to continue to focus on the basics and to continue to focus on customer experience, um, improving the processes, supporting each other, helping the teams to develop and thrive and grow, um, being accountable.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um and that that is where we're that's where we're focusing and continuing to focus as everything else kind of spins out of our control.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great point.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_00: I I appreciate you saying that because yeah, at the end of the day, you got to take care of business, right?
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: You gotta focus on the basics, make sure people get taken care of, that that parts and supplies arrive when they need to, and that's what's in your control, and and there's a lot of other things that that aren't.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like you say, focus on what you can and everything will work out.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_02: That's it.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_02: That's it.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_02: We'll do our best, right?
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_02: We'll just keep doing keep doing our best and and uh keep looking for for more ways to be be a better partner to our customers.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Anya, it's been a pleasure and a privilege, and I appreciate you being with me today.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_02: Well, thanks so much, Matt.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_02: And really, I really appreciate it.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you, and and good luck to you as you continue to build your business and support the industry.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thanks so much, and thanks for doing this.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the Allred Group, a leader in elevator industry recruiting.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: Please visit our YouTube channel at Elevator Careers or check us out online at elevatorcareers.net.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: Please like and subscribe.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: And until next time, stay safe.