Kudos and Growth

Accolades and milestones from around the country

EW Wins Top Award in International TABPI Competition

ELEVATOR WORLD, headquartered in Mobile, Alabama, took the top, Gold award in the Trade Association Business Publication International (TABPI) 2018 Tabbie Awards in the Regular Column category for a pair of On Camera submissions. Gold-winning entries were “3 World Trade Center Update” by Hanno van der Bijl and “Pilgrims’ Passage” by Kaija Wilkinson. Described by TABPI judges as “visually compelling, and full of technical information for the readers,” the columns covered vastly different, though equally impressive, feats of vertical-transportation (VT) engineering. Wilkinson’s “Another World,” which took readers along on a trip to KONE’s underground elevator-testing laboratory just outside Helsinki, placed seventh in the Feature Article category.

van der Bijl visited the 3 World Trade Center site in New York City with Schindler to take readers step by step through the monumental effort involved in designing and constructing the VT system for the 1,079-ft.-tall tower. The task was fraught with challenges but none that couldn’t be overcome by a close-knit Schindler team. van der Bijl used carefully chosen quotes, precise descriptions and interesting personal stories to bring his piece to life. Wilkinson, meanwhile, covered a vastly different project in a vastly different part of the world: the 300-plus-unit Otis VT system that facilitates the spiritual journey of millions of Muslims during the annual Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. She used vivid imagery to illustrate the intensity and volume of the event, taking place inside the Jamarat Bridge structure in Mina, showing how it wouldn’t be safely possible without the VT equipment.

TABPI reports its 2018 Tabbie Awards featured nearly 400 entries from all over North America and the world and that “judges worldwide were impressed by the high standard met by this year’s entries.” EW is very proud of the recognitions!

ATIS Among Fastest-Growing Private Companies in U.S.

St. Louis-based ATIS Elevator Inspections, a subsidiary of American Testing and Inspection Services, LLC (ATIS), has been named among the fastest-growing private companies in the country, according to the 2018 Inc. 5000 list. ATIS ranked 2,390th on the latest list, which was determined by the editors of Inc. Magazine. Over the past three years, ATIS has grown at a nearly 200% compound annual growth rate, driven by both the organic expansion of its customer base and ongoing strategic acquisitions. ATIS has more than 100 certified inspectors and performs inspections in more than 40 states. The team services over 20,000 customers and more than 50,000 unique devices. ATIS CEO Chip Smith said, “We are very excited to be recognized as not only one of the fastest-growing companies in the world of elevators, but across all industries.”

Syracuse thyssenkrupp Elevator Branch Honored

The thyssenkrupp Elevator Syracuse, New York, branch was named one of the “Best Places to Work in Central NY” this summer. Making the top-40 list in the “2018 Best Places to Work Awards,” the branch was among those honored at a September ceremony, hosted by BizEventz and the Business Journal News Network.

Marine Innovations Welcomes New Dealers

Frazee, Minnesota-based tram and inclined-lift manufacturer Marine Innovations, Inc., has added four new dealers. They are: in Maine, McEnroe Builders of Harbor; in California, Accessible Construction of Inglewood; in North Carolina, Johnston Welding Service of Brevard; and in Idaho, North Idaho Marine of Alene. The new dealers plan to offer Marine Innovations products to address customers’ accessibility needs, including assisting them in connecting their homes to their waterfronts.

GAL Adds Western Regional Service Center in L.A. County

Bronx, New York-headquartered GAL Manufacturing Corp. opened a western regional service center in Santa Fe Springs, California. Located at 9704 Jordan Circle in one of the gateway cities to southeast Los Angeles County, the location features a large display area for products from Hollister-Whitney, Elevator Controls, Courion, Bore-Max and GAL Canada. It provides elevator professionals with the services of Regional Field Engineer Jim Goss, and includes a fully stocked warehouse and training/ education area. For further information, contact Western Regional Vice President Emery Wilcox at phone: (572) 777-0170 or email: emery.wilcox@gal.com. Wilcox stated:

“The service center allows us to provide the best service and technical support, which is critical to our mission. It also gives our customers easy access to some of the most highly respected lines of products found in our industry today.”