ATIS, Liberty Elevator, KJA Merge to Form ATIS Ascenda Partners

ATIS, Liberty Elevator Experts and KJA Consultants have merged into ATIS Ascenda Partners, LLC, creating North America’s largest provider of comprehensive vertical-transportation (VT) management and advisory services, the companies announced on January 25. Top executives from ATIS, Liberty and KJA will assume leadership roles at ATIS Ascenda. They include: ATIS’ Chip Smith, CEO; KJA’s Mark Davies, chief strategy officer; and Liberty Elevator’s Chris Dodds, chief growth officer. Other top executives for the merged company are Ryan Tkach, chief financial officer; Rob Isabelle, chief operating officer (COO), Canada; Charlie Slater, COO, U.S. inspections; and David Estes, chief people and administrative officer. Supporting the growth of ATIS since 2016, St. Louis-based investment and management firm Cequel III is the privately held company’s lead investor. ATIS Ascenda Partners believes it is now positioned to serve as a one-stop shop for VT consulting, inspection and compliance needs, including new installation, modernization, repair, safety inspection, due diligence and design assistance services. The company has more than 300 employees supporting 25,000-plus clients throughout the U.S. and Canada, plus proprietary elevator and escalator management software.