A variety of awards and job changes across the nation

H&B CEO Eison Honored as “Entrepreneur of the Year”

H&B Elevators CEO Jashan Eison (ELEVATOR WORLD, April 2014) has been honored as “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Metropolitan Economic Development Association, a Minneapolis-based organization that promotes minority business ownership, FOX 9 reports. Eison went to work for H&B in 2007 as a project manager but, four years later, was told the company was being put up for sale. Though he’d never run a company, he took the plunge and, with a partner, bought H&B in 2013. He moved the company to North Minneapolis, where he employs approximately 50. Eison said the company has seen 40% revenue growth since he took over. Among H&B’s offerings are cabs and interiors, and its products can be found in such prestigious locations as US Bank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, and Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building.

SCS Promotes GM, VP

SCS Elevator Products Inc. of Red Wing, Minnesota, has promoted two employees. David Muelken has become general manager, in which role he will oversee strategic planning, ensure development of programs to pursue targeted goals and objectives, and direct management of key functions of members of management. SCS said Muelken became familiar with all areas of the business during his prior position as operation manager.

Mark Munson was promoted to vice president of sales. He will manage customer accounts and expand and secure new business. Munson will also develop new products with the support of other employees. He previously held the position of sales manager.

Imperial Electric Names Capozzi Regional Sales Manager

Imperial Electric, headquartered in Akron, Ohio, has named Gabe Capozzi regional sales manager, based in the New York/New Jersey area. Capozzi has previous experience in the elevator industry with small and large customers and has numerous elevator-consultant contacts. He graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a degree in Business. Imperial Vice President of Marketing and Sales

Gary Ward said:

“I am very enthusiastic about Capozzi’s solid background and ability to contribute to our continued growth in elevator products. His assistance will be invaluable in providing closure to many of our new business opportunities, additional face-to-face customer meetings and sales followup on our open quotations.”

Columbia Hires Manufacturing Director

Jeff Linot has been appointed as Columbia Elevator Products Co., Inc.’s director of manufacturing, a newly created position. He joins Columbia with decades of experience in industrial engineering, most recently serving as the engineering/tooling manager for Harper Trucks. In his new position, he will be working closely with newly appointed Chief Operations Officer Kenneth D. Hendrickson (EW, July 2017), identifying areas for improvement in processing efficiencies, capacity, energy and environmental systems. Linot says he will focus his efforts on “achieving production targets, including output and lead time, maintaining quality, improving efficiencies and eliminating waste, while driving safety in all manufacturing and operations processes.”

Utah Inspector Presented Award

Gary Gibson, chief elevator inspector with the Utah Labor Commission’s Division of Boiler, Elevator and Coal Mine Safety, is a recipient of a 2017 Governor’s Award for Excellence. Utah Governor Gary Herbert recognized him for his leadership to increase efficiency, perform higher-quality inspections and reduce the number of elevators overdue for inspection (by half). He has been chief elevator inspector since 2015 and a state employee for 30 years. Utah officials said there are 10,000 elevators in the state, of which approximately 8,600 are considered “active” and subject to inspections every two years by Gibson’s division.