NAEC Board of Directors 2018 Mid Year meeting

Once a year the Board of Directors gets together for a mid-year meeting to go over NAEC association business and provide direction until our next meeting at the NAEC Spring Conference.  I write this because I get asked lots of questions from my coworkers and NAEC members.  What did you do when you were out there?  What do you get out of it?

NAEC - Board of Directors

Craig Zomchek - Colley Elevator - President

Gary Schuette - Midwest Elevator - Vice President

John Dodds - Kencor Inc - Secretary

LJ Blaiotta - Columbia Elevator Products - Treasurer

Robert Barber - Premier Elevator 

Tim Conkling - Capital Elevator

Rick Gable - Gable Elevator 

Don Gelestino - Champion Elevator

Henry Handel - Handel & Son 

Joseph McNally - McNally Elevator

Tom Thompson - Innovation Ind

Gina Valdez - Texacone

Cornelius Walls - Formula Systems

What did we do down there?

The location was at Sunny Isles, Florida about 30 minutes north of Miami.  This was a self-funded trip where the BOD paid their way to the meeting to volunteer their time.

[Welcome to Florida!]

We got to Florida on Saturday with the help of all four grandparents of the first daughter of the NAEC.  I am currently the president of the NAEC and am grateful for my wife, parents and In-laws for coming along to give us a hand.  The BOD got together and had a welcome dinner at the hotel restaurant which was sponsored by the current president of the NAEC.

[This is what our meeting looks like]

Sunday morning came and we began our meeting where we discussed some of our opportunities and challenges coming up for the NAEC.  Due to the Hurricane that disrupted the convention that was supposed to be in Orlando and the quick switch to Atlantic City we have some financial challenges from loss of revenue.  Fortunately, we have some great opportunities to drive revenue as well.  One which I will link is NAEC’s VTMP[Vertical Transportation Management Program].  This is a great program for new entrants into the business or for field personnel transitioning to the office environment.  The program is $1,600.00 for both sections[technical and business] or can be split up with a reduction in price.  I spent about 7 years learning the information that is available in this program so I encourage you to look into this to shorten the learning curve of having someone be a productive member of your team. Colley has already enrolled 6 people in this program.  Our meeting went about 7.5 hours, we adjourned to spend the next 6+ hours together for dinner and watching the NFL playoff games.  Bar was picked up by one of our BOD members.

More information on VTMP - https://www.naec.org/education/vtmp.html

Monday we had a breakfast and took a trip to Miami where we spent the later part of the day in South Beach.  This is a time for everyone to get to know each other and talk shop.  BOD members picked up bar and food tabs during this trip.

[One of our stops on South Beach at The Clevelander]

[This was a pretty cool hotel/hostel we stopped at]

 [Finally dinner at Gloria Estefans Larios on the Beach]

What do I get out of being involved in the NAEC BOD?

I get asked this question a lot.  I get to spend time with people I look up to and peers in the elevator industry.  We share stories of where we came from and where we are going.   I get a chance to spend many hours with other contractors from all around the country who may do something different then we do or I can bounce ideas off of.  I have developed relationships with many great people who I can work with in the future if I need help and vice versa.  On the supplier side I get to spend time with the owners/key people from their respective companies.  If there are questions or issues I know where to go for the answers.  I heard some incredible stories of how companies started, how their companies grew and challenges their companies go through.  There are some big take aways from our off-script conversations that help me in our business.

What is next?

Spring conference is scheduled to be in Carlsbad California April 15-18. I have linked the agenda below.  Topics include OSHA silica safety training, carbon brush maintenance, freight elevator applications, 7 mistakes managers make, platform lifts, elevators in natural disasters, ERP’s for elevator contractors, harassment claims, safety roundtable, zero clearance entrances, residential elevator hoistway safety, control valves and more.  There is a supplier and contractor member session, open mic, golf, receptions, etc as well.

Take a look - http://www.naec.org/conference/

As always feel free to contact us at www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.