Fourth-Annual ECNY Supplier Showcase

A growing number of attendees visited Bronx, New York, for this one-day event.

The Villa Barone Manor in Bronx, New York, played host to the Fourth-Annual Elevator Conference of New York (ECNY) Supplier Showcase, held April 10 from noon to 7:00 p.m. More than 70 exhibitors participated in this year’s event, which took place on an unseasonably warm day that had many talking as they showed up in their shirtsleeves. Attendees totaled approximately 650, a growing number that did not surprise ECNY treasurer Andrea Magaziner of GAL Manufacturing Corp., who said, “The turnout is always good for ECNY, and this year is no different.”

For many, the commute to the show is an easy one, and for others, the lengthier travel is well worth it, because, as one participant said, it is “the best value going.” ECNY secretary Douglas Gilman elaborated on that point:

“Our supplier members get the opportunity to show off their goods and services for a very low cost. Our contractor and consultant members get the opportunity to see what is happening in the industry and get to bring as many people from their organizations as they can — all for free. Not only are owners and executives attending, but so are administrative staff, purchasing personnel, field mechanics and supervisors, and they all get to see what is new and available in the industry. So many of the exhibitors are excited about the opportunity they have to speak with field personnel who have actually installed their products. All of this, while everyone also gets to enjoy a day with unlimited fantastic food supplied by the Villa Barone Manor. It is a fantastic event.”

Soon after the official opening of the doors, ECNY Vice President Bobby DeFrancesco, president of Benfield Electric & Elevator Supply; Gilman, president of Elite Elevator Cab Remodeling Inc.; ECNY Director Jack Morgan, president of Morgan Elevator Company, Ltd.; and Magaziner accepted a Bronx Chamber of Commerce Certificate of Appreciation on ECNY’s behalf. Presented by chamber President and CEO Lenny Cano and Chairman Joseph Kelleher, the certificate commemorates ECNY’s “over five years of excellence in serving the elevator industry in the city of New York.”

As attendees streamed in the front doors, the ELEVATOR WORLD booth, as well as the National Association of Elevator Contractors and Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation booths, became busy with visitors as they made their way on to the registration table, then the main exhibition hall. The exhibit hall saw a steady stream of visitors throughout the day, particularly during the lunch hour and near the end of the workday. According to EHC Global Senior Sales Representative Alison Whittaker, the show “offered more traffic this year. It was very good, very successful.” Others shared the sentiments. “The board of the ECNY is so proud to be able to provide this wonderful member service for the New York elevator industry, and the ECNY looks forward to continuing this event,” Gilman said.

Second-Annual Regional VIEEW Meeting

The Vertical Initiative for Elevator Escalator Women (VIEEW) held its second-annual regional meeting during the 2013 Elevator Conference of New York (ECNY) Supplier Showcase. VIEEW founder Martha Hulgan, of MMH & Associates LLC, opened the meeting at 2 p.m. by turning the floor over to ECNY Vice President Bobby DeFrancesco, who welcomed the group to ECNY and encouraged future gatherings of the VIEEW at the event.

Approximately 20 women attended the meeting, held in a downstairs meeting room and hosted by Hudson Elevator. Hulgan thanked DeFrancesco, ECNY Secretary Andrea Magaziner and Hudson Elevator Group Vice President Amy DiPaolo for their help in arranging the meeting. Before introductions were made around the room, Hulgan briefly discussed the group’s growth, saying, “We started six years ago, and now more than 230 women are on our mailing list. And, many of these women have more than 30 years of experience working in this industry.”

Following introductions that included the welcoming of several new members, keynote speaker Jackie Mortman of JM Associates/Burnham + Co., a division of HUB International Northeast, presented “Certificates of Insurance,” which brought to light impending changes in the insurance sector that may affect many elevator businesses. After a question-and-answer session with Mortman, the group voted to hold the third-annual regional VIEEW meeting the evening before next year’s Supplier Showcase.