Latest / The Elevator Careers Podcast / Building Elevator Connections: The Value of NAEC Membership | Amy DiPaolo

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Building Elevator Connections: The Value of NAEC Membership | Amy DiPaolo · The Elevator Careers Podcast

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_05: There is nothing that is going to negatively affect your business by becoming a member of the NEC.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_05: It is only going to be an extreme value to you.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_05: But if you you get out of it what you put into it.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_05: So please, if you're going to join, be a part of it and try to attend, even if you can't go to conventions and conferences, there's so many town hall meetings that you can attend online or women in motion meetings or various virtual meetings that are available to you, as well as just all of the normal programs that the NAEC has that can help your business.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_05: So there's no risk, I believe, in trying it for a year, putting a little effort into it.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_05: I don't think you'll ever look back.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_02: Hello and welcome to the Elevator Careers Podcast brought to you by the Allred Group.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_02: I'm your host, Matt Allred.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_02: In this conversation, I sat down with Amy DePolo, the president of the National Association of Elevator Contractors, to discuss her personal experiences with the NAEC, the benefits of membership, and their initiatives aimed at education, safety, and power.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_02: Amy encourages elevator professionals to get involved with the association, to experience greater personal and professional development.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_02: For further details on becoming an NAEC member and to learn about the many benefits they offer, please contact all of NCS at 770-760-9660 or by email at membership at NAEC.org.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_02: Amy, welcome to the show.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_05: Thanks, Matt.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_02: I appreciate it.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_02: I know you're super busy and even more busy now that you're the president of the NAAC.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_05: Yes, that definitely has um added a lot to my busy schedule, but I am very happy to do it.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_02: Very cool.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: Well, actually, that's a lot of what I want to talk to you about today is the NAEC, your involvement, and you know, your time as as president.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I'm just curious, how long have you been part of the NAEC?
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_05: Um couple over a couple of decades now.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_05: When I first went over to the independent side of the business, is when I was kind of introduced more to the NAEC.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_05: Um yeah, so it's it's been quite a while.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_02: Very cool.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_02: Just for our our listeners who um, you know, maybe we'll have someone who's not from the industry, the the National Association of Elevator Contractors.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: I wanted to say the full name just so they're not wondering what acronym we're talking about.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_02: But um, so it sounds like you've been there a while.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_02: You've probably seen some pretty big changes over the years.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I mean, uh they're all for the better.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_05: You know, obviously the uh association is growing and changing as the industry grows and changes.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_05: You know, the leadership has has changed over the years.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_05: I think we're in a in a fantastic position right now with the leadership and the structure of the organization to really benefit the industry as a whole.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's that's great.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_02: So so let's just talk about the best benefits that the NAEC offers.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_02: What are some of the, you know, kind of the the reasons to join, if you will?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_05: Sure.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_05: Well, you know, I there's so many reasons to join, right?
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_05: Uh for OEMs, it's a good way uh to get your product out there um to the rest of the industry.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_05: For independence, it's a gigantic support system that you don't necessarily have um like the OEMs do as far as education and even benefits for supporting your day-to-day functions of your company.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_05: For everyone, OEMs and independents and suppliers, it's about uh relationship building.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_05: So there's just a multitude, and it doesn't matter if you're OEM, independent, a supplier, US, foreign country that wants to do business in the US, there's so many benefits to the NEC.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_05: To me, it's a must if you're if you're in the industry, you really you really need to be a member.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, let's let's dig into that just a little bit more.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_02: Like your personal experience, where have you felt you like you've benefited the most from your involvement?
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_05: So uh for me, uh again, it's been decades for me.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_05: So it was kind of um, you know, a lot of personal growth through the NAC where I was able to meet people and it really helped my individual career and um, you know, just the relationship building for me was the biggest aspect because at that point I was, you know, kind of situated in my career, I thought, you know, until I got into the NAC and just was able to expand my relationships and that that helped me grow personally, changing jobs, getting different job offers, starting a company, getting the support from the NAC.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_05: So uh the relationship building really helped me the most in my career.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_02: Very cool.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_02: Do you feel like it helped you take on maybe new challenges, new roles, new jobs, new things that that maybe you wouldn't have done otherwise because you felt more empowered or more educated or more connected or yeah, it's a million percent.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_05: It it helped me do uh other roles.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_05: And um, it really was one of the driving forces for starting my own company because I had all of the connections.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_05: Connections are the the biggest deal, you know.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_05: And it's not just connections, you know, professionally, you you do get them personally.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that's the way with any industry and life is the personal connections and relationships that you build.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_05: And it's just in your industry, what is the avenue that helps you get there?
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_05: And in our industry, it's the NAC.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_02: Very cool.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_02: So part of what I'm hearing you say is that were it not for your the connections and the things that you've learned and gained, that you may not have started your own company.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_02: You may not have even taken that path.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I I I don't think I would have.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_05: I may have wound up, you know, going back to an OEM or so it was a big force in in some of my decision making.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_05: You know, the relationships that I built from the NAC helped me get to where I am today.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_02: Very cool.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so let's talk just a little bit about women in motion.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know how long that's been part of NAEC, but I'm curious to know not only your involvement, but you know, what a little bit more about the actual program.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, so women in motion is is relatively new to the NAC within the last four years or so, five years.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_05: Um, prior to that, it was a group called View Vertical Initiative for Elevator and Escalator Women.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_05: It was started maybe about 10, 15 years ago with me and Martha Holgan, Marie McDonald, many many other women who just wanted like a support system, especially if they were going to conventions or conferences alone, just to have somebody that they could, you know, do education classes with and grab a meal with.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_05: That's how that's how it started.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_05: That the view never really got off the ground because we just really didn't have a lot of backing.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_05: And um at the point where the NAC kind of took over for Women in Motion, I was leaving the view and it was too much for me to do on my own.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_05: And Hab instance, Renee, the executive director of the NAC, reached out to me to talk about uh women's group, and um we were able to connect, and she offered to take take it into the NAC as part of the NAC as a committee, and I was just so relieved to get the help.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_05: And since that happened, we have absolutely taken off from you know, just a small group in the beginning where we started a committee, and I was the inaugural chair of Women in Motion for the NAC as well.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_05: And I stayed on for about three years, then I became a liaison and then just a committee member.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_05: But in the beginning, um, you know, maybe we had 20, 30 members, and now we're we're into the hundreds of members for women in motion.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_05: So it has just gro grown dramatically, and I'm so proud of it.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_05: And the incredibly smart and talented women that have stepped up, recent past chair Keller, Kelly Oberman Oberhart, and current chair Vanessa Klein, just really, really intelligent and really prophetic leaders, honestly, because this is we're setting an example for all the women in in the industry to show them that there is a projective path for leadership where maybe there wasn't before.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm not saying that we never had any opportunities or men don't help or that it's just a one-sided thing.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_05: That's that's totally not the case.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_05: You know, my mentors were all men, and I appreciate that.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_05: And this isn't about anything, but showing support and empowering women so that we can show the industry that we're not just leaders, we are a big part of the industry and we can do anything anybody else does.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_05: For sure.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_05: And we encourage everyone that's members of the NEC, male, female, to join every session that we do.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_05: So we just want to show the NEC and the industry that we can offer programs that benefit the whole membership.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_05: So it's not just while it is about empowering women and and lifting them up and getting a pipeline of leadership, it's also about just giving quality um products to the members of the NAEC.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_05: Um, so and I'm really proud of what it's become.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_05: It's really just taking off.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_05: And um I I can't believe that we're at the point where we are at so quickly.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_05: And I think there's nothing but good for the future of that that committee.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_02: I I mean I've heard great things about it.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_02: In fact, I interviewed Vanessa Klein and um wanted to share that that clip with you.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_02: So, Vanessa, what has been the biggest benefit to your being involved with Women in Motion?
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_03: So, my involvement with Women in Motion has been ongoing for the last three years.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um, most recently now I'm chair and really kind of just looking forward to being part of you know the movement.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_03: We're trying to make big things happen.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_03: We're trying to really grow in regards to what I've gotten from it is you know, really just the relationship aspect.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_03: These women that I have met in the industry have made me a better salesperson, a better sales manager, a better leader.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_03: Every time I get together with somebody, recently we just had a virtual event, um, you know, and listening to everybody's story and how they got here and their struggles and their successes, it just you always take away another little piece that's making you a better person and not just in the industry, just like in whole.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_03: The group of women that we have are strong and we have about 200 members right now looking to grow even larger for sure.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: Is women in motion only for women?
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_03: No, it's not.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_03: And we would like that message to be loud and clear.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um you know, sometimes people just assume that, but we definitely want everybody to be part of it.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_03: We want you guys to be at our panel discussions and our breakfastes and our lunches and please join our virtual events.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_03: I think that it's important for men and women alike to kind of listen to, you know, the story and everybody can grow from each other.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_03: So we welcome everybody.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_02: Uh big thank you to Vanessa.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so let's talk a little bit about Next Gen.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_02: And um again, I don't know how long that's been part of the part of the NAEC, but um tell me a little bit about that.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, NextGen is another um, I think very important committee.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_05: It was started uh, I think a couple decades ago, then kind of went by the wayside and resurged in the recent years um with the leadership that we've had there.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_05: And it's a huge, huge stepping stone for the youngest generation to again create a pipeline for leadership positions, right?
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_05: So it's one of my biggest things, not just as the NEC president, but personally to train and mentor the next generation.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_05: That's I I've said it for many years now because of the lack of people in blue-collar uh companies that are coming into it.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_05: I think it's not just our industry, it's a lot of blue-collar industries that have, you know, a lack.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_05: There's a big generation gap between who's retiring in the next five to 10 years and who's been retiring, and that next generation that's coming in.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_05: So it's so important for us to train that leadership to that next generation for leadership and get that pipeline out there.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_05: And that's what NextGen does.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_05: It's really fantastic.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_05: It's it's bringing all of them together as a group and being trained by mentors and leaders of different generations, or even some from their generation.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_05: And a lot of times NextGen has their own um meetings and um maybe even their own little sub-conventions and uh trips and whatnot.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_05: So uh I do see incredible activity in NextGen as well that um uh people under 40 in this industry are very much into it and uh like to participate.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_05: So I think it's extremely important to the future of our industry and this association to uh encourage.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you were talking about people retiring, right?
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_02: When when somebody walks out the door and they take 40 years of experience, you can't just replace that.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, the the more that you can give to train, um, you know, coach, whatever it is to to the upcoming generation, the quicker they can can ramp up and and try to fill those shoes because those are huge, huge shoes to fill.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_02: So um, you know, I did get a chance to talk with Morgan Jones and uh gonna share that that clip with you.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_04: I think there's a lot of benefits being part of the next gen community and speaking from experience, as somebody who wasn't always a part of the elevator industry, I didn't grow up in it, it wasn't a family business for me.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_04: It's really intimidating to show up to some of these big industry events and to not know anybody or to see everybody already talking to somebody else.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_04: And through the next-gen community, through some people who kind of held a mentorship spot for me in that existing community, I was able to get introduced to more people.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_04: I got more comfortable kind of with the community itself.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_04: Just exposure to that group and those networking opportunities to kind of get my foot in the door and get to know people really put me on a path to growing within the industry.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_04: I think the most important thing that NextGen is creating is a sense of community across all of the young people in the industry.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_04: But there is so much more than that.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_04: There is education, packed retreats that we do once a year.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_04: We always have networking events whenever we can kind of come together as a larger group.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_04: Try to do smaller regional events as well and virtual meetings to stay connected and things like that.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_04: But we also have a really great WhatsApp group that everybody in the industry is open to.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_04: And that really works where one day it may be, hey guys, has anybody experienced this before?
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_04: Share some wisdom with me.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_04: It's a really great group for you to float things around, get input or advice from other people.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and like I said, a sense of community.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_04: If you have any interest at all, either being in the next gen community as a younger person or investing in that whole demographic, there's a place for you.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_04: We'd love to have you join any of our events.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_04: We would love for you to be a speaker to that group.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_04: Um, there's just so many ways to get plugged in, and I would welcome the opportunity to chat or share more with anybody anytime.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks to Morgan.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so let's talk about education and safety.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_02: I know that's a big part of what NAC is about.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um curious what your your experience has been with that.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, so I definitely have had a unique experience with the NEC being on both sides of the coin for union shops and merit shops.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_05: So the education is important for the NEC, extremely important for emerit shops with the CET, CAT programs, but it's also important for union shops with the BTMP.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_05: So there's a little something for everybody, but that is a is a huge aspect for for emerit shops.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_05: It's been accredited in so many states and they're accepting it for the mechanic licenses.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_05: And it's a very uh rigorous program.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_05: And every every year we have experts looking at it and we make it more robust.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_05: So it's it's very important uh benefit to the membership to have the programs that we do.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_05: They really can't get the education programs anywhere else unless they're union contractors.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_05: Um, but for the VTMP, you know, again, that spreads over contractors, suppliers, union, non-union, everything.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_05: So it's it's extremely important benefit that the NEC gives to their memberships.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_05: Very nice.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thank you.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_02: And I I got a chance to talk to Matt Hollinshead, and and he he you know educated me a bit on these programs and shared shared some of his insights as well.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_02: So I'll share that clip.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: The CET education program was very instrumental for me as I was an elevator apprentice.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: When I completed the CET education program, it opened the door for me to receive elevator mechanics licensing in the states that the company I work for operates in.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: As my career progressed, the VTMP, which is the Vertical Transportation Management Program, provided another avenue for me to further my education by preparing me for leadership opportunities as a supervisor and a manager for the company that I work for.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: The VTMP is an education program that is geared more for non-elevator people who are working in the industry or elevator people who are transitioning from just a mechanic role to a supervisor role.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: The VTMP will introduce these professionals with elevator-specific education to increase their industry knowledge while also building upon their personal management and ethics, sales and marketing, project management, and business communication.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: So on the education front, both the VTMP and the CET education program have been instrumental in my professional development and growth within the elevator industry.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_01: Safety is an important topic for anyone in the elevator industry, and it's an important topic for the NAEC as well.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: The NAEC is a member of the elevator industry safety partners.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: This is a collaborative partnership between organizations including OSHA, NEE, the IUEC, and ECA, where safety and health practices are promoted to prevent exposure to industry-recognized hazards.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: The NAEC also had the privilege of supporting the 2025 publication of the Elevator Industry Field Employee Safety Handbook.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: This participation allowed the NAEC to take safety concerns we heard from our members and implement them into this new handbook.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: So from an education and safety standpoint, the NAEC has been crucial for me and the development of my education and the safe practices that I follow, so I come home each day.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_02: Big thanks to Matt.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_02: And then I wanted to ask, you know, kind of as an as a new member, um, you know, obviously it's been a minute and and things have changed a lot, but what was your experience when you were like brand new to the NAEC and you know what what was that like?
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_05: So I was lucky for me.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_05: I had somebody introduce me to the NAEC.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_05: So I always kind of had that mentor level to bring me in and help me understand what I needed to do to really get the benefit from everything that the NAC offers.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_05: So as soon as I was a member, not even, you know, a couple months later, I was on a committee.
• 20:38
  unknown: Right.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_05: Um I started, I joined immediately.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_05: I was on the membership committee and I got involved because my mentor told me uh, you know, this is the path that you need to do if you want to uh meet people, become successful, and really take advantage of everything the association has to offer.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_05: So really that hasn't changed.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_05: It's the same thing.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_05: If you're a new member, you know, my advice is to get involved and um go to the conventions, go to the conferences if you can, and also volunteer.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_05: Volunteer to be on any one of the committees.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_05: Um, if you have a certain expertise and you want to help with the education or accreditation, or there's membership committees.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_05: There's so many places uh that you can volunteer.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_05: There's something for everybody.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_05: So I don't think that that's changed in the entire time that I've been in it.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_05: It's the same philosophy to take advantage of everything that the NAC has to offer.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_02: That's great.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_02: That's great.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_02: So I did I did talk to one of our newest members, uh not newest maybe, but uh a fairly new member, uh, Bruce Nelson with high tech, joined in just the last few years and had some really good things to say.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_02: So I want to just share his insights.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_02: So, Bruce, what was the most beneficial for you coming in as a new member to the NAEC?
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I would say it's the support and the Backing that you get from the people as well as the partnerships that you immediately gain by being a member.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: I can't express enough how much Danielle and Renee helped us in the very beginning.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: And you could feel the sense that they really were not only helping, but we're wanting us to succeed as a new member.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: And four years later, that's been wildly successful.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_02: I was going to ask you, what how how has that affected high-tech and how you've been able to find this new kind of a new business uh track for you?
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell It is.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: With high-tech being in business for you know over 40 years and dominating quite a few other industries, the vertical transportation or elevator industry was was really new to us uh coming out of COVID.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: So um we joined the NAEC in 2021, found that the services that we provided to those other industries were really needed in the elevator industry.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: So the hardest part was going to be learning the industry, meeting the right people, making sure we got the word out that on the services that we provide.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, the best thing to say there, Matt, is we we've doubled our business each year since 2021 in the um in that vertical transportation area.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, kind of it falls in the same line.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we do the show every year, and our first year we had, you know, a little very small table and and booth, and then it got a little larger.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, coming into this next year, we're looking forward to, you know, I think it's like a 30 by 30 space.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: Nice.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: So we continue to grow along with their support.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_02: And a big thanks to Bruce.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_02: Appreciate that.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_02: So I wanted to just um, you know, obviously look back uh or or kind of refocus uh on your presidency.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm I'm curious, what are some of the biggest things that you're excited about?
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, we've talked about a few of those, but what is most exciting for you?
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_05: So I think for me, this year is definitely different, right?
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_05: So it's it's the second time I've been on the board.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_05: So it's the sixth year that I've served on the board.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_05: Last year as vice president, this year as president.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_05: And being the president is is definitely um more rigorous, uh, adds a lot more to your calendar and your schedule.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_05: Sure.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_05: But it's also extremely exciting and can be very humbling.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_05: You know, I just attended Interlift in Germany this year for the first time representing the NAEC as president.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_05: I had to do a welcome speech where I thanked the international community for inviting us and welcomed them to come to the NAEC in North America and the United States.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_05: It was very exciting.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_05: There's a lot of exposure there, and I think a lot of uh potential for more uh suppliers um to be involved in the NEC on an international level.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, and that's just one uh place where I'll be going.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_05: I'll also be joining SECA, the Canadian Elevator Convention.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and just making the rounds and representing the NEC as president for this year, looking forward to the spring conference, the convention.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_05: We have a mid-year board meeting coming up in January.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_05: So there's a lot of travel.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_05: Um, it's a lot of time that you have to put in extra as president.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_05: So if you're gonna be on the board, just remember that.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I take it very seriously.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_05: I represent the association and I want to do it in the best and most professional way possible, which means dedicating uh a lot of my personal time.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_05: And I understood that going in, and I'm happy to do it.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_05: And it's also a personal growth experience for me, as everything has been with the NAC.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_05: So it's just a really exciting time.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_05: I'm happy to represent the association and having a really good time doing it and still learning and growing um with all the new experiences.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, absolutely.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_02: And even on an international scale, right?
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_02: Meeting people that you haven't met and and probably would not have met otherwise.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_02: So very exciting.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_02: What message would you like to share with current NAEC members?
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_05: Current members, you know, uh the same thing I was just saying before, please get involved.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_05: Um, you know, we always need volunteers to help out in all the committees.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_05: You know, all these committees are formed for a reason.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_05: They're to help support the staff at the NAEC so they can continue the programs that we have in place that support our strategic plan that we've developed as an association for our membership.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_05: So if you are a current member, go to the convention, go to the conference, get involved.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_05: It will be so personally rewarding.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_05: And if you're a business owner, it will help your business.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, you will get support from suppliers and even competitors.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_05: You know, I've had so many friendly relationships with elevator company owners that I've developed over the years.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_05: And you can you can reach out and call them if you're in a tough situation.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_05: So it's all about the relationship building, and you're going to get out of it what you put into it.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_05: So make the effort and it will be rewarding for you.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_02: So last question I want to ask Amy is um in regard to those who uh, you know, what would you say to those who maybe have not joined, maybe they're thinking about it, maybe they joined in the past but are not currently members.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_02: What would you say to them?
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I mean, if you if you're sitting on the fence and thinking about it, they offer there there are some discounts and offers coming up.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_05: I would say take advantage of it.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_05: There is nothing that is going to negatively affect your business by becoming a member of the NEC.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_05: It is only going to be an extreme value to you.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_05: But again, it's it's you you get out of it what you put into it.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_05: So please, if you're going to join, be a part of it and try to attend, even if you can't go to conventions and conferences.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_05: There's so many town hall meetings that you can attend online or women in motion meetings that are Teams meetings or, you know, various virtual meetings that are available to you, as well as just all of the normal programs that the NEC has that can help your business.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_05: So um there's no risk, I believe, in trying it for a year, putting a little effort into it.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_05: I don't think you'll ever look back.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_02: No, then thank you.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_02: And and honestly, I I kind of want to put my own plug-in.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_02: I uh, you know, I've been recruiting elevator people for 14 plus years.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_02: And it was about four or five years ago that one of my clients said to me, Hey, are you gonna be at the at the uh spring conference?
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, Yeah, yeah, I'm I kind of felt like an outsider, right?
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_02: I'm I I don't think I'm I'm really welcome, right?
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_02: Or something like that.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_02: And he said, shut up, just come.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_02: And so I was like, fine, I'll I'll show up.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_02: And what surprised me, I think, more than anything was just how friendly and welcoming, right?
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_02: I may have felt like an outsider, but nobody treated me like an outsider.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_02: Nobody uh uh, you know, gave me the impression that, oh, you're you're a recruiter, you don't really belong here.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_02: I never once got that, and and it's it's been a great experience all the way through.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_05: So awesome.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Amy, thanks again for first of all, for your service to the NAC, to all of its members, your willingness to serve as a president.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, thank you for being willing to do this interview with me.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um it's always a pleasure.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_02: I I appreciate all you do, and and yeah, just thank you.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, thanks, Matt.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_05: It's definitely my pleasure as well.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks again for listening to the Elevator Careers Podcast.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_02: For further details on becoming a member of NAEC and to learn about the many benefits they offer, please contact Paula Sanchez at 770 760 9660 or by email, membership at naec.org.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_02: Her information is also listed in the description below.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_02: Please like, subscribe, and until next time, stay safe.