From hires to honors, companies are busy across the nation.

Isenberg New Government Affairs Director at NEII

Dylan Isenberg is the new Government Affairs director at the National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII®), headquartered in Centreville, Virginia. In this role, he advocates for regulations and policies that support the goals of NEII and its member companies. Isenberg works with the government affairs team to develop and manage lobbying strategies for issues affecting the elevator industry. He comes to NEII from Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, where he served as manager of advocacy. While at BOMA, Isenberg lobbied members of Congress on behalf of BOMA members, published articles on various legislative and regulatory issues affecting commercial real estate and managed the association’s political action committee. Prior to his role at BOMA, Isenberg worked on Capitol Hill as a special assistant to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island). Isenberg received his BA in Government from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.

Motion Acquires Parts Supplier Numatic

Nationwide parts distributor Motion Industries, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts Co., has acquired Numatic Engineering of Los Angeles. Founded in 1955, Numatic has more than 60 years of experience selling and supporting automation components with a UL 508 listing. Its products include pneumatic automation, electrical motion controls, programmable logic controllers, variable-frequency drives, machine vision, sensors, industrial communication and robotics. It has built a presence throughout California and Nevada.

Steve Leach, Numatic president, commented:

“After meeting with several potential buyers, we found a cultural fit with Motion and are very pleased to become part of their team. Becoming part of Motion assures that our employees will be well cared for in the future and that we will have the ability to continue to service our customers and represent our supplier partners in the way which they are accustomed. At the same time, we’ll now have access to even greater capabilities and resources. . . .”

Tim Breen, president and CEO of Motion, said the addition of Numatic continues to build upon and complement Motion’s growth strategy in industrial plant floor automation and that Numatic will be operated as part of Motion’s Automation Solutions group, which includes Braas Co., acquired in October 2016.

TEI Makes Several Announcements

New York City (NYC)-based vertical-transportation (VT) contractor TEI Group has recently made several company announcements. In May, it launched a new website, www.teigroup.com. With the launch, the site offers a modern look that includes a News section with company updates, as well as “the latest developments” within the industry, the company says. The easily navigated site has other convenient drop-down menus, as well, covering TEI’s products and services. There is a useful section about upcoming changes to codes and a news archive. The “Contact Us” link takes users to a convenient message form, as well as a listing of general contact information.

In late June, TEI announced that Steven Bonardi joined the company as maintenance manager. In this role, he is responsible for managing a service zone covering Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Uptown Manhattan. Bonardi came to TEI with more than 30 years’ VT experience, including positions with BOCA Group consulting, Consolidated Edison Elevator Division, thyssenkrupp and Archer Elevator. Noting that he has worked with and alongside TEI for “most of my career,” Bonardi said, “I am now part of this outstanding team and couldn’t be happier.”

In other news, TEI announced it has won a contract to modernize six elevators at Baruch College’s Lawrence and Eris Field Building at 17 Lexington Avenue in NYC. TEI will provide overhead gearless elevators as part of a general renovation of the 1929 building, an overhaul with a goal of attaining Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver designation from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Harmar Recognized by Local Charity

Accessibility manufacturer Harmar Mobility, LLC of Sarasota, Florida, received the Hero of Freedom Award at the Wheelchairs 4 Kids Heroes Appreciation Lunch on June 21. Harmar has supported the charity by significantly reducing the cost of providing wheelchair lifts for vehicles and installation services, consulting and fundraising for it since mid 2016. The nonprofit provides wheelchairs, in-home assistive technologies and other products and services not covered by insurance to qualifying families, and organizes events for them to attend. Madeline Robinson of Wheelchairs 4 Kids said Harmar’s assistance had helped it reach 75 children so far.

Draka Achieves Safety Milestone

The North Carolina operations of Draka Elevator Products, an integrated business of Prysmian Group, surpassed 1 million hours worked without a lost-time accident in April. The milestone was achieved in February for all of Draka’s North American operations. The achievement represents the work of more than 300 employees, each of whom was honored with a steak lunch, commemorative T-shirt and letter of thanks. The last occurrence of a lost-time accident was recorded more than two years ago. Wynne Ellis, global director of Operations, stated:

“Our goal is that every employee returns safely home to their family after each shift. We are especially proud of our employees to have reached this milestone and encourage everyone to focus on safety for the next million hours.”

Gabis Takes Strategic Sales Role at Bay State

Bay State Elevator has announced that Courtney Gabis is joining the company’s sales department, where she will be responsible for developing elevator modernization opportunities and pursuing large maintenance accounts. Gabis joins Bay State from KONE, bringing a background that includes print and digital marketing campaigns, and developing new clients. She has extensive expertise related to local and state code compliance.

Gabis has more than 12 years’ experience in the elevator industry, starting with thyssenkrupp, where she designed solutions for customers looking to upgrade their vertical-transportation capabilities, and where she was recognized multiple times for sales leadership. Regarding her new role, Gabis said, “I look forward to contributing to the Bay State Elevator sales team and continuing to grow the Bay State Elevator brand.” Peter Kalousdian, director of sales at Bay State, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Courtney to our team at Bay State Elevator. Not only will she bring a tighter focus on customer relationship quality, but she will also provide a new dimension of growth for reaching potential clients.”