Star Elevator’s focus on communication and service has led to 40 years of success in the elevator maintenance and modernization industry.
Belmont, California-based Star Elevator is celebrating 40 years in the vertical-transportation industry this year. With almost 100 employees, the company is the largest locally owned independent elevator company in Northern California. The company states it is proud to be able to offer the resources of a large company, along with the care and attention of a smaller company, to the California market.
Star’s services include repairs, modernization, state compliance, service and maintenance. The company specializes in modernizing historic buildings, such as the Oakland Tribune Tower in downtown Oakland, California, which was built in 1906. Modernizations such as this often come with a unique set of significant challenges. For example, it can be difficult to understand the existing systems and specifications for a project when the original engineering diagrams and blueprints no longer exist, as is the case with the Oakland Tribune Tower.
“Proper planning, execution and communication with the customer are some of the strengths of Star Elevator,” said Rick Nieva, vice president and sales manager of Star. “We have a wealth of talent to complete ambitious projects like this.”
Other projects include the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco and the modernization of another high-rise building at 436 14th Street in Oakland, with all new gearless machines and destination dispatch. Star also worked to modernize the elevators at the Metropolis Building in San Francisco, which was named a 2017 ELEVATOR WORLD Project of the Year.
Nieva says that, with the strong growth and solid economic success of the tech, hospitality and biotech/life science sectors in Northern California, and particularly the San Francisco Bay area, there is limited land to develop. Because of this, old and historical buildings often present opportunities that then require modernization and renovation.
It is exciting and rewarding to add the latest technology to an old, beautiful historic building. These old buildings frequently do not have drawings, are odd in size and are far from ‘plumb.’
— Rick Nieva
“It is exciting and rewarding to add the latest technology to an old, beautiful historic building,” Nieva said. “These old buildings frequently do not have drawings, are odd in size and are far from ‘plumb.’ Trying to perform a custom modernization and bring them up to modern compliance standards is not something many companies can handle.”
Company History
Star is currently run by President George Nieva, father of Rick Nieva, who joined the company 39 years ago when he was brought on as a partner. He has served as Star’s president since 1997, when he bought the company’s remaining shares. George Nieva is an experienced elevator mechanic, certified by the State of California, and has more than 55 years of experience in the trade. Before joining Star, he worked for Haughton Elevator Co., and then Armor Elevator. He excelled at Armor, becoming service supervisor, responsible for the performance of the company’s service operations in San Francisco.
“I believe that the customers’ needs come first while also supporting and taking care of our employees,” George Nieva said. “We hire quality people and let them do their jobs with our full support, which helps to build strong and confident employees to better serve our customers. This philosophy is the key to Star Elevator’s success.”
Over the years, the company’s offerings have continued to evolve because the complexity of the jobs has increased due to the growth of technology. The company also continues to have a strong service base. Star handles its service “the old-fashioned way,” always keeping the customer in mind. Having the mechanics make service visits every month and meet with the building engineers is the only way to really understand what the critical service items are to keep everything running smoothly. “Focusing on what our customers really need gives us a competitive advantage,“ Rick Nieva said.
In 2014, Star went through a rebranding and created a new logo to reflect how the company has grown. At the time, a couple of other independent elevator competitors were bought by a major company, and Star became “the single largest elevator company to fill that role,” according to Rick Nieva. “The rebranding allowed us to show everyone that we are a leading elevator company in the San Francisco Bay Area.”
In 2021, the company moved into a new, custom-designed facility three-times the size of its previous space, which the company had outgrown. The facility sits on half an acre of land with the office and warehouse occupying 12,000 ft2. This new space allows Star to more efficiently stage materials prior to jobsite delivery and carry a larger amount of spare parts inventory for the service base. This provides a quicker turnaround on service jobs requiring less wait time for the customers. Rick Nieva said:
“Better equipment staging areas, room for inventory to maintain our service base, larger team meeting rooms and better space for our customer service support staff are just a few reasons we love our new home.”
Surviving a Pandemic
During the pandemic, Star was considered an essential business by the state of California so the company was able to keep working. Rick Nieva said that while big projects and modernizations continued at close to the pre-pandemic pace, there was a shift in where Star’s service business was focused. Less work was needed in hotels, while residential buildings and health care facilities’ maintenance needs increased.
With the hospitality industry taking a hit, Star worked closely with its hospitality customers to work on and maintain their equipment at a reduced rate. Rick Nieva added:
“Because of this, we were still able to take care of the equipment. As a result, we developed stronger relationships out of it because of our willingness to partner with them. Now that they are back up and running, their equipment has been taken care of, and they are able to continue on with their business.”
The Next Generation
Looking to the future, Rick Nieva and the experienced management team are prepared for what comes next. Everyone on the management team, with the exception of the CFO (who has been with Star for 25 years), has industry field experience including membership in Local 8, International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC).
“In addition to our hands-on specialized elevator knowledge, we have been working together for almost 20 years,” Rick Nieva said. “We are able to make quick decisions and pivot swiftly so we have the process and systems in place for success for our clients.”
He also stated that because of Star’s focus on promoting employees from within, the company tends to retain employees for much longer than its competitors. “The quality of our mechanics and support staff and their ability to provide meaningful interactions with our customers are essential to the success of Star Elevator,” he said.
For Rick Nieva and Star Elevator, continued success will be measured by the satisfaction of their customers and the growth of Star’s reputation as the premier elevator company in Northern California. This will come from successful projects, regular maintenance, great service and effective communication with customers, he said.
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