December 2019 • ELEVATOR WORLD 53

The 2019 Ellies Awards

ELEVATOR WORLD presents the winning companies of the second-annual

competition for excellence in the North American elevator industry.

“Going above and beyond” is an oft-repeated phrase in the nomination forms ELEVATOR WORLD received for its Ellies awards, which garnered nearly triple the number of votes — close to 34,000 — that it did in its inaugural year in 2018. The Ellies are growing, with seven new categories added. Enthusiasm and competitiveness are growing, too, with single companies in a few hotly contested categories registering well over 2,000 votes. In one case, five votes separated the winner from the rest.

Employees and customers of companies throughout North America shared details about the professionalism, passion and dedication the 2019 Ellies winners bring to the table. First-time and repeat winners were described as those who “think outside the box”; treat employees and customers like

family; promote health, safety and education; and give back to their communities, all while handling a diverse and complex workload with transparency and integrity.

Winners’ pride was evident at the National Association of Elevator Contractors 2019 Convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan (p. 72), in September, where most recipients stopped by the EW booth to receive their trophies and pose for pictures. The Ellies reflect a job well done, as they are the first awards program in which honorees are nominated by and voted on by the industry. Our thanks go out to all winners, nominees and industry members who helped make the second-annual program such a success. Look for announcements about the 2020 Ellies at www.elevatorworld.com/ellies, in our Daily News, on our podcast and in ELENET.

54 www.elevatorworld.com • December 2019

Best Contractor – South

A&A Elevator Corp.

Headquarters: Plantation, Florida

The

Best Supplier – Cabs and Doors

Columbia Elevator Products

Headquarters: Bridgeport, Connecticut

The

Best Supplier – Motors

Imperial Electric

Headquarters: Akron, Ohio

The

Best Contractor – North

Colley Elevator Company

Headquarters: Bensenville, Illinois

The

(l-r) Alex Macias, Adam Clayton and Dennis Finn

(l-r) Tom Birdsall; Dione Birdsall; Louis “L.J.” Blaiotta, Jr.; Erica Mercier; and Christopher Whittles

(l-r) Steve Nero, Shawn Morneweck, Gary Ward, Dennis Rhodes and Mirjana Draganic

(l-r) Martin Cruz, Javier Lopez and Carlos Contreras

December 2019 • ELEVATOR WORLD 55

Best Contractor – Family-Owned

Kencor Elevator

Headquarters: West Chester, Pennsylvania

The

Best Supplier – Other

KONE Spares

Headquarters: Moline, Illinois

The

Best Consultancy

Lerch Bates

Headquarters: Denver

The

(l-r) Matt Hollinshead, Rick Kennedy and John Dodds

(l-r) Maggie Gripp, Pam Hopkins, Sam Azuela, Wayne Dowty, Jessica Gross, Meghan Ludin, Rick White, Kelly Oberhardt, Daniel Whitcanack, Kelly O’Neill, C.J. Hendrickson, Mary Lewis and Mario Jones

(l-r) Charlie Geist, Heath Hayes and Michael Hanson

Best Inspection Company

Liberty Elevator Experts

Headquarters: Newark, Delaware

The

Chris Dodds

56 www.elevatorworld.com • December 2019

Best Contractor – West

PEAK Elevator

Headquarters: Arvada, Colorado

The

Best Supplier – Complete Elevator/Escalator Systems

Pneumatic Vacuum Elevators

Headquarters: Miami

The

Best Contractor – Canada

Richmond Elevator

Headquarters: Richmond, Canada

The

Best Supplier – Software

relayr

Headquarters: Boston

The

(l-r) Connor Fitzpatrick, Stefania Guglielmetto and Michael Kraus

(l-r) Alexander, Irene and Vlad Zachata

(l-r) Patrick de Ledebur and Stefan Gruber

December 2019 • ELEVATOR WORLD 57

Best Veteran-Owned Business

Right Way Elevator Maintenance

Headquarters: St. Petersburg, Florida

The

Best Supplier – Accessibility

Savaria

Headquarters: Laval, Canada

The

(l-r) Alex Bourassa, Katrina Maheu and Bill Richardson

(l-r) Justin Prosak and Ryan Coley

Best Supplier – Controllers

Smartrise

Headquarters: Irving, Texas

The

Best Contractor – East

TEI Group

Headquarters: Long Island City, New York

The

Ryan Syring

(l-r) Wayne Locker, Ray Downs, Michael Staub, Michael Donohue and Kevin Lynch

58 www.elevatorworld.com • December 2019

Best Supplier – Safety Products

Wurtec

Headquarters: Toledo, Ohio

The

Best Supplier – Special Application Lifts

Wildeck

Headquarters: Waukesha, Wisconsin

The

(l-r) Paul Mihelich and Todd Canham

(l-r) David Steingass, Tim Lykowski, Jeff Wagenhauser, Brandon Miller, Steve Wurth, Terry Rodebaugh and Blake Pilgrim