Wonders Never Cease

Niagara Falls makes magnificent location for CECA’s 51st Annual Convention.

by Angie C. Baldwin
photos by Angie C. Baldwin and Heather Bennick Photography

It had been years since your author visited the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, but the natural wonder leaves an indelible impression. So, upon hearing the 51st Annual Canadian Elevator Contractors Association (CECA) Convention was to be held there June 9-12, she jumped at the opportunity to revisit its dramatic majesty. The Falls proved just as awe-inspiring and provided a premier location for what turned out to be a landmark CECA Convention. With 558 attendees and 90 booths, the event was the largest in CECA history, said Executive Director Catharine Bothwell. The general impression of the association’s leadership, with corroborating feedback from its members, was that the week achieved and even surpassed its objectives. According to CECA Administrative Assistant Brandy Hancock:

“With record numbers of booths and the magic of Niagara Falls as our backdrop, this year’s convention captured the wonder of the world elevator-style. From the President’s Dinner to the Wine Down night and everything in between, every moment reminded us why we love our members and this incredible industry we get to celebrate together.”

Hosted by Alcor Elevator, the CECA Convention was jam-packed with social activities, including everything from golf and axe throwing to cocktail receptions and a “power”-ful gala event, balanced nicely with the business at hand, which included CECA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), educational offerings, an awards breakfast and a two-day exposition. The host hotel, Marriott on the Falls, offered amazing views of the Falls and was situated near the Niagara Falls Convention Centre, the expo’s location. The convenience extended to the Falls’ nearby tourist area, which offered such activities as boat rides to the Falls’ edge, amusement park rides, restaurants, shopping and more, giving attendees the chance for a week of myriad experiences.

Monday, June 9

The CECA Board of Directors met all day Sunday and most of Monday, getting a lot of their business attended to before the masses arrived. Also up early on Monday were those who signed up ahead of time for a full-day Qualified Elevator Inspector (QEI) Prep Course offered by the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC).

For the rest of us, registration officially began at 1 p.m. on Monday in the lobby of Marriott on the Falls. Plenty of attendees congregated there to check in, chatting as they did so, and grab their lanyards, which were full of information and tickets for the week’s activities and events.

The first of the week’s education sessions commenced at 3 p.m. with Kings III’s “Emergency Elevator Communications – Video Messaging System Update” presented by Daniel Goldstein. The crowd was engaged in the important topic, signaling a healthy kickoff to the week’s education component.

Buses departed from the hotel at 4:15 p.m. “sharp” for 19-39 Club members participating in an axe-throwing social event. While CECA’s youth, meaning those younger than 40, enjoyed an offsite activity, the rest of us had the early evening to ourselves to get organized, have dinner and gear up for the week. A hospitality suite at the hotel opened at 8 p.m., beginning what would be a nightly ritual for many, a gathering made up of cocktails, tall tales, wits, gregariousness and big laughs that would extend late into the evening.

To add to the enjoyment, each night, Falls-facing guestrooms were treated to a fireworks spectacular over the Falls at 10 p.m., allowing all of us to, literally, end the evening with a bang.

Tuesday, June 10

Tuesday morning began early for golfers, who boarded buses at 7 a.m. bound for the Legend on the Niagara golf course. A shotgun start kicked things off at 8 a.m.

Convention registration opened again at 10 a.m., while exhibit set up commenced at 11 a.m. Education sessions dominated the afternoon, beginning with NAEC’s Dave Smarte and CECA President Don Sanchez presenting “2025 Safety Handbook Updates including the Canadian Content.” EmerCom’s Julian Moseley and Brandon Surette followed, discussing “What Do You Mean There Are No Phone Lines in the Building? Elevator Emergency Communications and Alternate Phone Line Technologies.” Local human resources (HR) professional and founder of Essential HR Laura Tolhoek presented “Compensation Compass 2025: Navigating Pay with Purpose.” Lift Business Advisors’ Je Eaton and Jessica Hellman presented the last session of the day, “Salability and Profit Improvement Plans.” Each session was well attended and interactive, with many questions asked and answered.

Elevate-HER, CECA’s recently renamed women’s group, hosted a reception that afternoon. Light hors d’oeuvres, wine and champagne, plus a game, some socializing and a spectacular view of the Falls made for a nice transition from the day’s education to the evening’s President’s Dinner.

A short walk from the hotel, Morton’s Grille hosted a cocktail hour and the President’s Dinner. The crowd was exuberant, happy for the first full gathering of the week. Full-size cutouts of Sanchez greeted everyone at the restaurant’s entrance, behind which the bar held the crowd eager to chat and collect their cocktails.

When we all sat for dinner, it was fun to see with whom we were sitting. Your author met some new friends from KONE Canada and enjoyed talking with old friends from Unitec and frequent ELEVATOR WORLD contributor Kevin Heling and his wife, who was a delight. The dinner’s highlight was the conferring of the President’s Award to Pedro Oughourlian and his family for their years of dedicated service to CECA followed – distantly but delightfully – by delicious sugar cookies decorated with Sanchez’s face.

Wednesday, June 11

The CECA Awards Breakfast set the tone for the day. Attendees walked into the ballroom on a red carpet to find a stage decked out with gold statuettes to mimic The Oscars and our hosts dressed to the nines. Alcor Elevator’s Paul Pettener welcomed everyone to the convention and Sanchez to the stage. Honorary members in attendance were recognized, as were other association leaders present. Honorary CECA member Bill Rogan was welcomed to the stage to talk about his friend and new honorary member, Ron Quinn. Though Quinn couldn’t be there to accept his new honorary membership award in person, his daughter stood in for him, and Rogan shared stories about Quinn and celebrated his career in grand style.

Outgoing board members were recognized, as was outgoing president, Sanchez. “It’s been a pleasure working with Don,” said Bothwell. “He keeps us in line, and his dry sense of humor is a favorite. He’s one of my top 10 favorite presidents,” she said to resounding laughter.

CECA Membership Awards were presented to those companies that have been members of CECA for 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years. As this was the association’s first time presenting 50-year awards, Bothwell and team went all out, presenting each company with a hockey jersey personalized with their company name and CECA memorabilia in a shadowbox. It felt special and something for members to aspire to, according to those your author spoke with about the gift.

Most attendees moved from breakfast to the AGM held in a nearby meeting room. It was standing room only for the AGM, which kicked o with Sanchez’s Call to Order and President’s Remarks. He said CECA is fiscally healthy, and that the past year brought about the hiring of Hancock and the Canadian updates to the 2025 Elevator Industry Field Employees’ Safety Handbook, with a French version to come. 

Minutes from the 2024 AGM were approved, and reports from officers commenced. Chi Kit Wong presented the Treasurer’s Report, expanding on Sanchez’s statement of the association’s good fiscal position. Jeff Collins gave the Membership/Supplier Report, discussing dues and the association’s growing membership. In-depth regional reports were presented by Karl Lepage (Eastern Region), Don Cowan (Central Region), Je Pugh (Prairie Region) and Wong (Western Region).

• MCP Committee (Sanchez)
• Scholarship (Cowan)
• Code (Cowan)
• Construction Hoist (Julie Gilby)
• Elevate-HER (Gilby)
• Safety Committee (Braden Hopkirk)
• 19-39 Group (Hopkirk)

Hopkirk concluded his stint at the podium by announcing the locations for CECA’s upcoming conventions: Victoria, B.C., in 2026 Quebec in 2027 and United in 2028.

Cowan announced the election of Steve Husband as the new Supplier Director on the Board of Directors. Andreas Zachata and Pugh were re-elected to the board for another term. Following the AGM, the Board officially welcomed its new officers: Julie Gilby, CECA’s first female president Pugh, vice president Scott Amos, treasurer and Hopkirk, secretary.

The exhibits opened at 11:30 a.m., immediately after the AGM, and would be the hub of activity for the rest of the afternoon. The hall was easy to navigate but proved slow to move through and for good reason – there were so many people to talk with and products and services to discuss along the way. The record 90 booths made your author glad there were two days in which to visit each one.

A Bridge Builders Meeting later in the afternoon gave the various association leaders in attendance a chance to gather and catch up on the past year’s news. It’s always an enlightening meeting full of friends and colleagues who enjoy learning from one another.

Following the closing of the exhibits, the day’s lone education session was held back at Marriott on the Falls: “The Relevancy of Freight Elevators and Vertical Doors in Today’s Elevator World” presented by The Peelle Co.’s Michael J. Ryan. A Construction Hoist Committee Meeting was held concurrently down the hall.

The evening’s gala, dubbed the “Power Party” or “The Power Plant Gala – Electrifying Elegance,” depending on who you talked to and what you read, was a resounding success. Held at the Niagara Falls Power Station, the first major power plant on the Canadian side of the Niagara River, the event boasted good food, including a very popular mashed potato bar and an amazing array of desserts, and riveting entertainment, including the Power Plant’s interactive storytelling through a light and sound show, educational exhibits and artifacts, plus a live band. For most of us, though, the best part of the night came when we were able to descend 180 ft in a glass-paneled elevator and walk through the illuminated 2,200-ft tunnel to the observation deck at the Niagara River’s edge and see the Falls up close. Ponchos helped us not get soaked, but it was hard to avoid the spray of the Falls completely, and it had us all deciding how far out to venture and how long to stay, as we hooted and hollered and, literally, soaked up the one-of-a-kind experience.

Thursday, June 12

Thursday morning started off with two breakfasts: Contractor and Supplier, each with a good turnout. The expo’s booth winners were announced at the Supplier breakfast: Royal Steel Décor took home the prize, with Group Noddem coming in as runner-up. Exhibits were the order of the day, and Thursday’s crowd was larger than Wednesday’s according to most vendors, who were pleased with the traffic and conversations they were having with visitors.

The evening’s Winery Wine Down Party took us to Wayne Gretsky Estates in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Niagara’s wine country, about 45 min from the Falls. We rode there on yellow school buses with the windows down, and it was like being a kid again. The winery welcomed us with signature cocktails and charcuterie boards, and a main course of endless pizza. It was a casual, outdoor aair with live music, lawn games, abundant conversation and plenty of relaxation.

For a final night, your author was able to watch the fireworks show over the Falls from her hotel window, while hearing in the distance the hospitality suite several floors below. It was quite a party, and that was to be expected. The 51st Annual CECA Convention delivered a good time to the very end. 

The 52nd Annual CECA Convention will be held in Victoria, British Columbia, on June 15-18, 2026, and hosted by Garaventa Lift and Richmond Elevator. For more information, visit
ceca-acea.org.