Annual EU Conference Lets the Good Times Roll

A look back at the Elevator U (EU) conference held on June 7-9 at Pennsylvania State University

There are several elevator-industry educational events, meetings, seminars and product exhibitions held each year on every continent. Most of these have taken place for many years, and although they are always very worthwhile from an educational and networking standpoint, the one event that always includes many surprises is the annual Elevator U (EU) Conference. This year’s EU Conference was held on June 7-9 on the campus of Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania, which has become known as the “Happy Valley” of Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountain region. It was a fine event that not only included some new surprises, but also opportunities to learn more about products offered in our industry and to meet the leading university personnel in charge of the elevators in some of the world’s largest institutions of higher education.

With 620 vertical-transportation units in operation on the Penn State campus (more than there are in some medium-sized cities), the location of this year’s EU conference was very appropriate. And, it provided an opportunity for the conference attendees to visit recently completed elevator modernization projects to see some of the latest products in operation. With the Wirerope Works factory less than an hour’s bus ride from the campus, a factory tour of the facility was readily accommodated.

On the first day of the conference, two busloads of EU Conference attendees made the trip to the factory to see firsthand how elevator wire rope is manufactured, tested and prepared for shipping to various job sites throughout North America. Following a welcoming of the group by Wirerope Works’ executives, the history of the company was presented, the company’s key personnel and tour guides were introduced, and the EU group was escorted through the factory. The tour was well organized and very well attended and it, along with an extensive ques-tion-and-answer session with the company’s engineering personnel, was a fine educational experience.

Upon returning to the conference site, and following a brief break in the action to rest and freshen up for the evening event, the fun continued with a short bus trip to a popular campus establishment. There, following a nice dinner, the annual EU Surprise Event began. This year, it was “An Evening of Bowling with Friends.” With few ex-ceptions, the fun and laughter was exponentially higher than the bowling scores, and a good time was had by all.

The second day of the conference got off to a start with welcoming re-marks by EU president Jim Anicich and nominations and elections of a new slate of EU officers and directors. After this essential association busi-ness was completed, the following educational sessions included:

 “Green Elevator Alternatives” by

Mark Yako of GAL/Hollister Whitney  “Elevator Passenger Door Accidents, and How to Minimize Liability” by Robert Krieger of Certified Conveyance Training Corp.

“Vendor–Mercials” presented by Bucher Hydraulics; The Peelle Co.; Gorman Co., Inc.; Mathis Electronics; Man-D-Tec; Electronic Controls, Inc.; Eklunds, Inc.; Codedataplate.com and Ortman Drilling.

“Planning, Design and Successful Integration of New Technologies” by Steve Fox

 “Hydraulic Fluids: What You Need to Know” by Mike Woodfall of Bunge Oil

As the day’s events drew to a close, attendees took a short break and then regrouped to participate in the evening’s Vendor Exhibition, which included a fine dinner, an open bar and a silent auction and raffle, which raised a significant amount of money for the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation.

The next day began with a breakfast and the annual EU Membership Meeting, during which committee reports were presented and the association’s new officers and directors were sworn into office by the association’s outgoing president, Jim Anicich. The new officers and directors are:

• Martin Culp – president (University of Maryland)
• Terri Emmons – vice president (University of Michigan)  Steve Pydynowski – treasurer (Illinois State University)  Brad O’Guynn – secretary (Elevator World, Inc.)
• Jim Anicich – chairman of the Board (Arizona State
• University)
• Bruce Lowery – director (University of Manitoba)
• Tom Sybert – director, (C.J. Anderson & Co.)
• Mark Ortman – director, (Ortman Drilling)

Following the membership meeting, the educational sessions got back into full swing with a cracker-barrel session entitled “Machine-Room-Less (MRL) vs. Hydraulic Elevators – When, Where and Why?” Brief presentations were made by representatives of Motion Control Engineering, GAL/Hollister-Whitney, Canton Elevator, Imperial Electric and Ortman Drilling. This session considered the application of hydraulic and MRL elevators and their bene-fits and shortcomings. During an extensive discussion that followed the presentations, environmental issues, space conditions, inspection procedures and maintenance aspects of these elevator systems were discussed in great detail. Personal experiences that university personnel and consultants have had with these systems were expressed, and by the end of this session, it appeared there was a consensus that both hydraulic and MRL elevator systems will have a place on college and university campuses for the foreseeable future.

The final session of the day was presented on the state of the elevator industry and included a discussion of the proliferation of destination-dispatch elevator systems throughout the world. A method of performing a destination dispatch traffic analysis by means of manual calculations was also presented to the group.

As the three-day conference drew to a close, the 2011 EU Conference host Ed “Jaz” Jaskowak and Culp thanked the attendees, speakers and vendors for contributing to the success of this year’s event and invited them to participate in the 2012 EU Conference, which will be held at the University of Michigan. As it did this year and in past years, the next EU Conference will surely include some fine educational sessions, numerous equipment and product exhibits and probably some new surprises, as well. It will be an event that you will not want to miss.

The History of Elevator U

Elevator U (EU) began as an informal gathering of elevator-industry professionals from the Big Ten Athletic Conference; therefore, in its early years, it became known as the “Big Ten Elevator Conference.” As the group expanded to include representatives from schools outside of the Big Ten, the annual meeting was called the “Big Ten plus Friends Elevator Conference,” then the “Vertical Transportation Conference for Colleges and Universities.” What was initially formed as just an annual gathering of elevator-industry professionals was ultimately formalized into a nonprofit trade association, when it adopted its current name. Today, EU is one of the leading elevator-industry associations in North America, with members from both the U.S. and Canada.

EU welcomes members from all sectors of the elevator industry and encourages them to serve as officers and directors, as well. Although this is common in many other regional associations, EU is the only national association that functions in this manner. This diverse membership and its constant member support and input throughout the year result in an excellent annual conference that is well attended.

An innovative event that has become a staple of the Annual EU Conference is the “Vendor-Mercial” session. During this segment of the conference, EU members are encouraged to make 5-15-min. presentations on the products and services they provide to the industry in any manner they choose. This can be done by means of a hard-sell approach, or through the use of mini plays and comedy skits, with the latter two being encouraged. All presentations (whether comedic or serious) are welcome, and the effectiveness of this EU event has become a hall-mark of the annual conferences.

There is always an extensive Vendor Exhibition during the annual EU conference, and an Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation fundraising event, which usually takes the form of a raffle or silent auction. This aspect of the event is also often accompanied by a karaoke session or some other unexpected entertainment. Throughout the entire EU Conference, networking and educational opportunities abound. This certainly was the case this year.

The Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation (EESF) exhibited at the Elevator U Conference at Pennsylvania State in State College, Pennsylvania on June 7-9. During the Elevator U board meeting, EESF staff reported that the newly released Rise Up Safe Ride program had 3,674 visitors to its webpage, 40 “Elevator” poster downloads and 37 “Inside Elevator” poster downloads. A request was presented to the board to form a committee for the marketing of the program to universities in the U.S.

Elevator U supported the Foundation by allowing it to host a silent auction on the evening of June 8. Elevator U requested that each exhibitor bring at least one silent-auction item and display it in its booth. Conference attendees visited each booth to view and bid on the items. At the conclusion of the event, the exhibitors brought their items for-ward, and the winning bid was announced. The silent auction raised US$3,915 for EESF, which will be used to help the Foundation achieve its mission.

In addition to the silent auction, Glenn Duncan of Parts Specialists, Inc. volunteered to conduct a 50/50 raffle, with proceeds to go to EESF. Duncan sold tickets for two days, collecting US$1,040 from attendees and exhibitors alike. The winning ticket belonged to Jeff Kneuer of Innovation Industries.