Merger benefits region’s VT consulting market

Expanded customer base, continued focus on customer service

by Lindsay Fletcher

Elevator Consulting Services, Inc. (ECS) was founded in 1991 by Gordon Ernst with headquarters in Seattle, Washington, and clients spread across the Northwest region. When Gordon’s son, Greg Ernst, joined the company in 2012, becoming president in 2015, some key hires of experienced personnel set the stage for consistent growth leading up to 2024 when ECS decided to join forces with East Hanover, New Jersey-based VDA. Now the Regional vice president — Northwest for VDA, Ernst (GE) spoke with your author (LF) by email about what the companies gained from each other’s experience and how this has impacted vertical-transportation (VT) consulting services in the region.

LF: Please provide some information about ECS’s growth since you joined.

GE: When I started at ECS in 2012, the company was in a transitional period, as two of Gordon’s partners were phasing out of the business. My first real task was bringing in a new generation of talent. In 2014, we hired Mike Stevens who had more than 30 years’ experience working as a mechanic and had overseen modernization crews for one of the largest elevator contractors. With Mike on the team, there was no project too complex for ECS to pursue. We followed that up with additional key hires that really gave us the framework for the consistent growth we experienced between 2017 and 2024.

“This partnership really completes VDA’s geographic coverage for the Western U.S.” — Greg Ernst, VDA Regional Vice President — Northwest

LF: Who were your typical clients, and where were they located?

GE: Our book of clients were concentrated in those regions where we had boots on the ground — Washington, Oregon and Hawaii. We also did quite a lot of work in Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Guam. We did have clients with a national footprint, so we would work with them on projects across the country.

LF: You joined VDA in November 2024. Why did you join VDA and why was this the right time to do so?

GE: I closely followed VDA over the years and was always impressed by the way they carried themselves in the market. Over the past few years, I had opportunities to meet a few members of the executive team including Gavin Campbell, who at that time was about one year into his new role as CEO. His vision for the company really resonated with me. With each new person I met at VDA, it solidified the notion that these were people I respected and knew I would enjoy working with. This partnership ensures that we can continue to provide our clients with the same level of service we prided ourselves on and gives each ECS employee the opportunity to finish their elevator career with a great company. We also gained three really experienced consultants as part of the transaction. Now, as a team of eight, we are the largest most experienced VT consulting and inspection company in the Northwestern U.S.

LF: What benefits did your company/employees bring to VDA with the merger?

GE: VDA is the leading VT consulting and inspection company in North America and, through recent acquisitions, has established itself as a global player in the VT market. VDA was well established in every corner of the U.S., except the Pacific Northwest. Since ECS had been operating here for more than 30 years, we enjoyed very strong relationships with building owners, managers, developers, architects and elevator companies. This partnership really completes VDA’s geographic coverage for the Western U.S.

LF: What benefits did you receive from joining VDA?

GE: At ECS, we lacked some of the systems and tools that could have made us more efficient and added additional services we could offer to our clients. We tried to do some of that on a limited budget, but comprehensive IT systems require both large investments up front and continuing investments to maintain them. We just couldn’t afford that as a small business. VDA has some great systems for data collection in the field, report generation and, most exciting to me, a system that helps clients verify their elevator maintenance contractor is providing the services required under their contract. This service really opens a large segment of the market we weren’t actively targeting at ECS.

LF: What new opportunities has the merger created?

GE: At ECS, we struggled at times with clients that had a national footprint. There were many instances where a local building manager or engineer wanted to use our services, but when our proposal was sent to corporate, they were told they needed to use the “national account” contract. Now, as part of VDA, we are the national account. 

LF: Is your role with VDA similar to your role at ECS or have your duties/priorities changed?

GE: In many ways, not much has changed. My primary goal continues to be to ensure that our team is providing best-in-class VT consulting to all of our clients. With the additional resources, I am spending more of my time on business development — getting the word out about VDA’s capabilities in the Northwest.

LF: How do you feel looking back over the past few months?

GE: Elevator consulting is a people-focused industry. From our coworkers to our clients, it’s all about relationships. This process of joining forces with VDA was a great opportunity to reconnect with our clients, taking the time to meet with them to explain both the changes and opportunities this partnership offers. Once they knew the ECS team wasn’t going anywhere, they were fully supportive of the new structure.